The Andalusia City Council on Tuesday took an important step toward the continued renovation of historic structures in the downtown area when it agreed to work with McNair Historic Preservation, Inc., to expand the city’s commercial historic district. 

The company, led by Stephen McNair, Ph.D., specializes in historic tax credits, historic preservation, and architectural history. City Administrator John Thompson explained that renovation projects within a commercial historic district qualify for significant tax credits at the federal and state level, which makes the projects more attractive to owners. 

Structures determined by the Alabama Historical Commission as eligible for listing in the National Register, or those individually listed in the National Register also qualify for tax credits. 

Thompson said there are a number of projects in the works that will be more attractive for developers if the structures qualify for the tax credits. 

As a result of the council’s vote, McNair Historic Preservation will survey the city’s commercial district to determine which buildings could potentially be added to the registry, and work for approval of the Alabama Historical Commission and the National Park Service to have Andalusia’s historical commercial district redefined. 

At present, there are 10 Covington County sites included in the National Register of Historic Places, according to its website. They include:

• Andalusia Commercial Historic District, roughly bounded by Coffee Street, Seaboard Railroad tracks, and South Three Notch Street, listed in 1989.

• Avant House, 909 Sanford Road, Andalusia, listed in 1996.

• Bank of Andalusia, 28 Court Square, Andalusia, listed in 1989.

• Central of Georgia Depot, 125 Central Street, Andalusia, listed in 1984.

• Covington County Courthouse and Jail, 101 N. Court Square, Andalusia, listed in 1989.

• First National Bank Building, 101 S. Cotton Street, Andalusia, listed 1982.

• Florala Historic District, described as 23216-24310 Fifth Avenue, N Fifth Street; 519-1189 S Fifth Street; 1113-1115 Fourth Street; and 22510-22664 Wall Street, listed in 2010.

• J.W. Shreve Addition Historic District, 115-300 6th Avenue; 302-425 College Street; and 403-505 E. Three Notch Street, Andalusia, listed in 2009.

• Opp Commercial Historic District, roughly bounded by Covington Ave., Hart, Main, Whaley and College Streets, listed in 2001.

• William T. Shepard House, Poley Road, Opp, listed in 1973.

McNair has completed work on similar districts in Foley, Dothan, Atmore, Faunsdale, Fairhope, and Mobile.

The recently-renovated Dixon Heights apartment community has new ownership and new management, and offers residents a benefit not seen in many new properties, its manager said.

Beau Daniel of Foshee Residential Management Group said the Andalusia property was auctioned several years ago, and the company that acquired the property invested several million dollars into interior and exterior renovations.

“The previous owner of the apartment community put the property up for sale in 2020, and it attracted buyers form all over the country,” Daniel said. “The group that ended up buying it is The Alliven Group based out of New Jersey. They saw Andalusia as a strong market, and closed on the property in January of 2021.”

The Alliven Group has worked with Foshee Residential Management Group for several years, and contracted with them for management of Dixon Heights, located on Regal Heights Drive just off Hwy. 29. Foshee is based out of Montgomery and manages about 7,000 apartments statewide, as well as some in Mississippi and Florida.

“We are pleased that The Alliven Group and Foshee Residential see what we see,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “Andalusia is a strong market and is worthy of investment. We are excited about their partnership and the renovation of this apartment community,”

Daniel personally is responsible for Foshee’s portfolio in Mobile, and also has ties to Andalusia through his wife, Andalusia native Brittany Mikel Daniel, and is frequently in the area, he said. 

“It is a good fit for our company and for me,” he said. 

Foshee Residential has managed other communities in Andalusia for about five years, he said. 

Daniel said Dixon Heights offers a living solution for people just moving into the area, and for students. 

“The community has 76 apartments and is a mixture of one and two bedroom units,” he said. “Some are traditional apartments, but a good portion of the units are actually townhomes, with upstairs and downstairs living space.”

“Dixon Heights, serves a good niche for Andalusia,” he said. “When you’ve got industry, and people moving in to work at PowerSouth or Shaw, a lot of people don’t know where want to live. This community really serves that niche. Maybe they can rent a year or two, which allows them to know where want to ultimately purchase.”

The community also is a good option for those coming to LBW Community College, he said. 

“The location is great. The apartments are centrally located, and it’s easy to get anywhere,” he said.

The community has a total of 76 apartments with rents ranging from $499 to $699, depending upon floor plan. There is a local property manager who has been on site for three or four years, as well as a local maintenance tech. 

“Nowadays, with new construction costs, most communities are just buildings and parking lot,” he said. “What you find in a community like Dixon Heights, which is a little bit older, is a lot of green space. We allow pets, and have a lot of people who walk the property with their pets without getting on sidewalk or asphalt.”

Additional information is available at fosheeresidential.com/properties/dixonheights, or by calling 334.222.9656.

The City of Andalusia is currently seeking part-time employees for its summer and after-school programs. 

Leisure Services Director Tommie Agee said he plans to hire a dozen lifeguards to work the city’s two pools in June and July. 

Lifeguard applicants must be 16 or older; must be strong swimmers, and must be able to pass a lifeguard certification class.

“We will get them enrolled and pay for the certification class,” Agee said. 

To apply for work as a lifeguard, call Johnson Park at 222-2714.

In addition, camp mentors are needed for the APPLE summer program, which runs the month of June, as well as for the 2021-22 school year. 

APPLE director Sondra Ramsden said qualified candidates must be 16 or older and have a valid driver’s license. A high school diploma or equivalent is required for lead positions. Employees will be required to work with children of all abilities, and will supervise indoor and outdoor activities.

To apply for an APPLE job, please email a resume to .

All city employees must be able to pass a drug screen and background check.

The Andalusia Police Department is encouraging local residents who have personal property stored in storage units to check those units if they have not recently done so.

The department this week has recovered property taken in five burglaries of storage units that occurred between October and now, Capt. Jamey Wismer said.

In most of the burglaries, he said, the locks were cut, merchandise was taken, and a different lock placed on the unit so that the burglary was not immediately apparent.

“We believe we might have found additional stolen property, but we need reports of stolen property before it can be identified as such,” Wismer said. “Our concern is that people might not be aware of their losses.”

The burglaries were from storage units in different areas of town, he said. Arrests are pending.

Anyone who finds they have had property taken should file a police report and include as many details about the items taken as is possible.

“We were able to solve the first one because of a little red wagon,” Wismer said. “The owner was able to tell us a name that had been written on the wagon in magic marker.”

Wismer expressed his appreciation to Greg Palmer for information he gleaned from his Stolen in Covington County Facebook page.

“Because of information he got, we were able to do an investigation and recover some of the stolen property,” he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Opp Police Department for their assistance.

Anyone with information about these or other burglaries is asked to call the APD at at 334-222-1155, or CrimeStoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867).