Gulf Power Accelerates Plans To Switch Plant Crist To Natural Gas Delivered Through North Escambia Pipeline
November 11, 2020
Gulf Power is accelerating plants to switch Plant Crist to natural gas delivered by a pipeline through North Escambia.
Tuesday, Gulf Power notified the Florida Public Service Commission that it plans to retire the plant’s coal assets early and switch to 100% natural gas. That, the company says, will result in benefits to the local community as well as cost savings for customers.
Converting coal-burning units to run on natural gas is a major piece of the modernization underway at Plant Crist, along with the addition of four new, highly efficient combustion turbines to provide greater reliability and efficiency for the energy grid and a new natural gas pipeline to provide additional natural gas for the plant. By eliminating the use of coal at Plant Crist, Gulf Power will reduce the plant’s carbon emissions rate by 40% – the equivalent to taking an estimated 297,000 cars off the road annually – and reduce operating costs for customers.
Over the past several months, Gulf Power has installed an underground natural gas pipeline that runs 39 miles from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline near Century, through McDavid, Molino and Cantonment, to the company’s Plant Crist.
The retirement of coal at Plant Crist was accelerated by Hurricane Sally, which caused damage to the plant’s coal equipment. The company determined that it is in the best interests of its customers to accelerate the modernization instead of repairing the coal equipment.
“Retiring coal at Plant Crist will end our use of coal in Florida and help usher in a new, cleaner energy era for Gulf Power,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power. “Ending our use of coal delivers benefits for our customers and our communities through lower costs along with cleaner emissions. We look forward to continuing to invest in cleaner energy solutions for Northwest Florida, including more efficient natural gas technology as well as emissions-free solar farms.”
Gulf Power is seeking approval to adjust the company’s Environmental Cost Recovery Clause (ECRC) factor for 2021 to reflect the savings associated with the early retirement of coal at Plant Crist and to begin recovering storm restoration costs for Sally. If approved by the FPSC, both adjustments to customer bills would likely take effect in March 2021 and result in a net decrease in the typical residential customer bill of $0.73.
Pictured top: Bright yellow new pipes threaded throughout the inside and outside of Plant Crist this year are the visible signs of the coal to natural gas conversion that will allow the plant to run 100% on U.S. produced natural gas. Pictured inset: A crane hoists one of the larger pieces of new equipment at Plant Crist, a gas heater, into place at the Plant Crist gas yard as part of the coal to natural gas conversion. The heater will warm the natural gas to keep it from freezing in the pressure control valves that send the gas from the pipeline to the power plant. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Abbie Burks Signs With Florida Gulf Coast Community College
November 11, 2020
Tate High School’s Abbie Burks has signed a letter of intent to play softball with Florida Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City. Pictured below (front row) are Abbie Burks with her parents Mark and Donna Burks and her sisters Carla and Samantha; (back row) coaching staff Brittany Dunson, Eric Showalter, Joanne Wiggins and Tate heach coach Melinda Wyatt. Pictured left: Burks and Scott Thomas of Florida Gulf Coast. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Honors Local Veterans For Their Service
November 11, 2020
Unable to hold their annual Veterans Day program due to the pandemic, Ernest Ward Middle School found another way to honor local veterans,
Ernest Ward students made patriotic wreaths that were presented to members of the community.
‘It was a great way to honor each veteran’s service,’ Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry said.
One wreath was presented to Michael and Gayle Hanks in honor of Michael’s military service in the Army, for his career serving veterans as veterans service office, and also in memory of Gayle’s father, James Hilton Hall, Srl, who recently passed away.
Another patriotic wreath was presented to Lois Ward (pictured below) in honor of her late husband, former Escambia County Judge Billy G. Ward of Walnut Hill. He served his country in the U.S. Army on foreign soil during World War II. He went on to serve as a justice of the peace and a county judge in Escambia County from 1957 to 1988. Billy Ward passed away in May at the age of 95.
In October 2009, Ward was one of just over 100 WWII veterans that traveled to Washington on the Fifth Annual Emerald Coast Honor Flight so that the veterans could see the World War II Memorial — their memorial. Ward took along a camera and shared his day with NorthEscambia.com readers.
