Sen. Arthur Orr, Mayor Dwight Tankersley, Governor Bob Riley and Superintendent Mike Reed get help from young students in breaking ground for the new high school.

Governor joins in groundbreaking for new high school

Gov. Bob Riley heaped praises on school leaders and public officials and they returned the favor on Tuesday morning as more than 200 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony marking the beginning of construction on a new $40 million Hartselle High School.
The ceremony was conducted under a tent and on freshly turned soil at 1000 Bethel Road. Featured were comments from Gov. Riley, Sen. Arthur Orr, HHS Principal Jeff Hyche, Mayor Dwight Tankersley and Bill Wallace of Goodwyn Mills and Cawood.  Speaking as future graduates of the new school were sophomore Haley Paterson and sixth grader Julia Matthews.
“It doesn’t get a lot better than this,” Governor Riley said. “Do you realize how lucky you are? There are only a few places in the world where you could be doing what you’re doing today. This is Americana at its best.
“To those who said they ‘re going to make an investment in the education of their children, I thank you. Believe this: Our future—all that Alabama wants to be—is dependent on our ability to give our children a first class education. Today, they have to compete with kids in Taiwan, China and other parts of the world.”
“This is going to be one of the nicest high schools in Alabama,”  he said. “It doesn’t get a lot better than that. Appreciate it. It’s going to change lives for the better.”
“Even though I won’t be governor , I’d like to come back and see it when it is completed,” he added.
“My role in this was advocate in chief,” Orr said. “It was Governor Riley  who  made the decision to allocate  Hartselle a $22 million  loan  from the state’s stimulus funds. I hope you realize the impact he has had on the city over the past few years. It is an honor for me to be your advocate in Montgomery.

Governor Bob Riley congratulates Hartselle High School Principal Jeff Hyche.

“Hartselle has faced some difficulty of late, such as the closing of one of its largest manufacturing plants but this is a great investment and it will spark commercial growth and bring in new jobs.  The funding of the new school is also a credit to the planning and cooperation between the council and school leaders, which led to the decision to impose a new, one-cent sales tax for the project.”
Dr. Reed expressed thanks to Governor Riley and Senator Orr for helping Hartselle receive a stimulus loan and the mayor and council for passing a sales tax to help finance  the new school.  He also expressed appreciation to the school board, parents and students for their support.”