Mayor's weekly blog
Weekly Letter – Friday, March 7, 2008 – Friday, March 14, 2008
I send greetings to you and your family from the Mayor’s office.
I hope things are going well for you and your family. I hope the
weekend will find you all having fun in some nice weather.
Friday evening I went to our second performance of the Polk
Sallet Review at the Council on Aging building. The crowd again
was sold out, and the show went even smoother than it did last
night. The performers really got into their roles, and the
audience appreciated it very much.
After each performance, the cast takes curtain calls, then move
to the rear of the auditorium to greet the audience as they
leave the building. I saw several folks tonight who came for the
very first time, and they all said they would be back next year.
Saturday morning I received word that my first cousin, Stella
Hickerson Murphree, passed away late last night or early this
morning. Stella’s mother was my Mama’s older sister. Stella was
about twenty years older than me, and was more like an aunt
since she was just a few years younger than my Mama. She was
very close to all of us, and she was a first-class lady. She was
a teenager growing up and coming to adulthood as World War II
began. She later married Walter Murphree who grew up in Tanner
and Decatur. He had been terribly wounded during the war in
Germany, and spent a few years recuperating from his wounds.
They have one daughter, Dianne, who is the same age as my
sister, Joan. Dianne has two children, Jeff and Kelly, and five
grandchildren. Dianne has suffered from MS for many years, but
has had a great life due to the care of her dear husband,
Kenneth Hager, and their children. Stella’s funeral will be in
Decatur Tuesday afternoon.
Kay went to Mac’s for lunch with her classmates from high
school. After lunch, she and our daughter, Dinah, went to
Huntsville and met Kara and our grandkids for an afternoon
outing. Our other grandkids also went over for the fun. They
didn’t get home until dinner time and all of them came over to
Catfish Cabin for some of that good catfish.
I spent most of the day doing very little. I did get some
goodies to take to the Polk Sallet tonight for the cast to eat
in the cast room.
I attended our final performance tonight and everything went
well. We straightened everything up in the building after the
show, made a cast picture, and everyone went home satisfied that
we had another good year. We will get back together soon to have
a cast dinner and view the video that was made of the program.
Most of this group of performers have been together for a few
years, and have become very close. We are friends, even though
we don’t get to see each other too often. It has been a pleasure
to work with all of them in helping raise funds to assist our
elderly population in Limestone County.
Sunday morning, Kay and I attended Sunday school and Church. I
know there were a few folks who forgot to set their clock ahead
one hour for daylight savings time, but we did have a good crowd
out for Church even though the weather was cold. Brother Jenkins
had an excellent sermon leading up to the Cross.
We went to Ruby Tuesday’s for lunch with the Harper’s and
Rickett’s after Church. We enjoyed a good meal, and saw several
folks out doing the same thing. Steve and Carol Carter were
there, along with their daughter and her friend. Steve is the
head of our Gas Department, and Carol is an Orthopedic nurse at
Huntsville Hospital. This is a nice family, and they always seem
to enjoy the company of each other.
We spent a quite afternoon at home, but I did go by the pharmacy
to have a couple of prescription filled, and I carried my
computer to Mike Pepper for some cleaning of viruses. Mike does
a good job at fixing computers if you need something done. He
has cleaned mine before when it became infected with viruses. I
am going to have him to install something to keep these things
from getting on my computer.
We attended Church tonight and heard another great sermon about
the Cross by Brother Jenkins. Our youth choir also presented a
short dramatic presentation about temptation and redemption.
This was a moving dramatic skit set to music. I must admit I
have never been to sold on some of the innovations and new
methods of teaching in Church. This one, however, was well done
and it impressed me greatly. I appreciate the youth members and
their leaders for coming up with this. I think it has a special
effect upon young folks even more than me. I was pleasantly
surprised by it, and I hope to see more of these in the future.
It is an excellent way to reach young people with the Gospel.
We went to Doug and Tammy Warner’s home near Ardmore after
Church to attend a supper given by our niece’s friends from
Locke’s Cross Roads Church of Christ, in honor of her
approaching wedding. Della and Brian will be married on March
29, and this is one of many events that’s been done for them.
