Speaking from the podium at Duke Smith’s funeral Saturday in the standing-room-only Kiwanis Center, Mayor Earl Johnson announced that the city council had agreed to name the picnic pavilion planned adjacent to the new Miracle League field for the 16-year city employee.

The city council unanimously agreed to make that official Tuesday night.

Smith, 53, died suddenly of a heart attack on Dec. 30.

His family requested that memorial contributions be made to the county’s new Miracle League, which makes it possible for physically challenged students to play baseball.

Checks should be made to Andalusia Rotary Club Foundation/Project Miracle and mailed to Miracle League of Covington County, P.O. Box 1971, Andalusia, AL 36420.

Smith, 53, who passed away suddenly Sunday from a heart attack, worked for more than 16 years for the City of Andalusia’s department of leisure services. Hired by Dwight Mikel, the former director of leisure services in 1996, Smith served as the adult sports coordinator and the manager of the city’s sports complex. He would rise to become the assistant superintendent of parks and recreation.

It was a position he was well suited for, and one that he will be remembered the most for, Mikel said, as he described Smith’s “unbelievable” people skills.

“Any organization is made up of assets,” Mike said. “They can be physical or financial, but successful organizations are made up of personal assets. That was just one of Duke‘s strengths. He had all of the tools that he needed to successfully do his job — the knowledge and his skills. Probably the thing that carried him to the level and beyond was his people skills.”

Remembered most for his ever-present smile and jovial manner, Smith is also remembered for being fair, Mikel said.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that he was such a people person, even when he did have to so-to-speak, ‘drop the hammer,’” he said. “People knew he was dropping the hammer even-handedly for everybody, regardless of what the situation was. I don’t know if anybody got or stayed mad at him for any type of action.

“I think he will be remembered as a real fair person and a person who was really ready to help anybody and everybody,” he said.

Smith grew up in Andalusia and played sports as a youth and as an adult in the softball league. In fact, he even had a stint in a semi-pro baseball league.

Some 20 years ago, Smith coached the 14-to-15-year-old Babe Ruth League Dodgers baseball team – bringing them up from the minor league to Babe Ruth, and they later finished second.

The experience left an impression on former Dodger player and good friend Hunter Hobson, who said Smith was an inspiration not only to him, but also to so many others.

“He used to play baseball himself,” Hobson said. “He was a leader and someone I looked up to, and also a good friend. I was very devastated to hear the news.”

Nico Johnson, who now plays linebacker for the University of Alabama, also credits Smith for impacting his life. Johnson, who is Smith’s nephew, said on Facebook that Smith gave him his first job and always gave him a kind word when he was down.

Others shared their thoughts on the popular social networking site, giving their regards and wishing Smith a peaceful rest.

“This morning (Sunday) the Lord called home my wonderful cousin, Mr. Duke! He was an amazing cousin to me and always had something positive to say. I can see him now in Heaven making sure everything is right in God’s ballpark! I will miss you, but I will see you again one day, and it won’t be long. I love you, Mr. Duke… RIP,” Darious Davis wrote.

Mikel said a lot of the help Smith gave was never seen.

“There are a lot of things that went on that people don’t know about Duke,” he said. “He did a lot of things behind-the-scenes, whether it was through organizations or whether it was personal. He was one-of-a-kind.”

Smith was also the brain behind coordinating the annual Halloween on the Square, a favorite among area children.

“Halloween on the Square was his baby,” Mikel said.

Many agreed Smith’s attention to detail was second-to-none.

The City of Andalusia has played host to two World Series since Smith was hired, and he was helping to organize a third, which is set for this summer.

Also, Mikel said during his career, Smith was tasked with organizing scores of other ball tournaments and special events.

“He really had people’s best interests at heart,” Mikel said.

Barbara Tyler, the city’s grants coordinator who worked with Smith for 12 years, said he is simply “irreplaceable.”

“He was just a good person,” Tyler said. “Everybody liked him. He could get along with anybody. I think he just enjoyed people.”

