4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax.

Last year, Escambia County passed a controversial 4-cent gasoline tax to fund public transportation... mainly busses. This was hotly debated to say the least.

The city of Century opted to not collect the tax because busses don't run up there, I guess. A valid point. Century said that collecting the tax would put Escambia County businesses that sell fuel at a disadvantage when folks can slip into Alabama and buy their fuel there.

Now, the City of Pensacola says that they want to keep the tax and pay for an Aerospace company to relocate to the Pensacola International Airport. Escambia County commissioners are livid.

http://www.northescambia.com/2013/02/pensacola-may-not-turn-over-money-from-escambia-gas-tax-hike

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

I think it would be interesting if the true state of the City's financials situation is ever known. I think there may be some serious issues that have not been made public. IMHO something big is coming soon. The Blount Jr high deal and now the new Building/Library annex at Legion field are indicators of some thing big is going to happen in that area. ssde Note I noticed the Big Candy Company on Government street is in big trouble.

HG, kindly elucidate on your prognostication.

Library Annex? Isn't the downtown branch just down the road?

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

http://www.pensacoladigest.com/2012/12/groundbreaking-at-legion-field-center/

Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward joined with members of the City Council to break ground Friday morning on a new neighborhood resource center at Legion Field on Pensacola’s west side.

“Since I’ve taken office, neighborhoods are no longer just a line-item in the budget, they’re part of everything we do as a City,” said Mayor Hayward. “As we work to create economic opportunity, it’s critical that we invest in our neighborhoods and make Pensacola a place where people want to be.”

The 15,000 square foot center will include a new library branch, large multi-purpose room and gym, kitchen with concession windows, and activity and meeting rooms. The center is designed to exceed energy efficiency standards and meet current green building standards for design and construction.

“This center will be more than just a place to play basketball or hold a neighborhood meeting,” said Hayward. “This center will be a place to provide the services and resources our citizens need and deserve. I want to thank the City Council for working with me to make these long overdue projects a reality.”

The center at Legion Field is the second of two new neighborhood resource centers proposed by Mayor Hayward and approved by the City Council last year. The other center, in the Woodland Heights neighborhood, broke ground in September.

The Legion Field center was designed by DAG Architects and is being built by A.E. New, Jr. of Pensacola. Construction is expected to take around 14 months, with completion by February 2014.
http://www.pensacoladigest.com/2012/12/groundbreaking-at-legion-field-center/[img][/img] 4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax. Legion-field-groundbreaking-640x290

4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax. Legion-field-groundbreaking-640x290

HG: I am also interested in reading your educated point of view.

My hometown local politics (small, as you both know) have always been relatively transparent... relative to Pensacola, certainly. lol. At any rate, Pensacola politics always seems sketchy to me, even during times I had difficulty putting my finger on precisely WHY. Always had the faint scent of corruption, just from a small-town outsider's perspective.

So in short, I would not be surprised one teensy bit if HG were 110% correct about "...if the true state of the City's financials is ever known," and "something big coming down soon."

What's up w/Blount Junior High?? I hadn't seen anything in the news about it, but I've been a little tied-up lately. My ex-boyfriends son (whom I absolutely adore) used to go there. Gosh, I guess he'll be graduating from Tate this year. I miss that little guy. He was a good egg.

If either of you know much at all about my politics you know that I wouldn't likely support a tax increase of any sort. However, if it's already implemented and the taxes are already being collected, then by gosh those monies should go to ECAT! God knows you all need better public transportation services! What sort of a shady frickin' deal is THAT... robbing the ECAT kitty to fund "incentives" for a new aerospace company slated to roll into town. And I SURELY would like to see a detailed accounting of whatall the dad-gummed "incentives" include.

Working in the industry I have, I've seen some "incentives" businesses are offered to move into new locales -- all at the price of the taxpayer of course -- and many of them are downright ridiculous. Not saying you all don't need new jobs / industry, but robbing Peter to pay Paul isn't the right way to do it.

On closing, I can understand why Century would want not to participate since ECAT doesn't service the area... only seems fair.... or do I remember incorrectly? Does ECAT run up there??

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

Blount was the damnest deal ever. Many years ago it was sold for 5,000 dollars in a very shady deal. Many of us raised a lot of hell about it but this was before the internet was active and we could not get any traction..The 5,000 dollars project failed. Then a group of people including a Doctor supposedly bought the building that was in disrepair for 4000,000 dollars. I contend they never paid that much for it and they just kited the paper. Then after 4 years or so and running up almost 90,000 dollars in fine, the City of Pensacola bought it for 250,000, Waived all the fines and then paid 125,000 to raze it. Now the city has a 4000,000 dollar vacant lot with restrictions on it(due to the Fed grant). The whole deal will not stand the light of day but everyone is scared to talk about it.

hallmarkgrad wrote:: http://www.pensacoladigest.com/2012/12/groundbreaking-at-legion-field-center/

“Since I’ve taken office, neighborhoods are no longer just a line-item in the budget, they’re part of everything we do as a City,” said Mayor Hayward. “As we work to create economic opportunity, it’s critical that we invest in our neighborhoods and make Pensacola a place where people want to be.”

/ ... snip ... /

I DESPISE Ashton Hayward. Yeah, the local neighborhoods are all SO important to him. My sweet ass. Gimme a fuggin break.

hallmarkgrad wrote:: Blount was the damnest deal ever. Many years ago it was sold for 5,000 dollars in a very shady deal. Many of us raised a lot of hell about it but this was before the internet was active and we could not get any traction..The 5,000 dollars project failed. Then a group of people including a Doctor supposedly bought the building that was in disrepair for 4000,000 dollars. I contend they never paid that much for it and they just kited the paper. Then after 4 years or so and running up almost 90,000 dollars in fine, the City of Pensacola bought it for 250,000, Waived all the fines and then paid 125,000 to raze it. Now the city has a 4000,000 dollar vacant lot with restrictions on it(due to the Fed grant). The whole deal will not stand the light of day but everyone is scared to talk about it.

