Mayor's weekly blog
Weekly Letter - Friday, March 14, 2008 - Friday, March 21, 2008
I send you greetings from the Mayor's office. The weather has
been beautiful for the past two days, and I hope your kids have
enjoyed the Spring Break season. Two of our granddaughters have
been to the beach or lake all week, and two others have been in
Fairhope for a visit with family members.
Friday evening Kay and I ate a later-than-usual dinner at
Clark's restaurant. The food was excellent, and there was a
large crowd out enjoying themselves tonight. I saw Bobby,
Glenda, and Mark Zirbel there and got to visit with them for a
while. They are some of my favorite people, and I always enjoy
talking with Mark to keep up with the crop situation, and find
out what is happening to everyone in Coxey and the Forks of the
River. We saw Jimmy Bailey and his wife having dinner with Jane
Burgreen and Larry Holmes. I didn't get to talk with them, but I
wanted to find out what Larry is doing and how he is health
wise. I have heard that he had some problems, but he looked ok
tonight. I should have asked the ladies what they were doing out
with two guys like Jimmy and Larry. They served in the National
Guard with me for several years.
Saturday I did a few chores around the house. I have a gutter at
the back porch that has a couple of screws out, and the weight
of the water and sand from the roof shingles are causing it to
sag. I had to clean up the mess it made.
I also got out my backpack sprayer and got it ready to begin
spraying for weeds in our yard and flower beds. The biggest
problem I have with it is a leak. I did get it repaired finally,
and read all the directions on the weed killer bottle in order
to keep from poisoning myself.
Kay and I had a quiet dinner at home, and later took a look
around the east Limestone area to see what building and
development is taking place.
We went by Nobles and Barnes book store for a visit. It is
amazing to me how many folks you see in this store on Saturday
night. There is a Starbuck’s located inside the store, and many
people spend the evening reading the books and drinking coffee.
It is not a bad way for old folks like me to spend the evening.
Sunday morning we went to Sunday school and Church. The
attendance was good and Brother Jenkins had another great sermon
leading up to the cross.
I went to Whitt's and got a barbecue lunch for all our family
today. Daniel and his family came over after Church, and we had
an enjoyable visit. After lunch the girls all went somewhere
shopping, and then to Whitney’s house to plan Asa’s birthday
party this evening.
Daniel, Allen, and I went to Lowe's and Tractor Supply this
afternoon to get pesticides, insecticides. and some garden
supplies.
We went to Whitney's house tonight for Asa's birthday. He turned
ten years of age on March 12, but we had to wait until the
weekend to have his party because of everyone’s work schedule.
Our kids and grandkids were present, and Joan and her family
came by with gifts. Mark and Phyllis Whitt and Joy and Holly
came for the party. One of our kid’s old friends, Shane Smith,
stopped by to see us, and Charles’ friend, Kelly Pennington came
with him. We had good cake and ice cream, and our family
rendition of Happy Birthday sounded very good. Asa got lots of
gifts, but was carried away by his favorite gift, a video game
that is a band with guitars and drums. He and his cousin, Luke,
had a lot of fun with this game.
Jillian and Luke, Daniel’s kids, are spending the night with him
tonight, but will have to go back home tomorrow to get ready to
go to Fairhope with their Mom and Grand mom to visit with
family.
Monday morning I went to Dr. Hennigan’s office in Decatur for
lab work. It did not take very long because all they did was
draw some blood. I have to go back next Monday for a follow-up
visit with him. I saw Mushie Nichols daughter working at his
office this morning. She is a diabetic educator. Mushie was a
former Mayor of Athens and a friend of mine.
Kay and I carried the kids to Dub’s for lunch today. They all
like Dub’s burgers, and did a good job putting away a pile of
them and sticking me with the bill.
I met with two employees today to discuss problems that we have
in a department that needs immediate attention.
Kay and I had a late dinner tonight and an evening of watching
TV and reading.
I have been reading western fiction for past few days. I get on
that kick quite often, and read several books before my western
cowboy and Indian appetite is satisfied. One book I read is a
glamorized biography of Doc Holliday. I have always enjoyed this
character, especially as he has been portrayed in the movies,
“Tombstone, and Wyatt Earp”.
Tuesday morning I attended the Chamber of Commerce Monthly
Coffee at the Utility Building. It was hosted today by Butch
Menefee from WKAC Radio. Mary Nell Clem, our President, did a
great job conducting the meeting. We had several new Chamber
members present today.
The big news in our community today is the announcement made by
the City of Decatur concerning the new development at I-65 and
Highway 20 in Limestone County. They are planning a development
which will include Bass Pro Shop, a hotel, a convention center,
and other shops. The initial phase of the development will
necessitate Decatur selling $14 million in bonds to purchase 570
acres of property, and installing the infrastructure. The next
phase will have Decatur setting up a tax district, selling $32
million in bonds to pay for building the shopping center. The
Decatur City sales tax will be used to pay off the bonds over a
period of 30 years. There are other factors involved in this
deal that will be made public at a later date.
