Company Notifies Century They Are Building AT&T Tower, Increases Lease Payment
September 2, 2021
Developers have notified the Town of Century that they are commencing construction of a new 305 foot tall cell tower for AT&T at a local park.
Earlier this year, the town council approved a five-year lease with options out to 40 years with Diamond Towers for an AT&T tower on a parcel of land in the town’s Anthony Pleasant Park off West Highway 4. It’s a small area tucked away essentially at the back of the park.
Diamond Towers had leased the property at $1,000 for a year. Now that they are moving forward with construction, the lease payment has automatically increased to $1,500 per month for at least five years under the terms of the contract. There will be another $500 per month due for any additional cellular providers collocated on the tower in the future. There are annual options for slight increases.
Construction on the tower is expected to take just a few months. The tower area will be fenced to prevent access by those using the park.
Cantonment Man Charged After Alleged Altercation With His Girlfriend At Grocery Advantage
September 2, 2021
A Cantonment man is facing charges after an alleged altercation in the parking lot of Grocery Advantage in Cantonment.
Clinton Darnell Fountain, 35, was charged with battery, burglary of a vehicle and criminal mischief.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Grocery Advantage on Highway 29 in reference to a disturbance. The victim told deputies that she had become involved in an argument with Fountain, her live-in boyfriend, and called a female friend for a ride.
The victim stated as she and friend were leaving the store, Fountain climbed through the passenger side window of the vehicle, hitting her in the chest and neck as he attempted to turn off the ignition. As Fountain grabbed the key fob from the ignition, it broke, allowing the friend to accelerate and flee the Grocery Advantage, according to the arrest report.
The victim refused medical treatment. When deputies contacted him at his residence, he denied that any altercation took place, the report states.
Fountain was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
Big Changes Take Place To Ambulance, Medical Helicopter Response In Escambia, Alabama
September 2, 2021
Big changes took place Wednesday morning to ambulance and medical helicopter services in Escambia County, Alabama.
The Escambia County (AL) Health Care Authority (ECHCA) reached an agreement with MedStar to provide comprehensive 24/7 ground ambulance coverage for the greater Atmore market, replacing ASAP EMS.
Shortly before noon Wednesday, Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles told NorthEscambia.com that the transition was smooth.
“They (MedStar) had three ambulances here, and they’ve already ran six or seven calls,” he said.
The MedStar ambulances are operating out of the former Atmore Fire Station 4 on Pensacola Avenue. The fire trucks and personnel have been moved back to the main Atmore fire station at city hall. Peebles said he’s confident the move will not have any impact of the quality of service provided by his department, even though that puts all of his fire trucks on one side of a town bisected by railroad tracks.
“The fire station (on Pensacola Avenue) was closed about three years after Hurricane Ivan, so we’ve done this before,” he said. “We will also have a truck staged probably at the airport. We have guys that live south of the tracks. We can page them out if we need to get that truck. And we can request mutual aid from Walnut Hill.”
One of the MedStar ambulances in Atmore was moved from its previous post at the Flomaton Fire Station. D.W. McMillan EMS has assumed responsibility for providing ground ambulance service in the greater Flomaton area.
ECHCA has also contracted with MedStar to provide medical helicopter service to all of Escambia County, Alabama. MedStar’s Air Care 2 helicopter is currently based at Atmore Community Hospital. Ambulances from Escambia County, Alabama, also respond to Florida under mutual aid agreements.
As NorthEscambia.com reported in July, MedStar’s Atmore helicopter will also respond to North Escambia in Florida under a new “first call agreement” between the operator of ShandsCair and Escambia County, Florida.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Local COVID-19 Hospitalizations See Slight Decline
September 2, 2021
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations reached their lowest point in about three weeks Wednesday in Escambia County.
There were 334 COVID-19 patients in the hospital Wednesday, four of those under age 18.
One month ago, on August 1, there 220 hospitalizations at Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital.
“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting vaccinated, and I encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you are able,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said Wednesday.
Data sources: Escambia County, City of Pensacola, Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. Graphics: City of Pensacola.
Navarreto’s Late Homer Fuels Unlikely Wahoo Win
September 2, 2021
Trailing 6-5 in the top of the seventh, Brian Navarreto hit a two-run home run off Adrian De Horta (L, 2-3) to dead center, which fueled the Wahoos to an unlikely 8-6 on Wednesday night at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.
After De Horta recorded two quick outs to start the seventh, Griffin Conine walked just before Navaretto belted a two-run home run to dead center, which gave Pensacola their first lead of the night. Prior to that, Pensacola practically spent the entire came playing catch-up.
After a tough showing from their starter last night, Pensacola ace Max Meyer did not fare much better in his outing against the Biscuits. He surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first, including back-to-back home runs to Jonathan Aranda and Ruben Cardenas.
Trailing 3-0, Pensacola had an immediate response in the top of the second. After Chris Chinea led off the inning with a single, Griffin Conine belted a two-run homer to right off Jayden Murray, cutting the lead down to 3-2. It was Conine’s 12th homer with Pensacola and his MiLB-leading 35th of the season. Later in the inning, Riley Mahan delivered an RBI single, which tied the game at 3-3.
That lead was short-lived, and the Wahoos committed a pair of errors in the second, ultimately leading to more runs for Montgomery. After an RBI double from Xavier Edwards, Aranda followed with an RBI single to make it 5-3. Meyer was lifted after three innings, and for the first time in his career allowed more than one home run in a start.
Trailing 6-3 in the fifth, the Wahoos drew back-to-back walks with one out before JJ Bleday roped a two-run double into the right-field corner, scoring Kameron Misner and Peyton Burdick. After five innings of play, the Wahoos once again found themselves down by just a run. Neither team scored in the sixth before the heroics from Navarreto in the seventh.
