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Price Tag Estimated At $3 Million For Elevated Walkway Over Nine Mile Road At Beulah Middle
October 19, 2021
Local leaders announced in August their plan to work together to seek funding for a walkway over Nine Mile Road at Beulah Middle School, and now we have a preliminary idea how much that will cost.
Rep. Michelle Salzman, Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh and Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams plan to seek funding for the design and construction of the elevated walkway. According to Bergosh, the price tag has been estimated by county staff to be about $3 million.
The District 1 commissioner said the elevated walkway will not only be a safety improvement for the school, but also the surrounding community. Along with expanded sidewalk construction on the north and south side of Nine Mile Road near the school, the project will allow for increased pedestrian access and connectivity in the growing community.
“I want Beulah to be a walkable community,” Bergosh said Monday. He will commit up to $500,000 in D1 Local Option Sales Tax funding over the next few years for sidewalk construction that will be complimented by the walkway.
Comments
24 Responses to “Price Tag Estimated At $3 Million For Elevated Walkway Over Nine Mile Road At Beulah Middle”
People are out of touch when they think it is expensive to have a walkable community. It is expensive to have a sprawled car dependant community. For example, you have to spend 3 million dollars on a bridge to have it be safe to cross the hell scape sprawled community design creates.
I definitely agree on the bus being used to pu children. If the subdivision is across the street from the middle school, students can ride a bus or parents can drop off students. Students are too young to check out and walk home so a parent has to check them out anyway.
Earlier comments about Rep. Michelle Salzman and Bergosh being in lock step seem to be true. I’m surprised the Ms.Salzman who claims to be “conservative” would not look for a better solution and certainly avoid siding with a deal making politician. Simply count the number of children that will be served.and see if it makes good sense.
The few high school and elementary age students living in the nearby area will ride a bus. Why not schedule a bus for the middle school students if there is a safety issue? All it would take is a quick trip using an existing bus.
Another thing, How long will it take to construct this and how much additional traffic delays will we have to endure?
@ John Jacob
1st you have to have a problem
To have a solution
Dont try and set a fire then try and show up and put one out .
Thats not a hero thats manipulation.
Lived here 76 years and all of a sudden you have a bunch of whiners that will buy magic beans.
How is the whole Beulah area here survived without this crosswalk.
I have raised children and grand children…without this crosswalk.
Many on here are not even from Beulah and all of a sudden you get a case as you sir of Manginaisum because you cant throw a fit and get your way.
The Beulah whiners are known far and wide that were not even from here .
Better start some serious fundraising now. I understand the WANT but I find it difficult to comprehend the whole county being responsible for paying for this. In no way shape or form shall the taxpayers be responsible for this.
Damn I never thought I’d see the day where spending money on my child’s safety was frivolous. There’s way too many people on this thread blinded with political agendas. So blinded that some have forgotten that there’s a problem that needs to be addressed here.
I thought the point of forming an opinion on something was to eventually have a practical solution to fix it? Are crossing guards and street lights really a long term solution to a highway that has seen over a 200% increase in traffic in the last 10 years?
The vast majority of you on here haven’t even considered a solution to the problem because you’re so caught up in trying to find evil in everything. What the hell does California and Washington D.C. have to do with knowing that my children will be safe crossing 9 mile rd during rush hour? Lets get back in touch with reality and concentrate on whar really matters in Pensacola Florida
It’s a growing community and I’m happy to see infrastructure spending. I don’t think you’re even allowed to do a crosswalk or crossing guard on that road in that area, the speed limit and congestion are too high. It sounds to me like a good use of State funds that, if they aren’t spent here, would be spent in South Florida anyway.
@ Norah
WELL SAID… WELL SAID !
God Bless
So Mr Bergosh wants Beulah to be a Walkable Community. WHOA, got it. Mr Bergosh came from San Diego, CA. San Diego is called a Walkable Community with 7 elevated walkways. Some go right over the Interstate. Mr Bergosh , I hear the Walkable Community in California are leaving because of waste and bad leadership. Please don’t bring it here. California is broke. If you want to spend 3 Million of taxpayer money, I would rather you find the Homeless, starving people walking our community and help them. Now that would be a blessing.
@ rw I said the same thing when they first realized a month ago that this was going to be an issue….our planners are not the brightest bunch in the box. Pretty sure it was a “get it done fast, not right” type of situation.
@ Brian That is an excellent point and well said couldn’t agree more.
@Everyone complaining about the cost……That wasn’t “taxpayer money” that was NFCU money they paid for the Nine mile road conversion and you can bet your bottom dollar that some of that money went into that school and many other public projects on Nine mile road.
