Almost five years after the explosion that damaged the Escambia County Jail’s Central Booking Facility, work is now underway on razing and replacing the building.
A ceremony was held Wednesday at the facility to provide closure.
“I think that April 2014 – especially if you worked for the county – I think everyone knows where they were that night when this happened,” said Acting County Administrator Amy Lovoy, who welcomed the gathering on a sunny but cool, breezy morning at what was left of the booking facility.
“My first thought is to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who served that night, despite the fact that it was a horrible, horrible occurrence,” Lovoy said. “You can at least be proud of your actions that night; this ceremony is for you.”
Corrections Director Rich Powell provided a look back at the site and structure, which was built in 1960 as a small hospital, and eventually grew into a larger hospital.
“Subsequently being closed and assumed by the County for purposes, which turned into a correctional facility,” said Powell. “It was opened in December 1999 as a correctional facility and a detention facility for booking processes as well.”
On April 29-30, 2014 torrential rains — more than 22 inches falling in 29 hours — hammered the facility. As flood waters rushed in, dryers in the basement became detached from their gas lines as they floated upward. The natural gas continued to pump into the basement and was set off by a spark from an unknown source. The blast killed two inmates and injured 184 others.
“Robert Simmons and David Weinstein perished that night,” Powell said. “We also had very sustained damage on our own staff that were working that night as you see gathered with us. The one significant injury that took place [was] Officer Chris Hankinson, [who] had a life-changing, tragic event that night which he is dealing with still today.”
“We’re here today to close a chapter in our lives, that if we were to write a chapter, it wouldn’t have been this one,” said Chaplain Stacy Leggett.
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In the opening invocation, Leggett said the closure would affect everyone involved in the explosion – including those who were there that night, and now gathered for the ceremony in cool, breezy conditions. He quoted Christ in Isiah, Chapter 43.
“Will you tell us not to remember the things of old or the things of yesterday; we are to put those aside because You said in Your Word, You are going to do a new thing,” said Leggett. “And Lord, as I look around I can see already the newness that you’re bringing into all of our lives.”
Corrections Director Rich Powell says they’re now moving forward to begin a new chapter in their professional lives – that being the $130 million, 300,000 square-foot facility due to open in May of 2020 located at the corner of Fairfield Drive and Pace Boulevard.
“We can only grow from that and learn from some of the mistakes made during the time, and growing into a much stronger organization; fulfilling the role in the criminal justice system that we have,” said Powell.
The building has remained standing as evidence in a lawsuit filed against the county on behalf of the victims. A settlement reported to be $17 million is expected to be finalized in the near future.
After the remarks, it was time for the ceremonial beginning to tearing down the building. A lone bulldozer and operator began chewing into the facility, bringing down steel, concrete, glass, and insulation. Demolition on the facility actually began in November, a slow, deliberate process moving from the inside out.