NOAA Increases Chance For Above Normal Hurricane Season
August 9, 2019
NOAA says conditions are now more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity since El Nino has now ended. Two named storms have formed so far this year and the peak months of the hurricane season, August through October, are now underway.
Seasonal forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center have increased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season to 45% (up from 30% from the outlook issued in May). The likelihood of near-normal activity is now at 35%, and the chance of below-normal activity has dropped to 20%.
The number of predicted storms is also greater with NOAA now expecting 10-17 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 5-9 will become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), including 2-4 major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater). This updated outlook is for the entire six-month hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
NOAA is also announcing today that the current El Nino in the Pacific Ocean has ended and neutral conditions have returned. “El Nino typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity but now that it’s gone, we could see a busier season ahead,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “This evolution, combined with the more conducive conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995, increases the likelihood of above-normal activity this year.”
On average, the Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. NOAA’s hurricane season outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast. Landfalls are largely determined by short-term weather patterns, which are only predictable within about a week of a storm potentially reaching a coastline.
Hiring Event Next Week For ST Engineering
August 9, 2019
CareerSource Escarosa and ST Engineering are partnering for a hiring event on Thursday, August 15.
This no-cost event is open to the public. Job-seekers will have the opportunity to network with ST Engineering employers seeking individuals to fill their open positions as aircraft technicians and mechanics.
Employers will be recruiting for positions in the aerospace industry. Job seekers are urged to dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes.
The even will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at CareerSource Escarosa, 3670 North L Street in Pensacola.
Back To School Bash Events, Free School Supplies Saturday In Cantonment, Quintette
August 9, 2019
Back to school bashes with free school supplies and more will be held Saturday in Quintette and Cantonment.
Carver Park, Cantonment
A back to school bash will be held Saturday at noon at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street. There will be free book bags for school aged children, free haircuts, free nail polishing, and a free hotdogs and hamburgers. The event is sponsored by the Cantonment Improvement Committee.
Quintette Community Center
Quintette Community Center will be having a back to school bash Saturday at 11 a.m. Children must be present to receive supplies. There will be food and prizes. The center is located at 5490 Quintette Lane.
Pictured: Last year’s back to school bash at Carver Park in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Sacred Heart To Build New Emergency Room On Nine Mile Road
August 8, 2019
Sacred Heart Hospital plans to be build a new $11 million emergency center at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Stefani Road. Construction on the 14,700 square-foot facility is expected to begin this fall, and the facility’s opening is planned for late 2020.
The emergency center will include 13 treatment rooms and two trauma rooms staffed by emergency medicine physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists. The facility will also will include a lab, pharmacy, CT scanner and x-ray imaging.
“Like all of our emergency rooms, we’ll be open all day, every day. We’ll also have separate areas to care for children and adults,” said Tom VanOsdol, president and CEO of Ascension Florida. “Across the Gulf Coast and North Florida, we want to continue to make it easier for patients to receive the care they need, when and where they need it.”
The new ER will be located within a mile of the new Ascension Sacred Heart Health Center at Milestone, an outpatient medical facility that opened in March of this year. It will be supported by Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola, which provides the region’s only Trauma Center to treat both adults and children.
Two other projects are currently under construction in Pensacola: a health center off Summit Boulevard and a physical therapy and rehabilitation center near Bayou Boulevard. Both of those facilities will open next year.
Century Declares Emergency, Approves $4,750 No Bid Proposal To Replace Four Gas Meters
August 8, 2019
The Century Town Council has declared that an emergency exists and approved a no-bid proposal presented by their new consultant to replace gas meters at four businesses.
The town will spend $4,750 plus $35 an hour for a consultant to replace the meters with an internal bypass and pressure test ports at the Century Coin Laundry and Self Storage, the Southern Panhandle Cafe, Food Giant and the Sunrise Donut Shop. Eddy handed the proposal to the council just minutes before their vote.
“The laundromat’s meter is not reading at all. It’s flowing gas, but it’s not reading. So that is an emergency,” said consultant Buz Eddy. “The same with the others, because I took them personally to these locations cause there were questions concerning these. Once we redo them, it’s going to increase that revenue in those areas significantly.” He said the $1,440 replacement of the laundromat meter would result in a financial return for the town in 2-3 months.
Mayor Henry Hawkins said the laundromat’s last two gas bills have been $400.
NorthEscambia.com made a public records request for the laundromat’s 2019 natural gas billing and usage history on Tuesday, but that request had not been fulfilled by the close of business Wednesday.
Eddy requested the town council declare that an emergency existed “in an abundance of caution” and “if any bid procedures are applicable to waive those bidding procedures” for the purpose awarding the contract to G.P.’s Gas Appliance Repair and Piping, LLC in Baker and $35 an hour to Vernon Prather for an unspecified number of hours. Prather is the former assistant city manager in Gulf Breeze and also served as Gulf Breeze public service director.
Eddy said no quotes or bids were obtained from any other company.
“We found that the prices, just evaluating the prices against what other utilities have paid for similar efforts are comparable and to take the time to bid out or even inquire about quotes, we would have those meters inoperable for that period of time. It’s just one of those things that having an expert come in and tell you I’ve contact someone that’s competent, they can do the work, they are available immediately, time is of the essence.