@Everyone complaining about “walking” or suggesting cross-walks crossing guards …..Have you driven on Nine mile rd. in the early morning or afternoon?? It’s like rush hour in New Orleans. The raised cross-walk (or even a tunnel like Brentwood Magnet has had and still use for the at least past 40 years) is absolutely necessary.
C’mon… I don’t know why they even built the one in Gulf Breeze.. I say let the little kiddies dart across a 4 lane hwy and take their chances.. How much is your teenage child/grandchild’s life worth? Bet its more than 3 million dollars!
Many of you seem to be missing the point that this is NOT just for the school. It is for the community. Some of us get off our lazy behinds and walk/run/job. It’s access to safely cross Nine Mile to Publix. Of for the residents of what will one day big developments on OLF 8 to cross.
According to the LAMAR advertising website and I quote, “Digital Bulletins in
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL (CBSA) can range from $2,000 to $5,000 in a 4 week period”. I am going to guess one of these on one of the busiest roads in Escambia County could easily generate $20,000/month and you can put one on either side of the overwalk.
Based on that, walk on down to NFCU ($148 BILLION in assets) and talk to the boss about paying for the crosswalk and in exchange, for the next 10 years it will be painted in their colors, with their logo on it, with NAVY FEDERAL written large enough to read from a mile away, and the icing on the cake, a digital bulletin board on either side that they can advertise their products on to their hears content. After 10 years, sell the rights for another 10 years to someone else.
Won’t cost the citizens of Escambia County a dime.
I understand resident’s concern about spending. Many of those residents were likely not happy about growth; but growth happens whether we like it or not. My dad always sad if you’re going to do something, then do it right. Children in prior years didn’t have 4+ lanes of highway to cross with increasing traffic volume and distracted drivers on cell phones. So if we’re going to grow, then let’s grow right and build the infrastructure that our community requires to be as safe as when you were a kid.
Will it have speed limits on it for motorcycles,golf carts and bicycles?
We need cell phone charging stations at each end so everyone will not loose reality on Fackebook.and get a like for this waste
I haven’t been to Beulah in a long time. I was thinking the roadway in question is a two lane. If so, how long will it be before it is four laned and will require a larger crosswalk?
Kudos to the comish and RepSalsman . A children’s life is worth every penny. Please request more coverage from the county Sheriffs office. The way some people drive by the school without care or concern for our children’s safety is horrible.
Why not provide school crossing guards – that’s cheaper and provides employment. Elected officials you forget who you work for – stop being so self-serving and careless with the taxpayers dollars, and remember who you work for.
Why build a new middle school on a new 4 lane road. Dumb choice. Why does the county allow this. A high school makes some since but no K8 school or below should be on a major road that is not walkable.
The school and the county have a agreement to work together why don’t they.
Zoning should limit where schools go and the State FDOT should to.
The state and the school allowed this dumb location how about they pay for the bridge that will only be used by a handful of students a day.
The public isn’t even allowed to use the school facilities when it is closed. Why can’t the public use the track when school is out. It’s a public faciality. It may make more sense if the public can use the fields and track and make it a amenity to the community as well, but no the School has a issue due to insurance or possible damage.
The school already looks 15 years old because the county doesn’t maintain any government property when they should be setting the example in the community. How about some up keep on the landscape and spray for some weeds every so often.
Look at other school districts they are so beautiful, not here in Escambia county.
Great in theory, but how many kids are really gonna use that to justify a $3,000,000 price tag? How many kids are in that one subdivision across the street?
WHY PUT A SCHOOL ON A MAJOR ROAD IN THE FIRST PLACE // TOO DANGEROUS
@ Rep. Michelle Salzman
I am glad you represent Commisioner Bergosh.
And not the populus.
You forgot who put you in office.
We will not forget what we have to do now at voting time.
You two have fun while you can on the taxpayers dime.
Please understand this.
Enough is enough!
It’s easy commiting someone else’s money.
Beulah, the new Washington..
Let’s blow some more money on frivolous things like…a water fountain at each end of the overpass, popcorn stand also. I would add some shade covered benches every 100 feet so we dont sweat and pass out with an AED every 150 feet.
A splash pad every 500 feet so we can cool off.
I wonder why ALL THE OTHER SCHOOLS in Escambia County dont have these.
The new ” What I Want” politicians. not “What We Need” citizens.???
Oh, I might add…a series of call boxes every 200 feet in case of an emergency while walking. With LED lighting for night walking about let’s say..every 50 feet..solar power so the rest of the entities in this can get their chance at some giveaway tax payers expense.
Cant wait for election time and will not forget all this waste…politicians, The New Covid Strain
Lived here in Beulah 76 years and never seen the S… Show going on as this.
I wondered how I survived without all this “gimmie gimmie: generation.
How much would a street light and crosswalk cost?
“Beulah to be a walkable community” Are they insane?