Escambia County may build new ECAT center, indoor sports facility with Sally grants

Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal
·5 min read

Escambia County is looking to use a new Hurricane Sally recovery grant program to build a new bus system headquarters and an indoor sports facility, among other projects.

The County Commission will have until April to decide which three projects to submit for a new state grant program.

Escambia County commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to seek public comment for 30 days on five proposed projects for new grants to help local communities in Northwest Florida recover from Hurricane Sally.

The biggest grant application is $30 million to fund a new Escambia County Area Transit Center and solar-powered bus shelters to replace the existing Rosa Parks Transit Complex on West Fairfield Drive. The complex was built in 1979 and has fallen into disrepair.

The building was damaged during Hurricane Sally and still has water leaks during rain storms.

Commission Chairman Lumon May voiced skepticism Thursday for the need for solar-powered bus shelters but agreed ECAT desperately needed a new headquarters building.

"The building is 50 years outdated, and to me, transit is universal," May said "... You can't even park there. It's just an accident waiting to happen."

Escambia County may request $30 million from a state Hurricane Sally recovery grant program to build a new Escambia County Area Transit Center. The public has until March 20 to weigh in on the idea and other grant applications.
Escambia County may request $30 million from a state Hurricane Sally recovery grant program to build a new Escambia County Area Transit Center. The public has until March 20 to weigh in on the idea and other grant applications.

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The second-largest singular project among the grant applications is a new indoor multi-use sports facility at Ashton Brosnaham Park north of East 10 Mile Road. The county wants to apply for $20 million and estimates the final cost of the project will be between $50 million and $60 million.

The facility would be an indoor sports facility meant to attract events and tourists to the area. It would also serve as a storm shelter or staging and meeting area for county staff and contractors in post-storm recovery operations, according to the county.

The park recently hosted the Southeastern Conference Women's Soccer Tournament, which set attendance records for the championship tournament's 37-year history.

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Commissioner Steven Barry supported the idea of using the grants for the indoor sports facility in his district and said that if the county won the grant, it could free up existing county dollars for the Pensacola Bay Center.

"I feel like it's a win-win," Barry said. "It's a win for the multi-use center, but it's also a win for the Bay Center."

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity created the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Sally Infrastructure Repair Program with federal funds and has allocated $67 million to Florida counties impacted by Hurricane Sally. Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are eligible to receive $53.6 million of the $67 million in a competitive grant process while Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties are eligible to receive the remaining $13.4 million.

The county is only allowed to submit three projects for the grant program, County Administrator Wes Moreno told commissioners Thursday.

Commissioner Robert Bender said they hope to work with the county's lobbyist to increase the number of projects they can submit or roll multiple projects together as one submittal.

Escambia County may request $30 million from a state Hurricane Sally recovery grant program to build a new Escambia County Area Transit Center. The public has until March 20 to weigh in on the idea and other grant applications.
Escambia County may request $30 million from a state Hurricane Sally recovery grant program to build a new Escambia County Area Transit Center. The public has until March 20 to weigh in on the idea and other grant applications.

Commissioners were given a list of 40 projects and were asked to narrow down the list for public comment.

The grant program requires each submittal to receive 30 days of public comment, and the deadline to submit the grants is April 4.

While the county said it put five projects out for public comment, one project includes 11 separate drainage and stormwater projects. The county's website notes that each project would currently have to be submitted separately, but Bender said the county should try bundling them together if they can get approval from the state.

Together the stormwater projects are seeking $36.7 million in grant funding for the 11 projects across the county.

More information about the programs can be found on the county's website at myescambia.com/sallyrecoverygrant.

Comments for the projects can be submitted by email to sallyrecoverygrant@myescambia.com up until March 20.

Here's a full list and description provided by the county of the five projects:

  • New Escambia County ECAT Center — Grant request: $30 million. Total project cost: $30 million. Matching funds: county land

  • Pensacola Bay Center Upgrades — Grant request: $2.5 million. Total project cost: $2.5 million. Matching funds: no matching funds identified at this time.

  • Future Ashton Brosnaham Park Indoor Multi-use Sports Facility — Grant request: $20 million. Total project cost: $50 to $60 million. Matching funds: County land and "other sources" used as a match.

  • Beach Haven Stormwater and Septic to Sewer Project — Grant request: $4.5 million. Total project cost: $24.5 million. Matching funds: $20 million already secured from other state and federal grants.

  • County stormwater projects:

    • Woodrun Bridge No. 484307 Replacement (Stormwater Mitigation) — Grant request: $800,000. Total project cost: $1.3 million. Matching funds: $500,000.

    • PHS Drainage Improvements Phases 1, 2, & 3(Stormwater Mitigation ) — Grant request: $1.8 million. Total project cost: $2.4 million. Matching funds: 600,000.

    • Oakfield Acres/Palafox Street (Stormwater Mitigation) — Grant request: $11.2 million. Total project cost: $13 million. Matching funds: $1.8 million.

    • Carver Park Phase 2 (Stormwater Mitigation) — Grant request: $2.16 million. Total project cost: $2.9 million. Matching funds: $740,000.

    • Monroe Avenue (Stormwater Infrastructure with Mitigation) — Grant request: $2 million. Total project cost: $2 million. Matching funds: No matching funds identified at this time.

    • Gulf Beach Highway Pipe Replacement (Stormwater Mitigation) — Grant request: $1.5 million. Total project cost: $1.5 million. Matching funds: No matching funds identified at this time.

    • Brickyard Road (Stormwater Infrastructure Activities) — Grant request: $2 million. Total project cost: $2 million. Matching funds: No matching funds identified at this time.

    • Vista Park (Stormwater Infrastructure Activities) — Grant request: $1 million. Total project cost: $1 million. Matching funds: No matching funds identified at this time.

    • Muldoon Road Drainage Improvements (Stormwater Mitigation) — Grant request: $8.2 million. Total project cost: $8.2 million. Matching funds: $1.8 million.

    • Bayou Grande Villas (Stormwater Mitigation) — Grant request: $2.4 million. Total project cost: $2.4 million. Matching funds: No matching funds identified at this time.

    • Olive Road Street and Drainage Improvement (Stormwater Infrastructure Activities) — Grant request: $3.65 million. Total project cost: $11 million. Matching funds: $7.35 million.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County eyes Hurricane Sally grants for sports, stormwater