Eddy said the job is beyond the capabilities of the current town staff because it requires complete rebuilding of the “gas meter set”.
“Why is the gas superintendent that is being paid to do it not doing it? He was not doing it fast enough. So basically we as a council, as a governing body, we have to rectify this problem,” council member Luis Gomez (pictured left) said.
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had all the facts together and the meter readings assembled and the diagnosis has been done on the problem. Previously I was not here. I don’t know what the facts were. Nobody knows that the facts were. Now we know, and we’re ready to move forward and this is the right action to take,” Eddy said.
Council President Ann Brooks said the four problematic meters were first brought to the council’s attention at a budget workshop on August 1 “and that’s when the council decided to get a bid”.
“I think the bidding law is something we need to pay attention to, so the next step is that we were going to look at prices for having the other meters installed. We need to make sure, because that won’t be an emergency,” Brooks said.
The motion to declare an emergency, bypass any bidding procedure and award the contract passed the council unanimously.
The contract did not include the actual meters because the town has had the new meters needed in stock since February. The town purchased 500 new residential natural gas meters and 52 new commercial meters months ago in an effort to increase billing accuracy and revenue.
Gas Superintendent Wally Kellett said in mid-July that only 40 of the residential meters had been installed, and none of the commercial meters were installed.
The council has required Kellett to attend all of their meetings and update the status of his department, but he’s missed numerous meetings with no public explanation. At Monday night’s council meeting, no reason was given for Kellett’s absence, and Hawkins could only say “40-plus” meters had been installed because he did not know the actual number since Kellett’s last update to the council on July 15.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
See A Helicopter With A Strange Pole Hanging Underneath? Here’s What It Is
August 8, 2019
Have you seen a helicopter with a long rod or pole hanging from it? Several readers contacted us asking about it, and here’s what we found.
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, which generates and supplies power to Escambia River Electric Cooperative, is is conducting right-of-way clearance on transmission power lines in the North Escambia area over the next couple of weeks.
They are using a Hughes 369D helicopter with a suspended aerial power saw to accomplish this task. The saw has ten, 24-inch blades that swing back and forth trimming trees and other foliage in close proximity of the high voltage lines. Periodic right-of-way service is necessary to keep power lines clear of tree brush so they will not cause harm to people or a disruption in electrical service.
Photos courtesy EREC for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary May Forgo Multi-Million Dollar Construction Project, At Least For Now
August 8, 2019
Byrneville Elementary School may put the brakes on a multi-million construction project, at least for now.
“I am ready to table it,” Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan told the school’s board of directors Wednesday afternoon. “Let’s look at what we have…and do what we can to make it better.” Sullivan citing rising employee costs and costs associated with mandated school safety measures that might make a mortgage payment harder.
During meetings with bankers and financial experts, the board learned in recent months that financing their desired multi-million dollar project would be tight.
Board chairperson Melanie Killam expressed Wednesday that she would be willing to look at cutting a planned 10 classroom building down to a half dozen classrooms with expansion capabilities.
Without a quorum present, the board was unable to take an official vote to table the building project Wednesday afternoon.
In June, a banker told the board that the charter school does not have the enrollment or funds needed for a $7.7 million building project they have been considering for over a year.
The board had discussed $7.7 million for a new building with 10 classrooms, a 1,000 square foot multipurpose room and associated spaces, and a new cafetorium with a serving kitchen. United Bank Vice President Chris Walker said the school can afford a loan of just $2.185 million with an enrollment of 205 students. Wednesday, just days before the start of the 2019 school year, Byrneville’ enrollment stood at 185.
Mike Marshall of the firm Sam Marshall Architects told the board two months ago that they could cut their costs by constructing a six classroom building, reducing amenities and using a metal building instead of masonry.
Byrneville Elementary’s main building was constructed in 1941, and many classrooms and the school’s library are located in aging portables.
Pictured: Byrneville Elementary School Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan explains rising costs to board of directors members Melanie Killam and Brandy Carter Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Guns, Drugs Seized From Escambia County Home
August 8, 2019
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized multiple weapons and a quantity of drugs when they arrested a man on outstanding failure to appear warrants this week.
Deputies arrested Patrick Riley Brown for failure to appear, fleeing and eluding and carrying a concealed firearm.
Inside his home, deputies confiscated 14 guns including AR-15’s, pistols and other firearms; meth, fentanyl, heroin, oxycontin, marijuana and other narcotics.
Brown was charged with firearms and weapons offenses. He’s being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Heat Index About 110 This Afternoon; Some Showers To Provide Relief
August 8, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 10. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 106. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 95.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 94.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 94.
Two Top Escambia EMS Administrators Have Resigned
August 8, 2019
Two administrators have resigned from Escambia County EMS.
Interim Emergency Medical Services Manager Leon Salter and EMS Captain Jim Bonoyer have submitted their resignations, according to Escambia County.
EMS Supervisor Jimmy Maddrey has been named interim EMS operations manager as of Thursday morning.