I wish everyone could see Tammy and Doug’s home. It is located
within a mile of Ardmore, down in a hollow. It seems to be
completely isolated, but you can get out to the main street
within one minute. They purchased this family property, and
eventually designed and build their home a few years ago. It is
built into the side of a hill that allows a huge basement and
patio on the ground, and a huge wooden deck on the top floor.
The most impressive thing about their house is the spacious
kitchen, dining, and living room area on the top floor. The wall
is windows that allow the outside to almost come into the house.
The basement is the same way. The house was built for living and
hospitality, and Doug, Tammy, and their daughter have certainly
shared it with friends and family.
We enjoyed this party so much. Tammy and Doug are like family to
my sister’s family, and I appreciate the kindness they have
shown to all of us. They have had all kinds of events at their
home, including having my nephews do their Karyoke set up for
special events.
Monday morning I had an appointment to clean my teeth, and this
took about an hour. The lady who cleaned them did excellent
work, and did not hurt me one bit. This was my first check up
since Dr. Corum completed restoration on all of my teeth. I am
completely satisfied with my dental work, and it has made a big
difference in the way I bite and chew.
I spent the remainder of the morning attending a meeting at
Public Works regarding compiling a disaster plan related to
debris removal from the city. This plan is required by the
Federal government if cities wish to be reimbursed from disaster
funds in the future. We certainly want to be reimbursed if the
Feds make monies available, so we will develop a plan.
The City Council work session and regular meeting was held this
afternoon beginning at 4:30. The following items of business
received action by the Council:
1. Public hearings were held for Logan’s Roadhouse and Gary’s
Quick Stop for the sale of alcohol. There were no votes for this
issue.
2. Approved a Resolution to declare property surplus for the
Water Department so it can be included in a City auction.
3. Approved cash advances for the Electric Department.
4. Approved the sale of alcohol for the Village Pizza
Restaurant.
5. Approved the appropriation from the Wastewater Infrastructure
Fund for the Looney Road sanitary sewer extension.
6. Passed a Resolution to have a quarterly meeting with the
Limestone County Commission.
7. Approved the expenditure of $21,000 for drainage work in the
Marion Street area.
I went back to City Hall after the meeting and met with Herby
Greenhaw, Bill Latimer, and Morris Schrimsher to practice
singing some songs we are to sing at the RSVP Annual luncheon
tomorrow. We didn’t sound too bad for our first practice.
Tuesday morning was spent at the Courthouse in a mediation
session related to a lawsuit which has been filed against the
City. The mediation did not prove to be successful, so we may
have to go to court within the next couple of months.
Today was the usual day for my WKAC radio show. Since I had so
many things going on today, I sent Evan Thornton, our Finance
Director, to sit in for me. He and the staff had a good show,
and Evan gave them a good bit of information about what is
happening in our town.
I went to the RSVP luncheon and our quartet entertained the
audience for a half-hour before lunch. We sang seven or eight
songs, and I believe the audience enjoyed the music. We were
happy to help assist the RSVP staff with this program.
Kay and I went to Decatur after the program to attend the
funeral of my cousin, Stella Murphree . We stopped at Whitt’s
for a good lunch, and got to spend about an hour before the
funeral with our family. The funeral was held at the Roselawn
Funeral Home on Memorial Drive.
I led the congregational singing for the service, and Stella’s
granddaughter and son-in-law did her eulogy. The service was
closed by her minister from the Grant Street Church of Christ in
Decatur.
I came back home and stopped by the office to catch up on my
e-mail and messages. There were several awaiting my response.
Wednesday morning we had a meeting at the Utility department to
discuss our plans related to automatic meter reading. The result
of the meeting was a decision to await a study from TVA which
may be beneficial to us in this area. The study will be
completed during late summer or early fall of this year.
I had lunch at Lu Vivi’s restaurant with Gary Scroggins and
Councilmen Marks, Crutcher, and Gill. The restaurant seems to be
doing well. In my opinion, part of the success of this
restaurant can be attributed to the fact that Jerry Sandlin, the
owner, is always present when customers are there for their
meals. I think he has a grasp of what is going on at his
business, and he makes sure the customers are welcomed and
thanked for choosing to come to his place.
I spent the afternoon in the office attending to business in the
office. I did talk with several folks who came by or called.