An additional wreath will presented later this week to another veteran.
The wreaths were made by Ernest Ward students in Glenda Bell’s personal development class.
Pictured: Gayle and Michael Hanks (above) and Lous Ward (below) with Veterans Day wreaths made by Ernest Ward Middle School students. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Wreck Involving Escambia County Vehicle
November 11, 2020
One person was reported to be injured in an Old Chemstrand wreck involving an Escambia County vehicle Tuesday night.
The crash happened just before 6 p.m. near Pauline Street.
The Florida Highway Patrol has not released the cause of the accident or said which driver was at fault.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Declares State Of Emergency Due To COVID-19 Spike
November 10, 2020
Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson has declared a state of emergency in the city due to the an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
He issued the state of emergency as the number of individuals hospitalized in Escambia County due to COVID-19 increased to 78, up from 61 on Monday.
In addition, data from the Florida Department of Health indicates that the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Escambia County has spiked with 90 positive cases reported on Nov. 8, an average of 84 new cases each day for the seven-day period leading up to and including Nov. 8, and a seven-day positivity rate of 7.3% for the week ending Nov. 6, versus 5.1% and 4.4% for the two previous weeks. This data indicates greater local community spread and transmission of the disease, according to the city.
Pensacola’s mask order remains in effect, requiring masks for employees and patrons inside businesses with the city limits.
Molino Tom Thumb Employee Tests Positive For COVID-19; Store Closed For Cleaning
November 10, 2020
The Tom Thumb in Molino is closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee notified Tom Thumb of their positive test result, and the store was closed Tuesday afternoon for cleaning and sanitizing by an industrial cleaning crew.
“The store will re-open in the next few days. We are grateful to all our customers for their patience and understanding during this time,” Tom Thumb said in statement to NorthEscambia.com.
The company said the store’s employees have been contacted and advised to follow CDC recommended guidelines.
“We are making every effort to provide the affected team member and our broader team with the necessary resources and support,” Tom Thumb said.
Pictured: The Tom Thumb at the corner of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Man Charged With Shooting At Man In Century Two Days After Stabbing Him
November 10, 2020
A man has been charged with shooting and Escambia County man that he allegedly stabbed two days before the incident in Century.
Frederick Hullett Hall, 53, is charged with aggravated assault, larceny, carrying a concealed weapon and firing a weapon.
The victim told deputies he arrived at home in the 300 block of East Pond Street to find several people carrying items out of his house and loading them in a pickup truck. That’s when Hall came out from a corner of the trailer arm with a gun and started shooting at him, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Hall allegedly fired3-4 shots before fleeing. No one was struck by the gunfire. Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Hall a few hours later hiding in a wooded area off Jefferson Avenue.
The victim also told deputies that Hall had stabbed him two days earlier during an altercation.
Hall remained in the Escambia County Jail Tuesday morning with bond set at $29,000.
EREC Warns Members About Telephone Scam
November 10, 2020
Escambia River Electric Cooperative is warning members about a telephone scam.
“In the past few days, we have had some members receive a phone call from someone saying they were an EREC representative,” the member owned cooperative said in a statement. “The person advised the members to call a telephone number, which was not an EREC office number, by 12 noon or their power would be disconnected.”
“We encourage our members to be extremely cautious with any telephone calls of this nature.”
Anyone that receives a such a call is asked to hang up and call EREC directly at (850) 675-4521 or (800) 235-3848.
Pictured: The Walnut Hill office of Escambia River Electric Cooperative. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Over 3.2 Million Cubic Yards Of Hurricane Sally Debris Collected In Escambia County; Final Pass Begins December 1
November 10, 2020
Escambia County contractors have collected nearly 3.2 million cubic yards of Hurricane Sally debris.
That’s 65,827 loads, which equals 499 football fields piled three feet high or enough to fill nearly 70% of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
The third and final Hurricane Sally debris collection pass will begin on December 1, with a goal to finish all collections by Christmas.
