The Andalusia and Opp Fire Departments partnered up to travel Marianna, Fla., to help their fellow fire departments after Hurricane Michael.
“We helped with everyday operations,” Opp Fire Chief Cory Spurlin said. “We helped routine fire calls, daily operations and medical calls.”
Spurlin said that the devastation in Marianna is still affecting the community.
“It is still terrible there,” Spurlin said. “It is still a mess. The power is going to be out for a while, stores aren’t open, the pictures don’t do it justice and this wasn’t even one of the towns that was hit the hardest.”
The group went down to Florida because the fire chief in Marianna called Spurlin to ask him for assistance.
“Chief Lovett called me and asked if we could go down there and help with routine fire calls,” Spurlin said. “So I called Russell McGlamory, the Andalusia fire chief, and with the mayor’s permission we sent a group of our guys down there.”
Along with the routine fire calls, the group helped with clearing the roads in Marianna.
“On Monday we helped clear roads,” Spurlin said. “There are still lots of roads that aren’t cleared yet. A search and rescue team from South Florida came as well to go to each house and knock on doors to make sure they aren’t missing anyone.”
Spurlin said that they had to respond to a couple of construction fires while there.
“A lot of people down there have improperly wired generators,” Spurlin said. “So that is what is causing a lot of the fires that we responded to.”
Despite the tragedy, Spurlin said that going to Marianna was rewarding.
“You really find out who the good people are during a tragedy,” Spurlin said. “Being able to help our neighbors during something so traumatic is very rewarding. The people were very appreciative of our being there and that meant a lot to us.”
Andalusia Fire Chief Russell McGlamory said that he was more than happy to send some of his firefighters down to Marianna.
“I was working here when Opal hit, and there were so many volunteers that came here to work,” McGlamory said. “So when they asked me if I would send my guys there were several guys willing to go.”
McGlamory himself did not go, but he said according to the group that went, the devastation is still horrible.
“According to my guys, it is a lot worse than what we are hearing about,” McGlamory said.
McGlamory said that if the Marianna Fire Department called again, he would gladly send more people.
“We had so many guys willing to suit up and go,” McGlamory said. “So if they call again, we most likely would send people.”
Polar bear maze, 4 cottages added to venue
Candyland 2018 will feature four new playhouses, an Artic Trek maze and an exciting new app that will be introduced in November.
“We are excited about the new playhouses,” Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chrissie Duffy said. “Wiregrass Federal Credit Union, Andalusia Animal Clinic, Andalusia Marine, and Samurai Japanese Steak House are all doing houses this year.”
Each business will design theme relevant to their businesses. For instance, Samurai is building a Japanese tea house with a hibachi in the center.
The other exciting new addition, the maze, will challenge participants to unite a lost baby polar bear with its mama.
Details of the app will not be released until it is available for a free download in November, Duffy said, adding that it was developed just for Andalusia, and adds to the magic of Candyland.
But all of that Candyland magic comes with a price tag, and Duffy and Assistant Chamber Director Maggie Jones are busy putting together sponsorships that fund all of the “extras” that make Candyland so special.
“This is a joint project of the Chamber and the City of Andalusia,” Duffy said. “The city funds a large part of this, but our sponsorships allow us to add extra things.”
Sponsorship levels are available from $150 for a snowflake sign; $150 for a tree on the holiday trail; $350 to sponsor the holiday concert stage; $500 for a street pole banner; $500 for cocoa and characters; or $1,000 to sponsor the new app.
Candyland will be open from Dec. 1-31. Hours are by appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; from 9 a.m. until noon on Wednesdays; from 5 until 9 p.m. on Fridays; 1 until 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 until 5 p.m. on Sundays.
For additional information, contact Duffy at 334.222.2030.
Andalusia was among the recipients of $2.7 million in grants announced yesterday to expand or build trails or trail amenities at 10 sites in Alabama to enhance recreation outlets.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the grants Thursday.
The City of Andalusia was awarded $400,000 to acquire a 16-mile-long abandoned railroad line for conversion into the multi-purpose Wiregrass Trail Corridor connecting four Covington County municipalities.
