Bay Street facelift complete
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Avis Whitfield, Commissioner John Broxson and Sheriff Wendell Hall cut the ribbon commemoriating the project's completion.

When Bay Street was a brand new road, Marilyn Monroe had recently married Joe DiMaggio, the first nuclear sub launched in Connecticut, the first Elvis Pressley song hit American airwaves and Dwight D. Eisenhower was president.

More than half a century later, the two-lane roadway received a much-needed facelift. County work crews finalized the improvements and County Commissioner John Broxson held a small ceremony May 1 to commemorate the resurfacing and widening of the roadway.

"This auspicious occasion signifies to me that we're finally on the way to recovery from events in 2004 and 2005," Broxson said, adding that the roadway was an important connecting street between Villa Venyce and Tiger Point.

Santa Rosa County Public Works Director Avis Whitfield was also on hand for the rededication ceremony, stating that the 1.7 mile section of the road was resurfaced, widened from 18 to 21 feet and upgraded with a crack relief layer.

"The old roadway had lots of cracks," Whitfield said. "With no hurricanes, it should be 20 to 25 years before we ever need to think about resurfacing this roadway again."

Whitfield estimated the repair work cost the county approximately $256,000. Federal grant money was also used to replace and install a small amount of sewer line on both ends of the road.

County Sheriff Wendell Hall was also on hand for the ceremony and said the Bay Street project was symbolic of the community effort to pull together and cope with two destructive storms in 2004 and 2005.

"Residents had to pull the pieces back together and didn't know where to start," Hall said. "That kind of effort lets us know that we live in a great country and a great community."

Hall also said his office has received some complaints about increased speeding along the roadway. Hall promised to increase patrols and encouraged deputies to write more speeding citations in the area.