Triumph Gulf Coast continues spreading the wealth in Northwest Florida

Triumph Gulf Coast has scratched out yet another big check, this one to encourage educational achievement in Northwest Florida.

On Monday in Panama City, the Triumph Board unanimously approved an agreement necessary to secure for Charter Schools USA and Warrington Preparatory Academy a nearly $7.5 million grant with which to provide career training and certifications to almost 3,500 students and their families.

Triumph Gulf Coast staff also announced this month that the organization will be working "in the near future" to assist the Santa Rosa County economic development team in qualifying for $7.19 million to invest in construction of a Bagdad Distribution Building on Garcon Point Road.

Triumph is awaiting grant applications for two other projects: The University of West Florida is seeking $2.5 million to advance a Watercraft and Vessel Engineering program, and Escambia County Public Schools is seeking $617,000 to be used at Tate High School to renovate an auto body building.

"So far, we just have the pre-applications on those proposals," Triumph Gulf Coast Executive Director Susan Skelton said in an email. "We are waiting to receive the full applications."

Triumph Gulf Coast is a nonprofit created by Florida to distribute $1.5 billion in BP oil spill settlement funds to economic development projects in the eight Northwest Florida counties adversely impacted by the 2010 disaster.

As of Jan. 29, Triumph Gulf Coast had received 134 applications totaling over $1,271,900,000 in requests, according to a program administrator's report that accompanied information about the Monday meeting.

The staff is presently working with grantees on the implementation of 49 active projects, with an additional 11 projects completed, totaling over $436,300,000 in grants executed, the report said.

Building a Culture in Warrington

The big regional news from this week's quarterly Triumph Gulf Coast Board meeting was the expected finalization of the $7,454,868 grant to Warrington Preparatory Academy.

According to a project summary, Charter Schools USA will use the money to establish a program to offer information technology and unmanned systems industry certifications at the school, which caters to students in grades six through eight with plans to add K-5 students.

Program supporters are hopeful that both parents and students in the community obtain certifications, and that robust participation will lead to good paying jobs and, ultimately, financial stability.

Eddie Ruiz, the state superintendent for Charter Schools USA, said it is hoped Warrington Prep can hand out 100 to 150 certifications in this, its first year, and build to a point where "every student will leave here with two certifications each."

"We'll start slow, it's all about building a culture, creating a mindset about why we're doing workforce training and why workforce is important," he said. "Then we want to bring in the parents and have them obtain certifications and get families and the community excited about obtaining training that can translate into skills in the real world."

Warrington Preparatory Academy opened last year under the Charter Schools USA banner. It had previously functioned as Warrington Middle School within the Escambia County Public Schools system, but changed hands at the state's direction following years of poor academic performance.

The Triumph funds will be used for personnel, classroom renovation and construction, equipment, and grant compliance. Plans call for at least 3,479 industry certifications to be handed out during the lifetime of the grant by such powerhouse companies as Digital Tools, Google, MS Office and Adobe suite.

The total cost of the Project is $10,384,867, with a $2,930,000 match from the grantee. The Triumph Gulf Coast staff rated the project an "A" in terms of economic impact, citing a $39 increase in household income per $1 of Triumph investment.

Triumph Gulf Coast Board member Collier Merrill, who championed the Warrington Prep Academy investment, was not available Monday for comment.

Project Cruise Control

Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree has dubbed the Bagdad Distribution Center plan he devised with assistance from former county commissioner and state Representative Jayer Williamson as Project Cruise Control.

If the $7.5 million in Triumph funding comes through, the money will be used to buy 40 acres on Garcon Point Road and equip it with infrastructure.

An as yet silent development partner has agreed to use the land to construct an approximately 400,000-square-foot distribution center building on a parcel of land close to Interstate 10. Williamson's role in the project hasn't been specified, but he is employed with a couple other former state legislators by a company called Oak Strategies, a lobbying and consulting firm.

The goal of Project Cruise Control, Ogletree told county commissioners in December, "is to bring in more jobs and more opportunities."

Previously: Triumph takes next steps on $25M in grants for 4 Escambia, Santa Rosa economic projects

Catching the WAVE

The University of West Florida will, if approved, use the $2.5 million it has requested from Triumph Gulf Coast to create a $5 million "university research and incubator known as UWF Watercraft and Vessel Engineering (WAVE)" at the Port of Pensacola.

"Located at the Port of Pensacola near the future American Magic facility, WAVE will attract hightech watercraft and foil sailing entrepreneurs in maritime design and serve as a hub for research incomposite materials, advanced machining, high-efficiency propulsion, and computational fluiddynamics," a pre-application document states.

The pre-application letter to Triumph states UWF WAVE will take advantage of the expertise within its Mechanical Engineering Department, its location on Pensacola Bay and the proximity to the planned American Magic yacht racing team headquarters, which are also being built with funding assistance from Triumph.

"WAVE will serve as a magnet for startup and existing personal watercraft companies and transport vessels both commercial and military," the pre-application said. "Researchers and sailing experts have identified a need for this type of space to take full advantage of the economic growth potential of watercraft and vessel engineering and sailing."

Tate Wants to Renovate - its Auto Body building

Escambia County Public Schools Workforce Innovation officials are seeking $617,000 from Triumph Gulf Coast to renovate a former Auto Body building at Tate High School.

"This program has been closed for decades, and the building has become a storage area," the pre-application said. "Much of the existing facility can be used with a bit of renovation and maintenance."

The request states funding will be used to remove outdated existing automotive lifts and bring in more modern equipment. Work will also be needed to bring some systems back to operational status and spruce up the building itself, where classrooms, offices and restrooms need renovation.

"At full implementation, the Automotive Maintenance Academy will serve approximately 150 students per year," the pre-application states.

Students in grades 9-12 will be allowed to participate in automotive classes, while students in grades 11-12 will have opportunities for work-based learning.

Students will also have the option of attending George Stone Technical College as a dual-enrolled student in the school's Automotive Service program, and all high school students will be prepared to earn Florida certifications offered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Triumph Gulf Coast Board OKs Warrington Preparatory Academy grant