Danielle Provau
The Corsair
Pensacola State College escaped with only cosmetic damage from the flood June 10. Pensacola received 13 inches of rain on the Pensacola Campus and a record 23 inches at Warrington Campus. The other campuses had little to no damage at all from the freak flood.
Warrington Campus was hardest hit. A footbridge that connects Warrington Campus and Patton Road was moved several feet off of its foundation. Jones Creek, part of the Jones Swamp Wetlands Nature Preserve and Trail, flows under the bridge.
“The Patton foot bridge is not only used by our students, but by the community as well, “said Betsy Hasty, the head Public Safety Officer at Warrington Campus. “Our biggest concern is safety for everyone.”
Escambia County owns the bridge that connects the campus and the community. They have boarded up the bridge on both ends but some people are cutting through despite the safety precautions.
“The bridge has to be completely replaced,” according to Jimmie Jarratt at Jones Swamp Preserve. “This will benefit everyone when we have completed our end of the renovations. We will have two beautiful entrances to Warrington Campus that will be able to used and enjoyed by everyone.”
Escambia County is paying for the reconstruction and they have to design a new bridge according to Escambia County Parks and Recreation Spokesperson, Tammara Johnson. The replacement bridge should be completed in September. Escambia County is constructing a second entrance to the Warrington campus within the next six months.