First Look New Plans: Carver Park Community Center
October 7, 2024
New plans are in for a county community center in Cantonment.
The proposed 3,200 square feet modular building will be located in Carver Park at Webb and Washington streets.
For nearly a decade, the very active Cantonment Improvement Committee has operated from a much smaller 600 square foot building that was dedicated as the Carver Park Resource Center. They have used the small space for computer instruction, food distributions, after-school programs, and meetings.
Escambia County earmarked $1.6 million of RESTORE funding last year for a new Carver Park Community Center.
The preliminary site design is done and has been submitted to the Escambia County Development Review Committee for initial review. A public hearing will be scheduled for a future date.
The new facility will be located in the area of the existing Carver Park Resource Center and will be capable of accommodating a medium to large dividable meeting room, a warming kitchen, office space, a computer area and a storage room that can be utilized for food distribution, according to the county.
The current resource building will be moved and remain on site next to the parking lot for the new facility.
Pictured top: The new site design concept for a new Carver Park Community Center in Cantonment (click to enlarge). Pictured inset: The 2015 ribbon cutting of the current Carver Park Resource Center. Pictured below: U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz meets with local citizens inside the current cramped resource center in 2018. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
October 7, 2024
Tate High School recently named their Students of the Month. They are Zoe Taber and Nicholas Maum. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Drivers Can Expect Lane Closures On Highway 97 Monday And Tuesday
October 7, 2024
Drivers can expect intermittent lane closures on Highway 97 Monday and Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
FDOT said the lane closures will be for coring (sampling) operations between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day between Highway 95A in Molino and the Alabama state line in Davisville.
File photo.
Northview Tribal Beat Band Earns High Marks At Blackwater Marching Classic
October 7, 2024
The Northview High School Tribal Beat Band earned high marks over the weekend at the Blackwater Marching Classic in Milton.
The band received an overall excellent with percussion receiving a superior.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview High School To Host Junior/Senior Parent Night
October 7, 2024
Northview High School will hold a Junior/Senior Parent Night on Tuesday.
The event, to be held in the school library, is designed to provide parents and students with valuable information about college applications, scholarships, vocational and career paths, FAFSA, graduation requirements, and more.
Several institutions will be present at the event, including Coastal Alabama Community College, George Stone Community College, John Melvin Christian College, Pensacola State College, the University of Alabama, the University of South Alabama, and the University of West Florida. Military branches such as the Army, Marines, and Navy will also be represented.
Parents and students can attend the event to receive a free copy of The Official ACT Study Book, which includes over 1,000 pages of content and free online access.
For more information, call (850) 761-6000.
Florida Gas Prices Slip A Few Cents Over The Last Week
October 7, 2024
Florida gas prices fell 7 cents per gallon last week, according to AAA. The state average dropped from $3.17 per gallon to $3.10 per gallon on Sunday. The state average is now 11 cents less than a month ago, and 41 cents less than this time last year.
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $2.83. In North Escambia, a low of $2.79 was available Sunday on Highway 29 in Cantonment. Stations on Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road, respectively, were at $2.66 and $2.67 on Sunday.
“Oil prices rose last week on concerns that tensions in the Middle East could widen,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This could contribute to an uptick in pump prices as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Milton.”
Oil prices reached their highest levels in five weeks. On Friday, the U.S. price for crude settled at $73.98 per barrel, an increase of 9% from the week before.
Escambia County Entering New Negotiations For Entirety Of The OLF-8 Property
October 6, 2024
There’s a new top contender to purchase the county-owned OLF-8 property on Nine Mile Road.
The most recent group to express interest in buying the property is a partnership between Jim Wilson & Associates (JWA), a Montgomery, Alabama, based commercial real estate developer, Chad Henderson, CEO and founder of Pensacola-based Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, and former Pensacola mayor Ashton Hayward, now a real estate developer.
The group has not offered a specific dollar figure yet, but the Escambia County Commission will move forward with negotiations to establish a number and negotiate a purchase contract. They plan a mixed use development with retail and entertainment, office, hotels, medical and light industry.
Collectively, the proposers stated that they believe the interests of the county and public “are best served by having one developer responsible for the planning and overall control of the development.” They said that process allows the use of a master plan with assured compliance.
The group wants to purchase all 330 acres, perhaps folding two existing proposals for smaller parcels on the northern fringes of the property into their plan.
“I realized the great importance and the magnitude of the stewardship that it would take to do this the right way and so myself and my partner, JW Associates, are super excited about exploring developing this property the right way in the best interest of all involved,” Henderson told the commission.
“The OLF-8 project offers a generational opportunity to apply a multitude of lessons, experiences, and resources with great stewardship while creating a significant amount of positive impact on the greater region, Henderson said in an email to the county.
“I think it’s reasonable to see these folks as a potential partner that can put the northern half in place that I know is very important to all of us,” Escambia County Commission Chairman Steven Barry said. Commissioners have discussed the northern half of the property being used for job creation. “Ideally…to allow Wes (Moreno, county administrator) and Alison (Rogers, county attorney) the opportunity to try to negotiate a purchase contract that may come back to the board in the future.”
“All of our districts…contributed to the purchase of this property,” District 3 Commissioner Lumon May said. “All citizens; I see this as a universal project for the citizens that all should get an ROI (return on investment) on their investments. For more constituents that I serve, there has to be a mutual benefit.”