I went to choir practice tonight and we are learning the songs
that will be sung during the Easter season. I really enjoyed the
singing, and I think these songs are some of the best we have
had. I must compliment our choir for their faithfulness in
practice, and their desire to serve our Lord and his Church with
their talents. I think the choir has really become an integral
part of our worship services. I am honored to be a part of it.
I received word today that the retail incentive the City Council
had approved for the Publix Supermarket project would not be put
into effect. This retail incentive to designate the shopping
center property as a district was an agreement between the
developer and the City of Athens. The Publix ownership and the
developer determined that the financing plan was not going to be
satisfactory between them. The City had nothing to do with this
decision. The developer stated that the plans were for Publix to
come to Athens, but another type of financing will be necessary
for it. This decision means that the City will no longer be
involved in this particular arrangement. The resolutions passed
to set it up will be rescinded at the next Council meeting.
Thursday morning I attended a meeting at the Emergency
Management Center regarding our community’s plans for the
Pandemic Flu disaster. I continue to be impressed with the
seriousness of the predicted outbreak of flu that is being
predicted for our nation and the rest of the world. I am going
to see that every household inside our city receives information
about this pending disaster, and try to provide information
which will assist all of us to take care of ourselves and our
families during this or any other natural disaster.
The people from the Public Health Department who are training
communities how to respond to the disasters do a good job for
us. They really push the little things we all can do to protect
ourselves from the terrible strains of flu that even now are
making many of us very sick. They say that washing your hands
and using hand sanitizers are maybe the most important thing you
can do to protect yourself. They advise cleaning the hands after
touching someone, using bathrooms, using telephones, touching
door handles, etc. Germs are everywhere, and are on everything,
and we need to do what we can to cleanse ourselves from them.
They also recommend cleaning surfaces in the home and office
with Clorox and water. This kills a lot of the germs that can
make you and your children very ill. They recommend staying away
from crowds during outbreaks of sickness. Most of their
recommendations are common sense things, but we still have to be
reminded to use our common sense.
Kay and I ate lunch at the Catfish Cabin restaurant today. I
ordered the Senior Citizen’s special, and it was plenty for me.
I usually forget to realize I am a senior, and fail to take
advantage of the lower prices. I hope Kay can remember to remind
me of this time from now on out.
I went back to Church tonight for a special choir practice, and
it went very well. We had a good turn-out of members, and
everyone thought we had a good practice.
Friday morning I went to the Cooper and Company Show to talk
with them about the Publix Supermarket decision to not
participate in the developer’s plan to finance the shopping
district. He had several guests there today including Killer
Bee, a comedian.
I was busy at the office with correspondence and talking to
employees and citizens. Friday usually always turns out to be
busy, and more often than not, things happen late on Friday that
needs a lot of attention when everyone is making their plans for
the weekend.
Today was no exception for the unexpected. This afternoon calls
began to come in about trouble at Athens High School. The
information I received was that someone was on campus that was
not authorized to be there, looking for trouble. I went to the
school and visited for a few minutes with the principal, Chris
Bolen, to see what had happened. Several students had heard that
some students at school were the target of outsiders who were
coming to get them. Students began calling parents, and within a
short time folks were coming to get their children.
I think that Mr. Bolen did exactly what he should have done. He
called the police to come to the school, and he was able to keep
people from panicking. This is the type action we need when
things happen, and I’m sure that school and city officials will
investigate this incident, and determine if any changes need to
be made in the way we react to incidents.
We have had no more movement on the Legislative Bill to stop the
annexation into Limestone County. I hope you will consider
contacting Senator Arthur Orr, and Representatives Mickey
Hammons and Mack McCutcheon and tell them to support this bill.
It is important that you do this.
You have seen where Decatur says they are making an announcement
for a major shopping mall at Highway 20 and I-65, in south
Limestone County where they have annexed. A project such as this
will take tax money from the citizens of our city and give it to
another. Limestone County will continue to get its taxes and our
city will benefit from some of that, but any commercial that
Huntsville, Madison, or Decatur puts in will take tax revenue
from the city of Athens.
It will also be interesting to see what incentives the city of
Decatur will offer the developers of the proposed project. I am
predicting that it will be in the amount of many millions of
dollars they will offer for the project.
