Progress Report on Intersection Project at Beulah Road and Mobile Hwy

This graph indicates the current status of the project to improve the intersection and add a traffic signal at Mobile Hwy and Beulah Road.

The project to improve the intersection at Beulah Road and Mobile Highway is moving along--albeit not as quickly as anyone wants.  There have been some delays, but the project is moving forward.

As you can see from the most recent progress report, above, the contract is essentially at a 70% completion stage right now, and the anticipated date of final completion is now slated to be March 2, 2019.

This project will be an incredible improvement for this rapidly growing portion of Beulah--and it should not have taken as long as it has to get it done.

But March 2nd will be here before we know it, and the improvement to that intersection will make this stretch of roadway in our community much safer--so I say "better late than never!"

Lots of Issues Discussed Today at our Coffee With the Commissioner Event

We had a great turnout this morning for our monthly "Coffee with the Commissioner" event.

Many very good topics were discussed, to include:

1.  Traffic, and traffic signalization

2.  Growth, and managing the growth in District 1

3.  Need for more sidewalks and bike paths

4.  Need for builders to build and provide sidewalks when they build new subdivisions

5.  Some neighborhood specific issues

6.  County's road crews and ensuring ROW areas are properly maintained

7.  Beach leases and the Fee-Simple bill

You can watch the facebook live video of the event here

The Return of Fee Simple??

Some folks want us to start the fee simple battle all over again........

The PNJ has a story out on the electronic edition today about the return of the fee simple bill that would allow for private ownership of leased properties at Pensacola Beach.

The Escambia Board of County Commissioners has taken a 5-0 vote to adopt a position on this topic of "no position."

We also passed a preservation ordinance that was the result of a lot of discussions, compromises, and gnashing of teeth.

We then put a non-binding referendum on the ballot-- just a few weeks back--- that passed by an overwhelming majority of Escambia Citizens.

So no, I do not think the fee simple bill is coming back.  That's my guess, that's my observation.

I'm told that Santa Rosa County is pushing hard for a return to the fee simple bill so that property owners in Navarre Beach can get fee simple title to their properties out there.

I don't know how that happens if step one is getting Escambia County to agree.  This will be an interesting conversation going forward.

For my part, I just want to see us get to a point where the lease structure is more equitable for current leaseholders out on the beach,  I want to make sure no more condo complexes get the sweetheart renewal deal the Beach Club recently negotiated (to the detriment of Escambia County as the owner

NW District 1 Advisory Committee Meeting Next Monday

The next meeting of the NW District 1 Advisory Committee will be happening next Monday evening, at 6:00 PM in the cafeteria of Beulah Middle School.

The agenda, backup, and other information has been placed on the MyEscambia website, and can be accessed here.

As is always the case, interested members of the public are encouraged to attend, this meeting is open to the public!

Compromise Draft RFP for OLF 8 Keeps Jobs as the Focus

The Board of County Commissioners held a special meeting last week to work out a request for proposals document  (RFP) for the master-planning of OLF 8 that the Board, Navy Federal Credit Union, and nearby residents could all agree upon.

As I discussed in this blog post last week,  and as I was quoted in the PNJ's piece on this meeting from last week-- I felt the meeting went exceptionally well.

I was happy to see the board maintain jobs and job creation as a primary focus of this project going forward--as evidenced by the language regarding our Triumph Gulf Coast application being left in the final draft that the board unanimously approved at the conclusion of the meeting.

This working draft, which will guide the master planning process going forward (regardless of who pays for this--county or NFCU) is linked here.

I would encourage all who are interested in this project to give this document a read. 

As I said before, nobody gets everything they want in a compromise--but this compromise left the most important aspects of this project intact and as priorities--Jobs and the County's $30 Million Dollar Triumph Gulf Coast Grant---and it is for this reason this draft got my support.

Thursday of this week, the separate discussions between NFCU and the county will begin regarding NFCU's offer to pay for the master planning of the OLF 8 property.

I'll be following these discussions very closely, and reporting on them here on my blog.

Coffee With The Commissioner This Coming Wednesday

We will be having our monthly "Coffee with the Commissioner" event this Wednesday, November 28th at the Hardee's at Pine Forest and Wilde Lake Blvd in District 1.

Stop by and let's talk about how we at the county can better serve you the constituent!

(And this is a casual, informal event; no agenda, no topics off limits)

Hope to see you this Wednesday!

On WCOA's Good Morning Pensacola Today

I'll be the guest later-on this morning on WCOA's top-rated Good Morning Pensacola radio show.

The singular topic of discussion will be OLF 8, jobs, and the County's $30 Million Dollar Triumph Gulf Coast Grant Application--and how all of this ties in with the HUGE victory we had in our recent special meeting by approving a compromise RFP document for this property that:

1.  Still focuses on using this field to create good jobs for the county.

2.  Still focuses on the Triumph Grant.

3.  Allows for the planner to incorporate aspects of Regional Significance into the plan (in order to help us win the Triumph Grant)

4.  Allows for the incorporation of some amenities that have been requested by local Beulah Residents and Navy Federal Credit Union.

This compromise document represents a win-win for Beulah Residents, NFCU, and the citizens county-wide!


Listen to the Podcast Here