Kay and I ate lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s today. We saw Sharon Seay,
our HR Director, and her employee, Janet Parris. Janet began
work with us recently, but she hit the ground running. She has
experience and knowledge of human resource policies and
procedures, and does not have to be led and trained in this
area. District Two Councilman Harold Wales and his wife Carol
were there also. We always enjoy the salad bar at this place.
David Seibert and I went to Montgomery this afternoon, and will
attend the Committee meeting tomorrow morning to see what the
vote will be regarding the new hospital which will be located in
Madison. We are supporting Huntsville Hospital in the fight
because they are a not-for-profit hospital, and Madison wants
Crestview, a for-profit hospital for the property tax it will
generate for them. Our hospital also is now aligned with
Huntsville Hospital in many ways, and we feel this will be best
for those who support Athens/Limestone Hospital.
We ate dinner at La Jolly’s which is located in the new shopping
center on the east side of Montgomery. I always enjoy this
restaurant. They have some wonderful fish dishes.
We discussed the recent announcement by Bud Cramer to retire at
the end of this term from Congress. This is going to cause a
rush from many corners by folks who want to be elected to
Congress. Those whose names have already been mentioned are Tom
Butler, our current State Senator, Dale Strong, Madison County
Commissioner, Stan McDonald, son-in-law of Auburn Coach Pat Dye,
and son of Albert McDonald who served as a State Senator from
Limestone County, Dr. Parker Griffith, State Senator from
Madison County and retired physician, and Steve Raby, former
Chief of Staff for Senator Howell Heflin.
The primary for this election will be in June of this year. That
is just about 70 days from now. Someone will have to begin
raising the $3 million dollars they say it will take to run this
district. The June election will just determine the Democratic
and Republican candidates for the General election in November
of this year. If Tom Butler or Parker Griffith runs and one
happens to be elected, then a special election would have to be
called to replace the vacant State Senator position. This
announcement by Bud means a tremendous amount of change in our
local politics during the next two years. Bud has been good for
our city and county in getting monies for us for many projects
and it will be difficult for a new person to go to Congress and
take up the slack immediately.
Wednesday morning the rain was coming down on a dreary day in
Montgomery. Seibert and I ate breakfast at the hotel, before
going downtown to the auditorium located in the State Capitol
Building. There were several people milling around when we
arrived, and everyone was looking to sit with folks who were
aligned with their side in this matter. Mike Cole who represents
our local hospital, Jim Moffett, Chairman of the Board of
Athens/Limestone Hospital, Cary Payne, Athens/Limestone Hospital
Administrator, and Cary's daughter, an attorney from Birmingham,
were all supporting the application of Huntsville Hospital to
build a not-for-profit hospital in Madison.
The meeting was soon called to order and a couple of items were
handled. The item of interest for us came up and the Chairman
recused himself. He appointed a Probate Judge, who is a new
member of the Committee, to preside as Chairman. The Committee
decided to give each side forty minutes to present their case.
Crestwood Hospital's attorney spoke first and allowed her
associate to speak. Huntsville's attorney spoke and had an
associate to speak. Mike Cole had ten minutes to speak for
Athens/Limestone, and he did an excellent job in supporting us.
After all was said and done, the Chairman called for a motion.
The motion was made to approve Huntsville Hospital's application
and to deny Crestwood Hospital's application. The vote was 5-3
to approve the motion. Huntsville Hospital won the right to
build a hospital in Madison. This is what we were hoping would
happen.
I think the supporters from Madison who wanted Crestwood were
very surprised at the outcome of the vote. I think they really
thought they had it wrapped up the way they wanted it. They do
now have 45 days to decide if they want to appeal the decision
in court. If they do it will probably be another two years
before it would be settled, and then they may not win. Madison
has been saying they need a hospital now, so I think they should
accept the decision of the Certificate of Needs Committee and
get on with building a hospital.
Our Athens delegation went to Nancy Patterson Restaurant for a
light lunch and talked about the meeting. Seibert and I left and
went to the State Surplus Complex to pick up a street light that
our Public Works Director, James Rich, had asked me to bring
home to see if this type light could be used in our new Jimmy
Gill park.
We then stopped in Prattville to take a walk through the new
Bass Pro Shop. This is the most difficult place of business to
get into that I have ever seen. The route into the parking lot
is very confusing. The store itself is a beautiful building,
very big, and they were doing a lot of business.
We spent some time looking around the store then drove to
Birmingham. We stopped for supper at the Fish Marked downtown.
We arrived home around seven o'clock.