Tyler said people will remember Smith most for his demeanor.

“(Smith) was a very generous man,” she said. “I think they’ll remember him from his smile and his laugh. When I think of Duke, that’s what I remember.”

Funeral arrangements are being directed by Marshall Hammonds Funeral Home. Visitation will be at Marshall Hammonds Funeral Home from 4:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Friday.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday at the Kiwanis Community Center at 2 p.m.

Smith was survived by his wife, Shelia; four daughters, Shunkisha Smith, Tiffany Smith, Stacie Smith and Camilla Gantt; a son, Zach Smith; and 10 grandchildren.

Nearly every day, faces fill each of the 20-plus computer terminals at the Andalusia Public Library – proving that more people are using the library than ever before.

But those numbers don’t show how much of an impact a library can have on a community, said Karin Taylor, APL director.

A state mandated year-end report on circulation numbers showed that 34,652 visited the library and checked out 65,532 editions of print materials in 2012. That’s an increase of 2 percent from the 33,979 patrons and 65,420 checked out print editions in 2011.

The biggest jump came in Internet usage, Taylor said. Statistics show that in 2011, 21,793 people signed the computer log sheets. In 2012, that number jumped to 22,043.

“Many people believe that circulation statistics are the most important way to determine how well a library benefits a community,” Taylor said. “This is not true. Numbers don’t tell the story of how one group of illiterate adults come into our library every week to check out children’s books because they desperately want to learn to read. They don’t show how many people come in and apply for jobs or social services through the internet and have had their lives changed.

“Numbers don’t show and can’t predict how our StoryTime may, just may, change one child’s life because it showed that child that learning can be fun,” she said. “So yes, around this time of the year, librarians around the U.S. compile statistics; however, the true test of a library’s importance are not in the figures, but on how the library touches people’s lives…and that can’t be quantified.”

And the services a library provides is constantly evolving, Taylor said. The library will soon offer electronic books and is pursuing two grants – one that would establish a middle school book club and another to digitize the APL’s genealogical and historical information.

“As long as people are reading, it doesn’t matter how they’re reading it,” she said. “And we are constantly changing how we provide the material and the material provide.”

Taylor said an example would be purchasing graphic novels for teens.

A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art, either in an experimental design or in a traditional comics format.

“The library is a place of wonder – it doesn’t matter if you’re reading a book or surfing the web,” she said. “You can always find what you’re looking for here.”

The new year is expected to bring new business, a continued real estate rebound, and new challenges, area leaders said.

Andalusia

Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson said there are a number of prospects on the horizon for 2013 – retail, restaurant and industrial.

“We expect an announcement very soon about one of those,” he said.

Johnson said his hope is that the city will continue down the road of transforming Andalusia into a commercial center for South Central Alabama.

“We think we have sort of turned the corner,” he said. “Some of those businesses wouldn’t look at us before because our numbers and demograhics didn’t fit their criteria. Ordinarily, they would not consider Andalusia as a place to locate. That is changing, as is demonstrated by the the announcement expected early in 2012.”

Like the rest of the world, Andalusia’s leader is watching to see what Congress will do with the so-called fiscal cliff.

“It is affecting us, because business people are unsure of how it will be resolved and what the tax laws will be,” he said. “They are waiting to do anything until they find out.”

Meanwhile, he said the city administration remains committed to improving the infrastructure of South Three Notch Street.

“We have a grant application pending with the Department of Transportation and are waiting to see what they will do,” he said. “We also want to develop an entertainment district in the downtown area, much the way many other cities in Alabama have done.”

Opp

In Opp, Mayor John Bartholomew said there is a lot the city will be looking at in 2013, from infrastructure to community developmentto economic development.

“We are continuing to prioritize and address our streets through the different areas of town,” he said. “We are identifying areas that need maintenance to the drainage systems, and we are developing a plan that ensures a systematic means of keeping the streets clean.”

