School, alcohol dominate headlines
Clif Knight
Hartselle Enquirer
A series of developments involving the planning and construction of a new high school campus in Hartselle emerged as the top news story published by the Hartselle Enquirer in 2010.
1. Work on new high school begins
In January, the school board chose Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood of Montgomery as architect for the estimated $40 million project, with two other firms submitting proposals.
In April, city officials and the school board agreed to terms for the funding of the project. The agreement capped the budget for the school at $40 million, including infrastructure costs both on and off the site and furnishings. The school board also agreed to contribute $300,000 per year toward bond debt retirement and a 50-50 split of the costs should an earmarked one-cent sales tax fail to generate enough money to meet an estimated $2.8 million annual bond payment.
In October, the first of two phases of site preparation work was awarded to Baggett Construction of Decatur on a low bid of $1.47 million. Site clearing, grading and dirt moving operations began in November. Subsequently, a ground breaking ceremony was conducted at the 52-acre Bethel Road site with Governor Bob Riley in attend dance.
2. Legal liquor vote fails in municipal option elections
Voters in Hartselle, Falkville and Priceville rejected attempts to legalize the sale of alcoholic beverages in municipal option elections in 2010.
Falkville voters faced the hot button issue in the June primary election with “no” votes surpassing ”yes” votes, 246 to 156. Of the total, 50 votes were cast absentee with only two of those being “yes” votes.
The legal liquor option was considered by Hartselle and Priceville voters as a part of the November general election. In Hartselle, voters rallied behind Families for a Safe Hartselle to pull out a 467-vote win for the “no” forces. On the other side, the Hartselle Citizens for Economic Development waged a fierce battle to bring more jobs and development to the area.
In the record voter turnout, 3,158 voters cast ballots against legalized liquor while 2,691 voted in the affirmative. In Priceville, a count of challenge ballots was needed to determine a winner. “Yes” voters carried the day by one vote after the first count, 476 to 475 votes. In a follow-up tabulation of challenge ballots, the dry forces prevailed by a four-vote margin.
3. GOP sweeps county, state elections
2010 was a rough year for incumbents.
The emergency of the Tea Party and a general dissatisfaction with the actions of a Democrat-controlled Whit e House and Congress led to a sweep of county and state offices in the June Primary Election ad November General Election.
In the June Primary, political newcomer Ed Henry won over Hartselle Mayor Dwight Tankersley for the District 9 State House seat and went on to defeat Democrat Kathy White Goodwin in the general election. Somerville Mayor Ray Long ran second to Amanda Scott for Morgan County Commission Chairman in the primary but then defeated her in a runoff. He went on to win the office in November against Democrat Clay New.
Hartselle voters helped Ana Franklin become Morgan County’s first female sheriff, defeating incumbent Greg Bartlett in the primary and prevailing over Democrat Tom Little in the general election. Republican Randy Vest won the District 2 commission seat over Ray Bowling after getting by incumbent Ken Livingston in the primary and Jeff Clark was reelected as District 1 commissioner over Democrat Darrell Allen
Scott Anderson ousted incumbent District Attorney Bob Burrell in the Republican Primary and had no opposition in the general election and Republican Jeff Chunn prevailed over Brent Gailey in the coroner’s race.
Bill Hopkins was elected Morgan County Schools superintendent in the primary over incumbent Bob Belch. Paul Holmes was elected to the District 4 County school board
Seat over Democrat Stacy George in the general election Jeff McLemore was elected to the school board’s District 7 seat in the primary over three other candidates.
4. Voters choose elected school board
In a special election on Nov. 2, Hartselle voters chose by a three-to-one margin to change from an appointed to an elected school board. The count was 4,583 votes for change and 1,219 against. A petition with more than 800 signatures put the change in motion early in the year and the election was authorized by a local bill enacted in the 2010 session of the State Legislature. The new board will be elected in the next municipal election in August 2012.
5. Emerson cuts workforce by 320 jobs
A struggling national economy struck home in February as Emerson Climate Technologies, formerly Copeland Corporation, announced the layoff of 320 employees, leaving only 40 workers. The cutback signed the end to what once was the city’s large4st employer. The Copeland plant opened in 1977 and at one time provided jobs for 1,100 workers.
Company officials said a sharp drop in the demand for its product—reciprocating compressors for heat pumps—forced the decision to downsize. The company’s downfalll was attributed to a general economic decline, a stagnant new home construction market and a government-mandated phase-out of R22 refrigerant. The company eliminated 80 full-time and 100 temporary jobs in 2009.
6. Cracker Barrel to locate in Hartselle
Cracker Barrel, a popular restaurant chain with 494 stores in 41 states, negotiated a deal with city officials in May to build a new restaurant on Hwy. 36 and I-65. As a part of the deal, Cracker Barrel purchased three acres of land from the city at a cost of $257,9878 and the city agreed to provide infrastructure to the building, including an access road and improvements to Lando- Cain Road. The restaurant plans to open in February 2010 with a staff of 180 employees.
7. SNAP Splash Pad opens
The grand opening of the splash pad in Hartselle’s John Mark Stallings Special Needs Assessment Playground (SNAP) was held in July with an estimated crowd of 150 people in attendance. The event marked the completion of the project’s second of three construction phases. The facility was opened to all kids from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the summer months,
“This is a defining moment for the enrichment of the lives of special needs children in the entire area,” said Bob Francis, project director. “I thank all of you for being a part of this… for three and one-half years of compassion and love.”
“This project shows the goodness of the hearts of Morgan Countians,” said State Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. “Those who have supported it have done so without thought of personal gain.”
8. New Hammitt Street railroad bridge completed
The long awaited and much talked about need for a new bridge spanning CSX Railroad at Hammitt and Georgia Streets was met in January. The opening of the two-lane bridge followed a ribbon cutting ceremony, which was attended by local and state dignitaries. The new bridge replaces an old wooden bridge, which was constructed by L&N Railroad in the early 1900s. A connecting road from Longhorn Pass to Georgia Street was included in the project. The project was a part of the city’s comprehensive plan as early as 1992 and was approved by ALDOT as a state-funded project in 2002, at an estimate cost of $1.5 million. It was later updated when the cost estimate reached $2 million.
9. I-65 sinkhole detours traffic for 10 days
A sinkhole on I-65, two miles north of Hartselle exit 328, forced the Alabama Department of Transportation to detour traffic to Highway 31 through Hartselle for 10 days in March. The sinkhole was detected on the shoulder of northbound lanes on March 12 and all northbound traffic was rerouted beginning March 18 after Reed Contracting Co. was hired to make repairs. Both northbound lanes were blocked while equipment operators worked 24-hours a day for three days before they reached the bottom of the 55-foot deep crevice.
Traffic was restored March 28.
10. HMC loses CEO, jobs in merger
A merger of the management staffs at Hartselle Medical Center and Parkway Medical Center in September led to the loss of CEO and CFO positions as well as 18 employees. The CEO and CFO positions were consolidated with Parkway, leaving Parkway CEO Tim McGill to assume responsibi8olity for both hospitals. “Serving a similar region, we have always looked for ways the two hospitals could work more closely together to improve the healthcare delivery system in Morgan County,” McGill said. “With healthcare reform now compelling hospitals to operate smarter and more efficiently, working together is more vital than ever.”
Both hospitals are owned by Cappella Healthcare.
