LevinRinke_SuperSky 1.indd 1 3/6/2017 11:57:05 AM Minor illness & injury + much more! |Open Monday - Saturday| Office visits starting at $65 valid until 12/31/17 June 15, 2017 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 75¢ Glenda Caudle | Gulf Breeze Judge News Those traversing the Pensacola Bay Bridge can see workers driving test pilings SR School scolds each day. city on District eyes Catawba matter Tiger Point BY GLENDA CAUDLE Gulf Breeze News© 2017 [email protected] “If the 1962 deed had been honored, I don’t know that we would be here to- purchase day.” So said Judge John F. Simon Jr. BY PAM BRANNON Wednesday afternoon, June 7, in the Gulf Breeze News © 2017 Santa Rosa County Courthouse. [email protected] The issue before the court was a fee hearing in which the “Pete” Peters fam- Tiger Point may be the site of a future school for Santa Rosa ily and the John Lance Reese family, all County School District. But the site being offered by the City of residents of Gulf Breeze, were seeking Gulf Breeze and being seriously considered by the school district the judge’s decision about the amount may surprise many. of attorneys’ fees to which they are en- “The City is offering us 45 acres south of the golf course club titled from the City of Gulf Breeze. house, in Tiger Point West. It is some of the property they have Despite years of court cases involv- talked about selling from the golf course for some time,” Asst. Su- ing not only the current property own- perintendent Joey Harrell explained to the school board last week. ers, but previous owners, as well, and Superintendent of SchoolsTim Wyrsodick told the board that multiple rulings, which the city has re- they have been looking at two parcels in Tiger Point. “One parcel peatedly lost, the issue continues to be is only 12 acres and would not be enough for a school – unless we the focus of interest in courtrooms. make it a two-story school. But the other parcel is 45 acres, which Simon issued no immediate judg- is what we have been looking for all along for another school. But ment as to the amount of fees he felt there are a lot of steps between now and when we might make any the plaintiffs could recover at the June offer. We are just looking for your approval, as a board, for us to 7 session. Instead, he complimented move forward with investigating the possibilities.” both sets of attorneys, acknowledged Pile driving underway Harrell said there had been a recent appraisal, in May, on 180 their expert witnesses and requested a acres at the golf course. “That 45 acres, of course, is just a portion transcript of the proceedings to review. of that. The City used one of the same appraisers we almost always He gave no hint when he might issue a judgment. However, he did appear to on new Pensacola See Parcel Page 3A » be scolding the City of Gulf Breeze in his remarks to the court – quoted above -- and he did repeat his opinion, first is- sued May 11, 2016, that an award of at- Bay Bridge span State DOE closer torneys’ fees was warranted. bridge and have traffic rolling across it, headed At that time he had said, “All the BY GLENDA CAUDLE attorneys’ fees are on the table at this Gulf Breeze News© 2017 both east and west, by Jan. 27, 2019, Skanska to approving new point.” [email protected] USA, the contractor for the effort, will earn The City of Gulf Breeze opened the a $15 million bonus, so crews are putting in Construction crews have begun driving test longer than average workdays at good wages. door to the monetary request by the piles for the new Pensacola Bay Bridge, ac- K-8 grade school plaintiffs by initially demanding that Pile-driving work is proceeding on a seven- cording to a June 8 release from the Florida days-a-week schedule during daytime hours, the Peters and Reese families be held Department of Transportation. BY PAM BRANNON a spokesman said. Gulf Breeze News © 2017 liable for the city’s court costs in the Information that crews gain from the test matter. That request was denied by the Those in the area may detect noise and may [email protected] pile program will be used to determine the be aware of some vibration, but the current ef- court, but it resulted in the propriety of length and driving criteria for the permanent the request by the plaintiffs. fort should have no direct impact on traffic, The Santa Rosa School District received some good news production piles that will provide the founda- FDOT authorities insist. during its school board meeting last Thursday