Construction workers were hard at work building a press box at one of the fields at Johnson Park on Wednesday. Work on Johnson Park is just one of the many construction projects ongoing within the City of Andalusia. Work is expected to be completed in time for the upcoming baseball and softball season. | Kendra Bolling/Star-News
On Monday, Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson threw out the first official pitch in the ongoing Miracle League project – the funding pitch, that is.
Johnson made the request to the Covington County Commission, asking for a five-year $50,000 commitment to help construct a Miracle League baseball field and inclusive playground at Johnson Park.
Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience America’s favorite pastime. Children play on custom-designed, rubberized turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assertive devices and use a “buddy” system, pairing each player with an able-bodied peers.
Johnson said the city is combining the construction of the field with the ongoing renovation project at Johnson Park to save money; however, funding is needed to complete the project.
“This project is something that should have been addressed a long time ago, but right now, the situation is right,” Johnson said. “The field and the playground go together hand-in-hand, and the cost is somewhere around $300,000.
“What we’re asking for is a five-year commitment with an annual cost of $10,000,” he said. “We’re going to ask Opp, Florala and Red Level for a commitment, as well. The city is going to put some money as well, and provide the maintenance and operation costs.
“The goal is to raise about a third of the cost through public means and the rest through private and business donations,” he said.
“It would mean so much to the young people who don’t have the opportunity to play on the field like their friends or their brother or sister,” he said. “Not to mention their family.”
The project, which is being headed by the city’s former parks and recreation director Dwight Mikel, hopes to provide a playing field for the estimated 500 special needs children in the county.
“This is not a Miracle League for the children of Andalusia,” he said. “It’s for all children in this county and beyond.”
Mikel said he became motivated about the project after the birth of his premature grandchild. He said major health concerns about his overall development prompted him to consider the needs of those with disabilities from an athletic standpoint.
“For years, ever since the Americans with Disabilities came into effect, we’ve been building buildings where the doors and the gates at the parks were wide enough for a wheelchair,” he said. “But we’ve never done anything to entice them to use the facility. That’s not OK.”
He said the field and playground will be located at “the heart” of the Johnson Park complex to promote inclusion.
“We believe this is an opportunity that can’t be passed up,” Mikel said.
And while no formal motion to enter into the contract was presented, commissioners agreed it was a project worth pursuing and directed County Administrator Brenda Petty to “look at the finances and make (it) work,” said Commissioner Bragg Carter.
“Every child deserves a chance,” Carter said. “Every child deserves the opportunity to play ball. If we don’t do that, to see they have that opportunity, then we’re coming up short.”
Despite changes in the way business license fees are collected, no fees have been increased, Mayor Earl Johnson said Tuesday.
The mayor addressed the issue at this week’s city council meeting after hearing complaints about the process.
The council recently agreed to contract with RDS for the collection of business license fees. RDS also collects sales taxes for the city.
City Clerk John Thompson said the change was made because RDS could accommodate online purchases, which the city thought would be of benefit to local businesses, and because changing means approximately $50,000 in annual savings for the city.
“No additional fees are being charged,” Johnson said. “The business license fees are based on a schedule adopted in 1987.”
“Our fees are comparable to other cities through the state,” he said.
He said some business licenses, like those of retail establishments, are based on gross receipts.
“The fee may go up based on an increase in gross receipts, but the percentages (charged) have not changed,” he said.
Because of the change, the city extended the deadline for renewals until the end of February.
The Andalusia City Council Tuesday approved eight paving projects that will total more than $565,000.
The project, slated for this summer, includes:
• Moore Road – from South Three Notch Street to South By-Pass, $112,770.
• Fourth Avenue – from East Three Notch Street to Henderson Street, $79,978.
• Lindsey Bridge Road, from Stanley Avenue to Easley Drive, $226,406.
• Academy Drive, from Railroad to Midway Drive, $32,600.
• Feagin Avenue, from South Cotton Street to Whatley Street, $44,412.
• Holloway Drive, from Dunson Street to Church Street, $8,978.
• Lakeview Drive, from Camellia Avenue to Sanford Road, $46,226
• Aspen Lane, from Willow Drive to Grand Oak Drive, $14,568.
Jim Hogg, who supervises Andalusia’s Public Works Department, said he tried to choose main thoroughfare streets for the project, for which the city has set aside more than $500,000 in proceeds from the refinancing the city’s long-term debt.
The city can get the streets paved with the county’s current bid, so that the project won’t have to be let.
“That’s a really good deal for us,” Hogg said.
Of the projects, only Fourth Avenue will have to be milled, he said. Other projects will only involve resurfacing.
“We’ll have a better project if we wait until the weather gets hotter,” he said. “The ashphalt cures better and lasts longer.”
Mayor Earl Johnson said the Utilities Board will check water and sewer lines on the designated streets and make any necessary repairs before the paving is done. The process involves using a camera to determine weak or leaking spots, and lining the pipes when problems are found.
“Hopefully, next year, we’ll be able to do some smaller paving projects in neighborhoods with our gas tax money,” he said.
Gas taxes are earmarked for road repairs.
Dr. Bob Bush and wife, Beverly, were among those participating in Thursday night’s ballroom dance class held at the Andalusia Adult Activity Center. Participants were learning the foxtrot, a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor.
Kendra BollingStar-News