Bayou Chico News

Exciting news was recently announced regarding stopping pollution from coming into the Bayou. Bayou Chico has been on the impaired water bodies list since 1973, longer than any other body of water in the U.S. Twenty four thousand homes and businesses are located in the Bayou Chico watershed.

First phase received $11,000,000 from BP for the following storm water run off projects and will begin in 2015:

Bill Gregory Park Regional Stormwater Treatment Facility

'R' Street at Maggie's Ditch Stormwater Treatment Enhancement Project

Beach Haven Northeast Stormwater Improvement Project Phase 1

The Jones Creek and Jackson Creek Stream and Wetland Floodplain Habitat Restoration Project.

 An additional $6,000,000 is pending final approval from the Governor for sewer system improvements within the watershed and an additional $400,000 will be used for design, engineering, and permitting of phase II of the Bayou Chico Restoration project which will include dredging polluted sediment from the bottom of the Bayou. Phase II is not yet funded.

Artists from Pensacola Plein Air Painters met at Pelicans Perch Boatyard on October 31st to paint a variety of items. Plein Air means landscape painting outside like the early French Impressionists (Monet, Manet, etc.). Each artist explored our boatyard in search of that boat, landscape, or piece of equipment that caught their eye to capture in a variety of mediums including oil, acrylic, pastels, water color, pencil and charcoal.

Kay Packwood working on a water scene.

Pensacola Plein Air Painters are 40 strong with a group meeting every Friday. Anyone can join and the membership fee is only $5. This group of artists support the Bagdad Milton Paint Out, an all day activity that occurs in late October. Check them out here.

Betty Woods capturing a boat scene.