night. Assistant The plaintiffs in the case and the city tion for the new bridge. That structure is to be have been involved in litigation over a Once the test pile program is complete, Superintendent Joey Harrell told the board he had “just” re- completed in the summer of 2020. crews will start putting in place the permanent ceived an email during the meeting from the Florida Department tiny slice of property between the two Those crossing the current bridge, which waterfront houses in the Casablanca production piles needed for the new bridge of Education. was constructed in 1960 and is nearing the – 2,000 of them. These are being fabricated at “It is from the person there we have been working with all subdivision in Gulf Breeze for some end of its anticipated life span, are very much time. The issue goes back to a time, a Skanska USA casting yard in Pensacola and these months. They said our plan that we sent them has now aware of the large cranes, mounted on barges, brought on site through Bayou Chico. A trestle been reviewed and cleaned up and is ready to go to your board. and beyond, when current Gulf Breeze that split the view of the bay. The cranes are Mayor Matt Dannheisser was, instead, needed for the project is also being produced That is great news,” Harrell said. “In that plan is one K-8th grade used to lift the concrete test piles into position locally, employing even more workers. school. So we will bring this to you at the next board meeting the city’s attorney and was involved in in the water. A 20,000-pound diesel-powered fighting the legal battle. The new bridge, in its entirety, will consist before sending it off to the Department of Education for their hammer then drives the test piles into the bot- of two parallel structures, each with three 12- final stamp of approval.” In an intermingling of small-town tom of the bay. The permanent piles will be relationships, the case also involves foot travel lanes, two 10-foot shoulders and Superintendent of Schools Tim Wyrosdick told the board, located in either the same spaces or very close a 10-foot multi-use path for pedestrians, jog- “Mr. Harrell has been submitting information daily – and some- the son of former Gulf Breeze Mayor by, once the test piles are removed from the Beverly Zimmern serving as one of the gers and bicyclists. The schedule in place now times hourly – since last October to the Department of Educa- areas where solid footing has been found be- calls for an early 2019 completion of the first tion. We need two new schools right now, but we went for trying city’s current attorneys and a relative of neath the water. the Peters family on board as the plain- new bridge. Four lanes of traffic will then be to get one approved at first. This is really good news.” If the 500 construction workers employed transitioned to that structure and the existing on the project can finish work on the first See Attorneys’ Page 2A » See Cranes Page 3A » See Population Page 3A » Arrest Report . 2A FRI 6/16 SAT 6/17 SUN 6/18 Calendar . 2A & 3B Mailing Statement on Opinion Page CHANCE OF CHANCE OF MOSTLY Classifieds/Legals . 7C WEEKEND SHOWERS SHOWERS SUNNY Crossword Puzzle . 3B THREE SECTIONS, Weather-plus Movies . 2B 20 PAGES hi 84/lo 77 hi 85/lo 77 hi 86/lo 77 Opinion . 6A VOL. 17, NO. 25 rain: 50% rain: 50% rain: 0% Real Estate . 4B JUNE 15, 2017 Sports . 1-8C 2A June 15, 2017 GULF BREEZE NEWS gulfbreezenews.com Attorneys’ fees continue to Calendar of Meetings Friday 16 mount over disputed path Gulf Breeze Optimist Club Breakfast 6:45 a.m., Gulf Breeze Hospital Cafeteria » Continued from Page 1A The City of Gulf Breeze, despite the Attorneys for both parties brought in wit- courts’ rulings, has been seeking to seize the nesses at last week’s hearing. These includ- Monday 19 tiffs’ lawyer. sliver of property between the two homes ed Peters, Dunaway and two attorneys who Commissioner Committee which leads to the water in more recent said they reviewed the billing statements and 9:00 a.m., Santa Rosa County Administrative Center Board History of the battle cases involving new owners, however. City the work done by the law firms and come to room, 6495 Caroline St, Milton The City of Gulf Breeze was denied ac- officials say their goal is to provide public their own conclusions about what amounts cess or ownership or control of the property, access to what the court has defined as non- should be paid. City Council Meeting which once was briefly offered to the city existent Sand Beach Park.