To help expedite the process, separate debris for service. Vegetative debris like tree limbs need to be separate from construction and demolition materials like drywall and carpet. Keep debris away from storm drains, low power lines, other utilities and mailboxes.
Curbside Residential Debris Pickup Instructions
Escambia County residents, that can safely do so, are asked to place any storm-generated debris on the public right of way (the area of residential property that extends from the street to the sidewalk, ditch, utility pole or easement).
- Commercial-generated waste will not be accepted.
- Businesses should contact their waste collection service provider or a debris removal contractor. Business and commercial material is not eligible to be removed curbside by Escambia County.
- Nonprofits are allowed to place debris on public right of way for pickup.
Debris that was generated by Hurricane Sally should be placed and sorted on the area immediately adjoining the road in front of your home.
Residents are urged to separate the debris as follows:
- Vegetative Debris - whole trees and large limbs should be cut into lengths of four feet or less, tree stumps, tree branches, tree trunks and other leafy material
- Construction and Demolition Debris - damaged components of buildings and structures such lumber and wood, wall board, glass, metal, roofing materials, tile, furnishings and fixtures
- Appliances and White Goods - refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, heat pumps, ovens, ranges, washing machines, clothes dryers and water heaters
- Electronic Waste - computers, televisions, office electronic equipment, etc.
- Household Hazardous Waste - materials that are ignitable, reactive, toxic or corrosive such as paints, cleaners, pesticides, etc.
- Mailboxes
- Water meters
- Fire hydrants, or any other above-ground utility
Escambia County contractors will make multiple passes through neighborhoods and along county right-of-way for debris removal. If your debris is not removed, please be patient. The crews will make additional passes along your road.
The county contractors have dedicated pieces of equipment for different debris streams (vegetation, C&D and stumps). Please understand that if vegetation is collected and C&D or stumps are left behind, they are not “missed,” but rather assigned to different trucks dedicated to that debris stream. Contractors cannot commingle debris streams in a single truck load.
Drop Off Instructions for Residential Vegetative Debris Drop Off Sites
In addition to curbside removal of debris for residents, residential drop off sites are accepting vegetative debris generated by Hurricane Sally. This is for private, residential use only, NO COMMERCIAL DEBRIS. Hurricane Sally debris drop off sites are open for Escambia County residents only and will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 a.m., until further notice. Residents need to bring ID and proof of residency.
Drop Off Locations:
- Escambia County Equestrian Center at 7750 Mobile Highway
- John R. Jones Athletic Complex at 555 East Nine Mile Road
- Oak Grove Convenience Center at 745 North Highway 99
- Baars Field at 13020 Sorrento Road
- Lexington Terrace at 900 S Old Corry Field Road
- Park East at 1233-1235 at Fort Pickens Road
If residents would like to drop off construction and demolition debris, they can do so at the following locations (ordinary fees apply):
- Perdido Landfill (Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Oak Grove Convenience Center (Fridays and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Pictured: Debris pick up on North Highway 99. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Receive Rental Assistance From FEMA? You May Be Eligible For Continued Help
November 10, 2020
FEMA may provide financial assistance to residents of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties who need temporary housing because they are displaced from their primary residence as a result of Hurricane Sally.
If you received an initial grant of rental assistance from FEMA and cannot return to your primary residence, you may submit an application for Continued Rental Assistance to FEMA. This application is mailed to households after they receive their initial rental assistance grant. If you did not receive the application, you may call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. It is important that FEMA have your current contact information.
The application must be accompanied by these supporting documents:
- Pre-disaster and current household income status
- Copies of pre-disaster lease, utility bills, renter’s insurance
- Copy of current lease or rental agreement signed by you and the landlord
- Rental receipts, canceled checks or money orders showing the rental assistance was used to pay for housing expenses.
You can submit these documents by creating an account at DisasterAssistance.gov, by uploading via the FEMA App for smartphones or by visiting a FEMA mobile registration center in your area.
Renters must call the FEMA Helpline to determine eligibility.
As of November 8, 2020, nearly 3,700 households have received rental assistance as a result of Hurricane Sally.