May added, “we can talk about affordability and all those things, but if we don’t create a job that allows someone to live on that land, then what have we done?”
“I’m excited for the future of that project now that it looks like we’ve got some interest and a group that I feel can really take it down and do it the right way,” District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said. “I look forward to watching that develop…It’s going to be a great project, and it’s going to be great for Beulah.”
District 2 Commissioner Mike Kohler said that he liked the idea of selling the whole property and not a portion.
“I think the board is moving in the right direction now,” Kohler added.
The county has not moved forward with other offers for the property, mostly due to contract term sticking points.
In May, Beulah Town Center, LLC (BTC) and developer Fred Hemmer increased their purchase offer to $25 million for 290 acres, but did not make an offer for the entire acreage.
“I think that we should at least give Fred (Hemmer) an opportunity to compete,” Kohler said.
“They are welcomed to make a further offer,” Barry responded. “If Fred and Beulah Town Center want to have some more communications with the board, they are welcome to send them our way.”
Locally, Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate was the developer for the East Garden District in downtown Pensacola, the planned mixed use development Ransley Station on Pine Forest Road at I-10, and the medical office building on the new Baptist Hospital Campus on Brent Lane. In the area, JWA developed the 330 acre planned community known as Eastchase and other developments in Montgomery, and a mall in Biloxi.
In January 2019, Escambia County acquired OLF-8 in a land swap with the U.S. Navy for property Escambia County purchased in Santa Rosa County for over $17 million.
Pictured top: The OLF-8 property frontage on Nine Mile Road. NorthEsambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century High School Blackcats Class of 1974 Hold 50th Reunion
October 6, 2024
The Century High School Blackcats Class of 1974 recently celebrated their 50th class reunion at The Loft at Driskell’s in Byrneville.
Classmates and their guests had a great time reminiscing about events during their high school years together. In addition to reminiscing, dinner and other socializing, the class remembered the 17 classmates who have passed away since high school.
Classmates (pictured top)
Front row sitting: Lela Harris, Pam Hudson Allen, Claudia Smith Williams, Joy Hayes Findley, Sandra Andrews Greenwell, and Paula Sanders Thomas
Second row: Walter “Peanut” Ingram, Rubye Williams Mitchell, Billy McCann, Terry Bryan, Claude Smith, Annette Killiam Hall, Cindy Mills Stuckey, Rhonda Hopkins Killiam, Linda Davis Thompson, Linda Adams Marinin, Gayle Mathis Aldridge, Joe Reid
Back row: Janice Watts Moore, Carmen Robinson Gaines, Minnie Grisset-Cummings, Gary Johnson, Louie Brake, Charles Scott, Larry Stuckey, Bobby Dubose, Tommy Greenwell Jr, and David Findley.
Guests (pictured below)
Front row: Cheryl Smith, Shelia Bryan, Debbie McCann, Rosa Madison, Julie Findley, Danny Findley, Ronnie Freeman, Sandra Dubose, and Rochelle Ingram
Back row: Karen Brake, Katie Scott, Calvin Mitchell, Clara Smith Gulsby, Polly Johnson, Myra Reid, Michael Allen, Randy Marinin, and Ladon Hall
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pine Meadow Elementary Holds Fall Carnival
October 6, 2024
Pine Meadow Elementary School held their Fall Carnival Saturday at the Hadji Shrine Temple.
The event featured inflatables, carnival games, face painting, fun treats, pumpkin patch with over 100 pumpkins, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse and more.
There were also multiple food trucks at the event.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County EMS Offering $10,000 Sign-On Bonus For New Paramedics
October 6, 2024
Escambia County EMS is offering a $10,000 sign-on bonus for new full-time paramedics, with a goal of attracting qualified individuals with a passion for public safety to join the EMS team.
Several full-time paramedic positions are currently open, offering numerous benefits including competitive wages, shift differentials, deferred compensation, state retirement, and more. In addition to brand-new ambulances, Escambia County EMS uses state-of-the-art equipment including LifePak 15s, stretchers, Lucas devices and Stryker Power-Load systems.
To apply, click here.
The $10,000 sign-on bonus is available for newly hired full-time paramedics, to be paid out in three installments in accordance with the terms of their contract. The bonus will be paid during the first pay period of December each year for three years, paid as two $4,000 installments and one $2,000 installment.
“We are very excited to offer this $10,000 bonus to encourage qualified individuals to seek a rewarding career in public service with Escambia County EMS,” Escambia County EMS Chief Chris Watts said. “Like many EMS agencies throughout the nation, we are constantly looking at innovative ways to enhance recruitment and increase our staffing levels. Our goal is to attract high-quality paramedics to join our hardworking, dedicated team and help us continue to provide the best possible level of care to Escambia County residents.”
Minimum qualifications for Escambia County paramedics include, but are not limited to:
- High school diploma or the successful completion of the GED test
- Completion of emergency medical coursework at the paramedic level, or a combination of education and experience equivalent to these requirements
- Licenses and certifications including: Valid Florida Paramedic Certification, AHA CPR Certification, AHA ACLS Certification, valid driver’s license from state of residence
- Additional qualifications are available in the job description.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.