Bartholomew said as community development projects, the city has its sites set on the next Rattlesnake Rodeo as well as restoring the historic depot downtown and improving recreation facilities.

“We are exploring options to remodel the depot,” he said. “This will act as an anchor to our downtown activities as the year progresses. We are seeking funds and assistance to repair our parks and revitalize the recreation areas throughout our city.”

New growth and existing businesses are also top priority for the city.

“On the economic development front, we continue to address retaining our existing businesses while developing areas for new growth along the bypass,” Bartholomew said. “We intend on developing a master plan for the best means of locating any new company that wishes to invest in our community. We are seeking ways to best utilize and upgrade our current city buildings.”

Florala

In Florala, 2012 “paved the way” for a brighter future, and 2013 is expected to bring more of the same projects, Mayor Robert Williamson said.

City streets were given fresh and updated looks with new asphalt and some new sidewalks. Work began on the runway rehabilitation at the Florala Municipal Airport – one of the key components needed for 2013, Williamson said. He said work will also focus on a comprehensive plan for the city.

“We will continue to pursue tenants for the airport in 2013,” he said. “We are continuing to work with the hospital on attracting more services to our medical community.

“We also have to continue working on infrastructure,” he said. “I would also like to see us create an incubator for businesses using some of the property the city already possesses and begin the process of developing a recreational park. Obviously, funding, or the lack there of, is an inhibitor, but we can initiate the first steps toward such a facility.”

Real estate

Covington Association of Realtors president Donna Raines said the county experienced a rebound in real estate in 2012, and she hopes changes being implemented by local Realtors will help them build on that rebound in 2013.

On Monday, she announced to association members that the group will begin using electronic lockboxes on listings.

“These boxes will be able to tell us who goes into a property, and when they went in,” she said.

The showing agent will automatically receive an email asking for feedback. The system should be installed around March 1.

In addition, association forms are being moved online and integrated into the multiple listing service, or MLS.

Health care

As the healthcare community prepares for the implementation of The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care, Andalusia Regional Hospital CEO Rebecca Brewer said she and other managers are bracing for what could be a challenging year.

“The issue is we really don’t know exactly how the Affordable Care Act is going to impact us,” Brewer said. “They are still going through it, making sure regulations are what it is supposed to do, and just getting it figured out.”

Regardless, she said, hospitals expect to continue to see government reimbursement rates go down. That can be problematic for rural hospitals like ARH, which treat a disproportionate number of Medicare and Medicaid patients. Special funding extended to hospitals like ARH in the past expired in September, and health care officials were hopeful the funding would be reinstated by the end of the year.

“With all that is going on in Washington with the fiscal cliff, it’s not likely that will happen,” she said.

Government-funded programs are really scrutinizing what they get for the dollars they put in health care. Hospitals are the largest pocket, so they will be under a lot of scrutiny this year, she said.

One good thing that will come from the Affordable Care Act is a focus on health care quality, Brewer said.

“In the past, we were paid to provide a service,” she said. “Now, the focus is not on the rising cost, but on the quality.”

The health care industry has a list of “never” events, or things that should never happen. For instance, if a patient enters the hospital with a urinary tract infection, he or she should not develop one while hospitalized. Other examples are bed sores.

“If, in fact, your patient develops a bed sore, etc., they penalize us financially. That, I think, is good. Really challenges us to give something of value,” she said.

Similarly, if a patient leaves the hospital and is readmitted within 20 days, the hospital is penalized.

“This challenges us to work with home health, nursing homes, and other agencies,” she said.

The third biggest thing in health care will be a trend of patients being responsible for a larger part of their health care expenses, she said.

Still, she is optimistic about health care in Andalusia.

“We just have to find a way to get people traveling out of Andalusia for services we can give to stay at home for those,” she said. “We’ve got a hard year ahead of us of telling our stories to get more people on our campus for services.”

Part of that plan is an aggressive recruitment plan to draw younger doctors to the area, she said.

“We need good men and women to come and help us,” she said.