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PNJ Opinion - May 3, 2008
County's
bad calls affect the Key
by Dan Henderson
Residents who live on River Road and adjoining subdivisions on Perdido
Key have watched various government agencies, over the past several
years, make decisions that make us question the purpose of government.
I would like to recognize specific agencies and individuals, such as the
former county administrator and county engineer and their staff, the
former and current Board of County Commissioners, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, county
Planning Board and the County Development Review Committee.
The following is a list of their actions or lack thereof, that have
affected our neighborhood:
In August 2004, the county vacated Semmes Road to WCI, giving 3.25
acres for $1. This road had been previously designated to become a
bike/pedestrian path in the Perdido Key Neighborhood Plan.
In October 2004, stormwater/wetland problems occurred on River Road
and Canal-A-Way. Following heavy rains, water was flowing from the WCI
golf course across River Road to the Holiday Harbor Condominiums,
causing the property to flood.
I still have pictures presented to DEP and a letter to the editor
regarding the problem, which still exists today.
In April 2005, the dredging operation that lasted for several months
deposited a mountain of sand intended for Gulf beach renourishment and
rendered Waterview Drive beaches useless to the residents.
In November 2005, a hauling operation lasted for several weeks and
destroyed Waterview Drive and parts of River Road. The roads were
reconstructed, but the county failed to widen River Road four feet as
promised.
A memo dated October 2005, regarding the design of the bike/pedestrian
path, stated, "Escambia County, in compliance with the Perdido Key
Neighborhood Plan, has agreed to construct a bike/pedestrian path on
River Road. Due to the excessive wetlands on the south side, the path
will be constructed on the north side to minimize the environmental
impact. The north side will require minor elevated structures due to
wetlands; however, the environmental impacts will remain minimal." A
contract was signed in August 2006 to begin construction. The dry land
portion of the path was completed in July 2007.
Today completion of the path is months overdue, and we are told that the
former county engineer stopped the project to request new permits from
DEP to fill in the wetland areas that were to receive "elevated
structures." The original contract was cancelled and a new one changed
"bridging the wetlands" to "filling the wetlands." How did the county
get out of the original contract?
This is the most mismanaged construction project I've been witness to in
40 years of paving construction experience. This project should be
investigated in its entirety from beginning to end. There are too many
unanswered questions regarding the actions of everyone involved in the
simple construction of a bike/pedestrian path.
The final insult is the decision in March by the county to allow an RV
park to be constructed on River Road. This road presently has eight
condos, two marinas, two restaurants, a golf course and a storage
facility.
I guess it doesn't matter to the administration as long as it's not in
their neighborhood.
Dan Henderson is a resident of Perdido Key.
PNJ Opinion - May 3, 2008 |
The Riverside Park is
finished
We can finally
announce that the Riverside Park on River Road is completed. This small piece of
county property was originally cleared and a park started several years
ago, as a mitigation project required of a local businessman. When
adjacent La Serena condominium used the park during their construction
to stage heavy equipment, La Serena agreed to take responsibility for
parking lot repairs and to finish the park. Grass, landscaping plants
and additional concrete walks have been installed. It’s a lovely place
to take a child to play or launch a kayak on the sandy beach. Escambia
County still needs to erect a sign marking it as a public park. We are
still awaiting the completion of the Bicycle / Pedestrian path on River
Road, but can report that a Request for Bids was printed in the
Pensacola newspaper on June 30, 2008. We hope that this time the
contractor will finish the job.
Previous updates on
River Road
Bicycle/Pedestrian Path |