Regarding the above to figures in bold red, is that four million dollars, or four hundred thousand dollars?

Either way, I am in agreement. Just from the little that you have told me here this all seems suspect to me. Suspect

HG: Is it easier on your eyes if we post in bold text for you? That is so simple and I would be more than happy to do that for you if it helps you out at all.

8-]

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

400,000 and yes Bold will help thanks

Roger that, on both counts.

So, any elaboration you have not yet addressed you would like to share with the class on impending implosion and exposure from your quoted comment below??

Inquiring minds are DYING to know your thoughts!

Quote :

I think it would be interesting if the true state of the City's financials situation is ever known. I think there may be some serious issues that have not been made public. IMHO something big is coming soon.

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

For starters, I question how the city of Pensacola bills the labor for maintenance at the Ball Park. Is the City now a contractor? How much do they charge per man hour? Etc? More later. Bed time LOL

hallmarkgrad wrote:: For starters, I question how the city of Pensacola bills the labor for maintenance at the Ball Park. Is the City now a contractor? How much do they charge per man hour? Etc? More later. Bed time LOL

Those are excellent questions HG, and I would love to hear more after you get some shut-eye.

Here at home, all you have to do is sign up at the City Hall website and each week a day (or two??) before the City Council Meeting I receive an email with the Agenda for the current week's City Council Meeting, complete Minutes of the previous week's meeting, FULL FINANCIALS for the past week which includes the names of the suppliers/vendors, what service/s and/or product/s were provided (or what was purchased, by line item, say for example if the maintenance crew bought some tools at the hardware store or the City Staff ordered-in a catered lunch), how many man hours were billed to the city, at what rate, what the city paid out (including ALL City employees, hourly, overtime, contracted, consultants and Salaried), as well as what monies came in and from where they came,... and likely some other details I am forgetting at the moment, but you get the idea. Also, there is a concerted effort to keep ALL business local, unlike what you all are currently experiencing in Pensacola.

Even if a person is not signed up to receive the weekly emails like I am, all you have to do is go to the City Hall website and click on a link to see all the same information. There are also archives of all previous above documentation.

Not too shabby for a small town in my opinion. The City of Pensacola could learn a thing or two from my one horse town, but then, I don't imagine they WANT to at this juncture!

At Legion Field, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig... and the Yankees, played the Pensacola Flyers and (predictably) beat the Flyers 12-2. Here is a pic. From Pensapedia.

4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax. Baberu10

4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax. Baberu10

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

There was a store that sold chickens and eggs at Georgy and G. I remember going with my folks to buy eggs and sometimes chickens, I can barely remember the old wooden fence at the stadium. I/We never went inside but I remember looking thought the fence. I thought it was a big place
Later on when I went to Blount, Legion field is where we walked to to have PE. No room at Blount. LOL That was even before they built the armory.

The schools here were so small that when I was in junior high and high school we shared a field. The PE teachers had trouble keeping the older and younger kids from "fraternizing" during PE classes... like when people would go into the outfield. Haha.

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

LOL PE was not co-ed in my day. Boys walked down the Legion field and the girls played in the school yard. Same thing in High school but the girls dressed out in some type of a hideous "Gym suit" Might have been designed by a Moolism.

4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax. 40sgym002

4-cent Gas Tax to Fund Busses... P'cola wants to keep the tax. 40sgym002

hallmarkgrad wrote:: LOL PE was not co-ed in my day. Boys walked down the Legion field and the girls played in the school yard. Same thing in High school but the girls dressed out in some type of a hideous "Gym suit" Might have been designed by a Moolism.

Oh trust me, our PE was not co-ed either, but oftentimes while the junior high girls were on the North side of the field in PE class, high school boys might be on the South side.

Can you say, "Trouble"??!

That is an awesomely bad PE uniform, HG! I love it!

Does this all somehow relate to the bus tax and city finance, or did I miss a step or three?? lol

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

When you mention "Women" my mind still seems to wander Sorry LOL

hallmarkgrad wrote:: When you mention "Women" my mind still seems to wander Sorry LOL

Purrrrfectly natural, HG. My mind wanders at the mention of ironworkers, millwrights, welders, heavy equipment operators,.... I could go on, but you get the idea.

Did you happen to see my post on this thread yesterday at 2228 PST last night?

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

Yes about your City hall and internet info?

hallmarkgrad wrote:: There was a store that sold chickens and eggs at Georgy and G. I remember going with my folks to buy eggs and sometimes chickens, I can barely remember the old wooden fence at the stadium. I/We never went inside but I remember looking thought the fence. I thought it was a big place
Later on when I went to Blount, Legion field is where we walked to to have PE. No room at Blount. LOL That was even before they built the armory.

I don't remember Legion Field, but I do remember a baseball stadium where Veterans Park is located on the bayfront. Was the bayfront stadium a replacement for Legion Field?

Posts : 1066 Join date : 2012-07-30 Location : West side

Maybe. I would guess the seating and fence at Legion field was taken down in the early fifty's. My guess is also that it might have fallen into disrepair during WW2. and never recovered. Be interesting to research and find out more about it. such as when was the last game played, when was it taken down Etc. Lets research on it.

Admiral Mason Park

http://www.flickr.com/photos/debra32514/319889104/lightbox/

http://frankhardymademyphotographstwo.com/category/admiral-mason-ball-park/

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