City makes progress on downtown development
David Grissom
From the mayor’s office
I hope this writing finds everyone doing well.
I got two calls Wednesday, March 15, that I would like to share with you. The first call was to inform me that my friend and former Russellville City Councilman Lanny Hubbard had passed away. In 2008, Lanny and I started what became different chapters in both of our lives and decided to run for city council to make our districts and our city better. I ran and was elected in District 5, and Lanny ran and was elected in District 4. Councilman Hubbard served District 4 and the City of Russellville as a faithful servant and leader as city councilman for eight years, two consecutive terms from 2008-2016. While serving as councilman, he worked for and received his Certified Municipal Official Certificate in 2013. Lanny was proud of this achievement because it took hours of training and educational meetings to achieve all while learning more about city government and how to serve his district and his city in the best possible ways. Councilman Hubbard worked tirelessly to improve his district and his city and loved working for the people. From paving streets, to building storm shelters, to recruiting jobs, to improving the police, fire, parks and recreation, and street departments, Councilman Hubbard worked each day to make things better for his district and his city. He was a member, a trustee and was in the brotherhood at First Missionary Baptist Church College Avenue, and he also sang in the Male Chorus. The City of Russellville is grateful for his faithful service to his community and to his church, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.
My second call last Wednesday was from a gentleman named Phil Powell from Birmingham. He informed me that Russellville fireman Shane Mansell saved his life by administering CPR until other paramedics arrived while he was having a heart attack at Guntersville State Park. He was very thankful and appreciative of what Shane did for him and called Shane his HERO for saving his life! The Russellville City Council plans on honoring Shane during the April 3 city council meeting.
Downtown redevelopment: We continue to work hard on our Downtown Redevelopment Project. As you might have already noticed, there is one property at 110 Jackson Ave. North that is working on the upstairs loft apartments and has just installed a front and back balcony. We had Trisha Black with Main Street Alabama here a few weeks ago meeting with the Downtown Redevelopment Committee members, and the committee continues to work with NACOLG on the Downtown Redevelopment Plan. They have scheduled a public meeting for April __ at _____ at Russellville City Hall. There is a lot of excitement concerning our downtown redevelopment efforts, and I appreciate everyone who is working to make our downtown better. I believe the downtown district is the heartbeat of every community. A strong vibrant downtown makes a strong vibrant city. As a part of our downtown redevelopment efforts, we applied for a TAPP grant to help with our downtown infrastructure. The first grant that we received will be to rebuild sidewalks and replace lighting on Lawrence and Franklin Streets from Coffee to Washington. We hope for work to begin on this project within 60-75 days. The City is also applying for a grant to designate a portion of the Downtown District as a Historic District, which will eventually allow developers to apply for both federal and state tax breaks for downtown projects in this district.
Basketball: We had some special guests at Monday night’s city council meeting. We presented Resolutions to the 5th grade boys, 2nd grade Boys and 1st grade boys Russellville Tennessee Valley Basketball Association Teams for a great winning season. Russellville High School head basketball Coach Patrick Odom was on hand to speak to the teams and congratulate them on their accomplishments, and he encouraged them to keep working hard.
Street department: I am also proud to announce that Shannon Wilson was appointed street department superintendent at Monday night’s city council meeting. Shannon has done a great job while serving in the street department, and we look forward to his leadership in that department for many years to come. The street department continues to work with the police department on compliance and litter within our city.
Police department: We declared a vacancy for patrol officer in the Russellville Police Department. Please apply for this important position if you are interested in serving your community in this capacity. The police department continues to work daily on compliance and litter within our city.
Ronnie McDowell: I hope to see everyone this Saturday night, March 25, for Ronnie McDowell. This show starts at 7 p.m. at the Historic Roxy Theatre in downtown Russellville with special guest Joseph Baldwin. This will be Ronnie McDowell’s 26th year in Russellville to perform. Special thanks to Wanda Myrick and the Franklin County Arts and Humanities Council for making this night happen!
As always, I thank each of you for allowing me to serve as your mayor. I will continue to work each and every day to make Russellville a better place to live, to work and to raise our families!