I am including the Chamber of Commerce schedule of events for
our community. I hope you will be able to find something of
interest among these events.
Athens High School Greenhouse is now open Monday – Friday 11:30
AM to 12:30 PM, Saturdays 9 AM to 2:00 PM. The greenhouse has
started their Spring Plant Sale to include; bedding plants,
vegetables, hanging baskets and 1 gallon tomatoes. For more
information contact Jerry Davis at 233-6613.
14-Mar at 10:30-11:30 AM - Baby Signs Story time - Learn the fun
and magic of baby sign language at a FREE story time for parents
and babies from birth to age three. For more information contact
Nikki Colwell at 256-230-0880.
15 Mar –The Red Caboose Writers Night featuring Roger Murrah,
Neal Coty and Jimmy Melton at Elkmont. 1st show at 6:30 – 2nd
show at 8:30 PM. You must have reservations by calling 306-6201
15-Mar at 10-12 AM and 1:30-4:00 PM - Understanding the Horse
K-I-N Stables and Arenas {Indoor Arena}, K-1-N Stables and
Arena, Carter Road, Athens, AL, FREE, http://athensplus.com/kinstables.htm,
256-874-6781
15-Mar at 7-10:00 AM - Ardmore Veterans Organization Pancake
Breakfast at Ardmore, TN Annex Building, Main Street Ardmore,
Tickets are $5.00 each, children under 12 Free, 256-423-7588
15th March at 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM - The Salvation Army (serving
Morgan, Lawrence and Limestone Counties) Thrift Store in Athens
will host a fashion show. The store is located at 701 Hwy 31
Athens, AL. Clothing and models, male and female, of all ages
and sizes are needed. For more information contact Tina
Henderson at 256-233-1614, or go by the store on Highway 31.
22-Mar at 10:00 AM – Ardmore AL/TN Civitan Club Easter Egg Hunt
at the Ardmore, AL Town Park, 256-423-6850 or 256-777-7246
23-Mar at 8:30 or 11:00 AM – Experience Easter – See and hear
the story of Easter come alive! At Lindsay Lane Baptist Church,
Athens, AL, www.lindsaylane.org
25-Mar at 6:30 PM – Taste of Home Cooking School at Athens
Middle School Auditorium, Tickets are $10.00, 256-232-2720
25-Mar at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM - Day by Day with Toddlers - Learn
practical techniques to ensure the happiness and positive
development of your toddler. The program is for mothers, fathers
and relative care providers. For more information contact Nikki
Colwell at 256-230-0880 or Jessica Zimmerman at 1-800-499-6597 x
211.
28 & 29-Mar at 6:30 AM – 4:30 PM - Consignment Sale Benefiting
PAT - Shop, donate, consign or volunteer it is your choice. The
sale will feature items for babies, toddlers and school-aged
children. Proceeds will support the Parents as Teachers program.
For more information on how to participate, contact Nikki
Colwell at 256-230-0880.
28 & 29 March – Ardmore Beauty Walk at Ardmore High School gym.
Elementary students Grades K-5 from Cedar Hill and Johnson
Elementary schools compete Friday, March 28 at 6:30 PM, Ardmore
High School students grades 6-12 compete on Saturday, March 29
at 6:30 PM and girls through 5 years of age compete on Saturday,
March 29 at 11:00 AM, 256-423-2555 or ardmorebeautywalk@hotmail.com
29-Mar, Dinner at 6PM, Show at 7PM - Yesterdays Showband
Featuring Kevin Adams at Yesterdays Event Center, Athens, AL,
www.yesterdaysevents.com,
29-Mar - CASA Roast - Rev. Dusty McLemore at Athens Senior
Center, Athens, AL Tickets $30.00 each, 256-232-5751
29th March at 11:00 AM - Alabama Veteran’s Museum and Archives
is raffling off an American Eagle plaque made in 2004 by Charles
Holcomb consisting of 77 pieces of 7 different woods (Aspen,
Birch, Walnut, Basswood, Poplar, Ebony & Red Cedar). All
proceeds go to the museum. Visit athensplus.com/benefitraffle.htm
to see the plaque. Tickets are available from any board member
and at the museum.
I guess this is enough for this time. Take care and I’ll see you
next time. mayordan