Both Andalusia and Opp have been working for several years in hopes of collaborating with Forever Wild to to convert old railroad beds to multi-use trails. There are 43.8 miles of rail corridor between Andalusia and Geneva that could be used for this purpose.
“Alabama is a land of bountiful natural beauty, and our state and local trails are a means to experience and enjoy that outdoor splendor,” Governor Ivey said. “I am pleased to award these grants, and I encourage everyone to enjoy these and any of the many other trails in our state.”
The grants were awarded from funds made available to the state from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the program in Alabama.
Others receiving grants included:
- Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – $109,600 to construct new footbridges and other improvements at the Walls of Jericho tract in Jackson County.
- Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – $34,400 to purchase trail construction and maintenance equipment to be used on state lands properties.
- City of Scottsboro– $418,497 to expand the Goose Pond Colony boat ramp to eight lanes, including making it accessible to people with limited mobility and expanding a boardwalk to increase public fishing availability.
- Town of Section– $156,257 to provide parking and restrooms at the 13.5-acre Weatherington Park that is situated on a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River in Jackson County.
- City of Guntersville– $320,000 to extend the Guntersville Trail enabling people to walk, run or bike from downtown Guntersville to along the Tennessee River waterfront.
- Cullman County Commission – $291,294 to construct a bathhouse/restroom facility at Stony Lonesome OHV Park.
- City of Valley – $277,200 to repair and resurface the 6.9-mile-long, multi-purpose Chattahoochee Valley Railroad Trail and install amenities like fencing and benches.
- Alabama Historical Commission (Old Cahawba Archaeological Park) – $400,000 to build a multi-use concrete trail at Old Cahawba in Dallas County, connecting many of the park’s main features; building an equestrian trail and constructing additional bathrooms.
- City of Luverne– $90,772 to resurface an existing asphalt walking trail at E.L. Turner Park as part of an overall renovation of the facility.
- City of Daphne– $210,205 to construct a wooden boardwalk connecting several trails at Village Point Park.
ADECA manages a wide range of grants and programs that support law enforcement, economic development, workforce development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
Shreve Road units planned for ‘working families’
The construction of a new apartment complex with 56 apartment units is slated for early 2019.
Local developer Robert Bishop confirmed he is working with Invictus Development, LLC, which plans to build the apartments on land Bishop currently owns behind Ireland Trailer on Shreve Road.
According to a press release on its website, the company has been awarded 9 percent tax credits for Appaloosa Run Apartments. The 56-unit family development will have 36 two-bedroom units and 24 three-bedroom units. All units have two bathrooms. The complex will also have a clubhouse and fitness center. A leasing office will be located on-site.
Invictus Development, LLC is based in Tampa. This is the company’s second development in Alabama. The first, The Lodges on Lincoln, is under construction in Selma.
The local project has received a conditional financing commitment from the Alabama Housing Finance Authority. Officials from the Alabama Affordable Housing Authority, who were in Andalusia on Wednesday to talk about the project and similar once across the state, will be a designed for working families like police officers and teachers.
Construction on Appaloosa Run is scheduled to start the first quarter of 2019 with completion in approximately 12 months.
The City of Andalusia is getting out of the business of hiring temporary employees after the council adopted a resolution Tuesday authorizing a contract with Three Notch Staffing.
“Basically, if we have a position or job we need to accomplish, we’ll talk to the temp agency and say what we’re willing to pay for that job. They do all of the paperwork, drug testing, etc., “ City Clerk John Thompson said.
Thompson said changes to federal requirements no longer allow entities like the city to hire a temporary employee for the time needed, and issue a1099 at the end of the year. Instead, he said, those employees must be held to the same hiring standards – like drug testing – as any other employee, and must receive a W-2 at year’s end.
“They’ve agreed to review this with us every 90 days to ensure that it’s working,” Thompson said.
Temporary employees would include those hired for specialty events, like Candyland, or for youth sports, or other short-term jobs.