NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT in accordance with Code of Alabama§ 23-4-20, on the 1st day of November, 2022, at 6:00 o'clock p.m. in Council Chambers at Andalusia City Hall, 505 East Three Notch Street, Andalusia, AL 36420, the City Council of the City of Andalusia, Alabama will hold a public hearing on a petition by Christ the King Parish to vacate Brown Street in the City of Andalusia. The street proposed to be vacated is described as Brown Street, lying between Through Street and Allison Street and bordered on the North by Lots 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 in Block B, and bordered on the South by Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in Block D, and Lot 8 in Block C, all in the Fairgrounds Subdivision, in the City of Andalusia, Alabama, as shown by Plat Book 2, Page 15 in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Covington County, Alabama.
THE CITY OF ANDALUSIA
M. Thompson, City Clerk-Treasurer
The City of Andalusia’s Adult Activity Center and Senior Nutrition staff members are seeking sponsors for their annual Praying Hands program.
The staff organizes the gift drive for senior citizens each fall, making sure that no seniors are forgotten at Christmas.
Adult Activity Center director Sonja Godwin said she and other staff members have asked clients who might be in need to complete questionnaires about their Christmas wishes.
“Typically, we ask people to come by and pick up an information sheet on a senior from our Praying Hands tree,” Godwin said. “This year, we are seeking helpers to make Christmas special for at least 56 individuals, all of whom are 60 years or older and many of whom are homebound.”
The AAC staff is asking adopters to participate in one of two ways.
“You can call our office at 222-6891 to choose your praying hands revealing a senior’s wishes,” Godwin said. “We ask that you spend no less than $40 per person.”
Alternately, she said, individuals can make a financial contribution and the AAC staff will shop for the senior adults. Gifts should be dropped at the Adult Activity Center no later than Friday, November 18.
For additional information, call Godwin at 222-6891 or email her at .
McDermott Air, LLC and Isolair, Inc. are pleased to announce the location of their business operations to the South Alabama Regional Airport in Covington County, Alabama, USA.
McDermott Aviation Pty. Ltd. was established back in 1982, beginning operations as an Aerial Application specialist company. Since then, they have grown into Australia’s largest privately-owned helicopter company – while still operating out of their original premises on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
They have evolved over 35 years from providing purely Aerial Application operations, to operating Australia’s largest fleet of privately-owned helicopters, and are currently the industry leaders in Lifting/Aerial Crane Operations, Mosquito and Fire Ant control application, Search and Rescue Operations, Aerial Application, VIP Charter and Freight, and of course Aerial Fire Fighting – currently holding one of the greatest number of NAFC Aerial Fire Fighting contracts in Australia, and pride themselves on their level of Fire Fighting ability, performance and customer service. (https://www.mcdermottaviation.com)
McDermott Aviation saw an opportunity to further expand their business and has just completed the acquisition of 12 Bell 214 ST helicopters. They needed a North American operation center and have landed at the South Alabama Regional Airport in Covington County, Alabama, USA.
John McDermott, president, said, “We had a local contact tell us about the South Alabama Regional Airport and the reception we received was amazing! Working with Jed Blackwell, Airport Executive Director, Rick Clifton with the Covington County Economic Development Commission, and local officials made our difficult acquisition and site location decision a lot easier. We are happy to be a part of the Covington County community.”
Joining McDermott Air is Isolair, Inc. Founded in the early 1980′s, Isolair was created to satisfy customers’ needs for helicopter equipment superior to those that were found on the market. In 1998, current owner Michael Powell purchased the company, and Isolair has continued to see consistent growth. Michael and his wife, Terry, have guided Isolair to sales that are in the millions of dollars yearly. With the increasing reliance upon helicopters throughout the world, Isolair is well-positioned to propel the helicopter application industry throughout the next decade, and beyond, with one goal in mind: design and manufacture equipment to fulfill the customer’s needs.
Isolair has been manufacturing quality helicopter systems for the firefighting, agricultural, and forest industry for the past 40 years. Their products include agricultural spray systems, to seeders, torches, buckets, forestry grapples and fire-fighting equipment. For more about them, visit http://www.isolairinc.com/index.php
Isolair, Inc. and McDermott Aviation have been business partners for years and the fit is natural.
“We saw the opportunity to grow our business by relocating to Covington County. We have found that Alabama is truly business friendly and that is exactly what we need as we make this big transition,” said Michael Powell, President of Isolair. “My wife, Terry, and I are looking forward to making Covington County home.”
The project was negotiated and approved by the Covington County Economic Development Commission, the South Alabama Regional Airport Board, the Covington County Commission and the cities of Opp and Andalusia.
Jed Blackwell, executive director of the South Alabama Regional Airport, was excited about their new partners.
“McDermott Aviation and Isolair locating at our MRO hangar is a big boost for our airport and our community. The jobs they offer will create opportunities for workers throughout our region. Thanks, John and Michael for making South Alabama your headquarters!”
The companies will employ around 30 people and are looking for qualified A&P certified applicants to maintain and grow their Bell fleet and manufacturing facility. For employment opportunities, please forward your resume and application to Isolair Inc.:
The Andalusia City Council last week approved plans and expenses for the 2022 Christmas in Candyland that include the addition of a second train for Santa and friends, a cocoa ball pit, and more snow than ever.
Chamber Executive Director Laura Wells pitched the plans to the council in two separate meetings, and said the Chamber plans to repurposed the original train engine purchased for Candyland. That engine proved not strong enough to pull all of the cars added to the train ride, and was replaced with a stronger train engine. The Chamber is adding a “Santa’s sleigh” car to the original train engine, which will be used to parade Santa, Elsa, and other characters into Candyland.
This year, the Chamber will work with Meredith’s Miracles, which will provide characters to perform shows each weekend, Wells said.
The plan also includes a new Cocoa Ball Pit, an attraction for younger children. The large cup of “cocoa,” which is about 2 feet tall, will be filled with balls reminiscent of ball playgrounds at fast food restaurants, and will look like a huge cup of cocoa. The cup handle will be a slide.
The Chamber also plans to replace the tubes of the Polar Bear Slide, add snow to the slide and to the skating rink, and add digital signage.
The council approved a budget of $101,894, much of which will be offset by the sales of sponsorships.
This year marks the 9th year of Christmas in Candyland, which drew more than 70,000 visits in 2021, as well as state and national media attention. Since its inception, retail sales have increased 29 percent in Andalusia in the month of December.
Christmas in Candyland opens on Friday, December 2, and will be open each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Sunday, Dec. 18. In the week leading up to Christmas, the venues will be open from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 19, 20 and 21. The final day of Candyland will be on Thursday, Dec. 22, when the venues will be open from 1 until 9 p.m., with fireworks planned for 9 p.m.
For complete schedule details, visit www.christmasincandyland.com.