The Wahoos tallied one more insurance run in the eighth after Burdick walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a throwing error from catcher Ford Proctor on a play at third.
Despite the shaky outing from Meyer, Pensacola’s bullpen did their part to keep the Wahoos in the game. Matt Pobereyko (W, 1-0) hurled two shutout innings in which he struck out three. Cody Carroll made his Blue Wahoos debut with two shutout innings on his own, which included him striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh. Finally, Colton Hock (S, 16) secured his Double-A South-leading 16th save of the year, with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
With Pensacola’s win over Montgomery and Birmingham losing a pair of games to the Chattanooga Lookouts on Wednesday, the Wahoos find themselves two games out of the playoffs once again.
One Killed, Multiple Others Injured In Santa Rosa County Wreck
September 1, 2021
A Pace woman was killed and several others were injured in a crash Wednesday morning in Santa Rosa County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 81-year male driver of a Ford SUV pulled from a stop sign on Wallace Lake Road into the path of a Chevrolet SUV headed south on Chumuckla Highway.
The 82-year old female rear passenger of the Ford SUV was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver and another passenger, a 72-year old Pace woman, were both taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
A 35-year old Jay woman driving the Chevrolet SUB suffered minor injuries. One of her passengers, a 35-year old Jay man, was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. A 2-year old in the vehicle was not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigation is continuing.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tropical Storm Larry Forms Off Africa, Expected To Become Major Hurricane
September 1, 2021
Tropical Storm Larry formed Wednesday morning off the coast of Africa.
The National Hurricane Center expects Larry to ramp up to major hurricane status. Larry won’t impact land over the next five days, and the storm is forecast to recurve in the open Atlantic Ocean and stay away from the United States.
We’ll keep an eye on Larry, but for now there’s no concern.
In case you missed it, tropical storms Julian and Kate formed a couple of days ago for a brief time and fell apart in the Atlantic.
New Dollar General Proposed For Walnut Hill, But In A Different Location Than Before
September 1, 2021
Developers are looking at a new location for a Dollar General Store in Walnut Hill, which would be allowed under a recent zoning change.
The store would be located at 7100 Highway 97, on the north side of the intersection of South Highway 99. There are currently two residences on the 5.3 acre property, which is across the road from a former farm supply retail business.
The Escambia County future land use category of the property is Rural Community (RC), and is it currently zoned Rural Mixed Use (RMU).
Until an update approved unanimously by the Escambia County Commission on August 19, RMU zoning only allowed commercial buildings up to 6,000 square feet with no provision whatsoever to grant any exceptions to construct a larger commercial building.
Now, retail space up to 15,000 square feet is allowed. Properties zoned as RMU in Escambia County are typically located near rural community centers and most are not currently used for agriculture. For a map of RMU zoning in Escambia County, click or tap here (pdf).
The Dollar General now proposed for Walnut Hill will be 10,640 square feet. The plan is in the early stages of potential approval by the Escambia County Development Review Committee, and there’s no guarantee that it will every be constructed after approval.
Earlier this year, Dollar General previously announced a proposal for a store about a mile away at intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 99A in Walnut Hill, next to Ernest Ward Middle School. The proposed size of the store did not meet zoning requirements at the time (but now would after the August 19 BOCC vote). Additionally, there was some minor public backlash against the store due to its location in a curve on Highway 97 and its proximity to the middle school. Plans for this store have not moved forward.
Pictured: A proposed Dollar General for Walnut Hill as presented in February 2021 by their development firm. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Volunteer Firefighters May Receive $1,000 Bonus
September 1, 2021
Many Escambia County volunteer firefighters could receive a nice bonus check in the near future.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Florida’s Heroes Initiative provided $1,000 bonus checks to about 200,000 first responders, including 35,000 firefighters, through the Department of Economic Opportunity. But volunteer firefighters across the state did not receive the bonus.
Now, the Escambia County Commission will discuss a one-time $1,000 payment to volunteer firefighters in the county.
In order to receive the bonus, a volunteer must have completed required training and run 25% of their station’s calls.
The Board of County Commissioners will consider the bonus check idea at their meeting on Thursday.
Pictured: “Engine 18″ at the all-volunteer Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia School District Bus Drivers, Other Support Personnel To Receive Raises
September 1, 2021
The Escambia County School District has reached a pay raise agreement for all educational support personnel (ESP), including bus drivers.
With the proposed agreement with the Escambia Educational Staff Professionals union, bus drivers will receive at least a 4% pay hike. A new, incoming bus driver will now earn $14.72 per hour, with training opportunities to receive a 50 cent increase.
The agreement, according to the district, will meet the school board’s goal to pay over $15 an hour to bus drivers
“We are excited about the pay increase for bus drivers and the potential to have an hourly wage over $15 an hour,” Superintendent Tim Smith said. “This increase will better compensate our bus drivers and help to recruit new drivers. We are also excited to be able to provide all other support personnel the equivalent of a 4% raise.”
For all other support personnel, an agreement was reached to increase the entire salary schedule by 2%, and give current employees a step-raise that is approximately an additional 2% for an overall raise of 4%. Furthermore, an additional Step has been created to allow for the promotion of our most veteran employees. A new employee on Pay Grade 9 will now immediately begin at Step 2, with a starting hourly wage of $10.17.
All impacted employees will have the chance to vote on the proposal. If ratified, the school board will then vote on the new agreement. If passed, the new salaries will soon go into effect retroactive to July 1, 2021.