Thursday morning Probate Judge Mike Davis and I went to
Crestwood Hospital to see J.D. Clanton. He had fallen earlier in
the week and it was eventually determined that his hip was
broken. He is in very bad health due to Parkinson Disease. When
they did a scan to determine the extent of his hip injury, they
found that he has extensive cancer in his bones and body. We
have not found at this time what the prognosis is, or what will
be done. They still have plans to pin the hip on Friday morning,
but his condition may change everything. J.D. is married to Gail
Clanton, who is the older sister of my wife, Kay. I hope that
all of you will pray for J.D. and his family. They are certainly
going through some trying times.
Kay and I attended the North Alabama Mayor's Association monthly
dinner tonight in Madison. Kay Ivy, Alabama's State Treasurer,
was our speaker, and she is very interesting.
Friday morning I ate breakfast at LuVici’s with our Finance
Director, Evan Thornton. We discussed several items related to
the financial business of our city.
Kay and I later went to Huntsville to be with J.D. Clanton’s
family during his surgery. Our son, Daniel, Carolyn McCain, and
Howard Jaggers also came by to be with us. Howard was the
Biology teacher when I was in high school. He and J.D. became
friends, and remained steadfast friends to this time. They would
consider each other to be their best friend. Howard is a great
man and many will remember him a great teacher and motivator of
young people. It was good to see him today.
The surgery was to repair the broken hip. I think it was
successful, but we have not heard how the recently found cancer
will affect the healing, or how it will affect his over-all
condition. The family will speak with the doctors attending him
later today, and we will hear from them later.
I stopped in Madison and spoke with some folks about the local
politics there at this time.
Kay went to Casa Blanca for lunch today with the ladies from our
Sunday school class. They meet for lunch on a regular basis, and
they have a good time discussing their husbands while they enjoy
their meals.
I wonder what everyone is thinking about the big item in the
news for the past week. I think everyone has seen the videos of
the fiery sermons by Obama’s Pastor. Most of the folks I have
spoken with are very upset by what he has said about America,
and do not accept the attempts by others to downplay his message
from one of hate. I definitely think it has hurt the campaign of
Obama, and it will take a great deal to get the average American
to feel good about him from now through the election process.
The City Council will meet Monday night at the Police Station
Auditorium. The work session will begin at 4:00. Kathy McHugh
will be at the work session to discuss projects for our area. A
representative from Calhoun College will speak, and Habitat for
Humanity will also address the Council. The following items of
business will be discussed at the regular meeting which begins
at 5:00:
1. Rezoning of Creekside Village for John Furline.
2. Approving the Master Plan for Creekside Village
3. Set a Public Hearing for the rezoning of property located on
the northwest corner of Hines Street and Brown’s Ferry Street
for Billy Robinson and Eric Bailey.
4. Set a Public Hearing for the amendment to the Zoning
Ordinance regarding bill board signs.
5. Set a Public Hearing for the rezoning of property located on
the west side of Highway 31, north of Roy Long Road for
Swanner’s at Tanner, Inc.
6. Resolution to grant a tax abatement for ROW Manufacturing,
Inc.
7. Resolution to approve cash advances for the Electric
Department.
8. Resolution to approve travel expenses for the Electric
Department.
9. Resolution to approve the sale of alcohol for Lagan’s
Roadhouse, Inc.
10. Resolution to rescind Resolution 2008-1044 regarding
Eastside Junction, L.L.C. Memorandum of Understanding.
11. Ordinance to approve the confinement of dogs.
12. Ordinance to approve restricting swine and fowl within the
city limits.
13. Resolution to approve the household collection of hazardous
waste.
14Resolution to support Nucor Steel Decatur L.L.C. for its
service to Alabama communities.
15. Ordinance to amend Section 18-307 of the City Code, relating
to other business license requirements.
16. Resolution to approve the proposed TVA rate increases.
17. Ordinance to approve moving the District 4 voting site from
the Hobbs Street Church of Christ, to Friendship Methodist
Church.
I am including the latest schedule from our Chamber of Commerce
related to events taking place in our community:
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.
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
29-Mar at 10:00 AM – Athens-Limestone County Learn-to-Read
Council 13th Annual Corporate Spelling Bee at Athens High School
cafeteria. Free admission and refreshments for spectators,
256-230-3050
29th March 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. Drawing will be March 29th 2008 11:00AM. Click here
to see plaque
www.athensplus.com/benefitraffle.htm
Looking ahead into April here are some outside activities that
you may want to mark on your calendar:
April 12 – Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives Benefit Poker
Run. 256-771-7578
April 12 – Triad Trail Ride, 256-732-4211
April 18-19 – 17th Annual Dogwood Festival on the Square,
256-233-8728
April 19 – 2nd Annual Tour de Pig! Bicycle Ride, 256-233-2224
April 19 & 20 – Ardmore Renaissance Faire, 256-423-7588
April 26 – Athens on the Square Car Show & Poker Run,
256-603-1227
April 26 – Southern Crossroads Best Buckin BBQ Cookoff,
256-232-4008
I think this is enough for the letter this week. Take care and I
will see you next time. mayordan
