The Andalusia Adult Activity Center is putting together a 12-day land and cruise trip through Alaska in 2023 that includes travel by air, road, rail and sea. An informational meeting about the trip is set for 1 p.m. on Mon., Sept. 26, at the AAC.
The all-inclusive trip begins with a flight from Montgomery to Fairbanks, where the seven-night adventure begins. Day 2 puts travelers aboard the Sternwheeler Discovery, with a pause for a motorcoach ride through Denali National Park. Day 3 also will be spent in the national park with a four-hour natural history tour.
On Day 4, travelers will board a train for a scenic ride to Talkeetna with views from glass-ceiling railcars and open-air platforms. The scenery will continue to delight at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.
On Day 5, the group will make stops in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, and at a wildlife preserve before continuing to the port of Whittier, where they will embark on a seven-night Holland-America cruise. While aboard, all meals and nightly entertainment are included.
The ship will take passengers past Hubbard Glacier; through Glacier Bay; to the “Gateway to the Klondike;” to the capital city of Juneau; to Ketchikan, known as the “Salmon Capital of the World and as the “City of Totems; through the Inside Passage; and disembarking in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The 12-day trip, which includes 26 meals, is planned for May 24-June 4. Per-person costs begin at $4,899 for inside double and $7,099 for inside single. An $800 deposit is required upon reservation, and booking prices increase after Nov. 25, 2022.
The price does not include on board gratuities, which are billed automatically to passengers’ shipboard accounts. Because the cruise has ports of call in Canada, passports are required.
For complete pricing information, contact Sonja Godwin (sonja.godwin@cityofandalusia) or Debbie Carter () or call them at (334) 222-6891.
The City of Andalusia on Thursday announced that five national retailers plan to locate in the Shoppes of Covington in 2023.
The retail center, formerly known as the Covington Mall, is owned by local brothers and businessmen Michael Jackson and Shaun Jackson.
Marshalls, Big Lots, Burkes Outlet, Harbor Freight and Five Below will locate there in the early part of 2023, Mayor Earl Johnson announced in a ceremony Thursday morning. The first retailer, Five Below, is set to open in December. Others will follow with the final retailer, Marshalls, opening in May. Each signed a 10-year lease.
“These are national retailers who analyze markets meticulously before agreeing to open a store,” the mayor said. “ What they know about Andalusia and the people who work and shop here is that we have room in our retail market for expansion, and that thousands of potential customers drive past the entrance to the Shoppes of Covington every single day.”
These five new retailers are expected to generate 150 new retail jobs, and an estimated annual payroll of $3.9 million, as well as $18 million in annual retail sales.
The mayor the path to Thursday’s announcement was a long and winding road.
“This project has fallen apart and been put back together more than once, through no fault on anybody’s part here, but largely due to unforeseen market forces like the pandemic,” Johnson said.
“But the Jacksons believed in this project when they made this initial investment in their hometown. In every project they are involved in – from Fed Ex routes to restaurants to Youth Football - they are known as people who are not afraid of hard work, and who will jump in and do whatever it takes to get a job done,” Johnson said. “Their work on this project has been no exception, and the City of Andalusia could not have had better partners. We appreciate what they have done and continue to do for their hometown.”
Earlier this year, the Andalusia City Council agreed to rebate a portion of the sales taxes collected there in the first five years to help offset the development costs of the project.
On Thursday, the mayor also thanked CCB Community Bank, who has partnered with the Jacksons on this project, and with the city on several other development projects. He also thanked Rep. Mike Jones, Sen. Jimmy Holley, and the Alabama Department of Transportation for working with the city on the bypass entrance to the shopping area, and the city and city utilities workers who have assisted with the project.
The Andalusia City Council this week agreed to fund initiatives in the Andalusia City School System to enhance the STEM curriculum, start a mentoring program, and to explore the potential for a vocational school.
Dr. Daniel Shakespeare submitted the $1.2 million request on behalf of the school system. The funding is from an education sales tax approved in 2013.
Shakespeare said the $125,000 allocated for a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) class includes travel to systems that have this in place, renovations to allow classroom space, and startup materials. The class will start in either January or August of 2023, he said.
He also asked for $50,000 for a 7th and 8th grade mentoring program.
“This program would be for students who lack the opportunities of others,” he said, adding that the program will include after-school tutoring, enrichment activities, and exposure to career opportunities.
Dr. Shakespeare said he also wants school officials to study through research and travel the potential for a vocational school.
Other approved allocations include:
• The bond payment for the recent stadium/auditorium project.
• Continuation of the Apple computer leases that facilitate one-to-one electronic devices in all Andalusia City Schools.
• Funding to replace teachers’ laptops.
• Continued funding for a technology specialist to help teachers effectively use electronics in the curriculum.
• Continued funding to support art and music programs.
• Funding to facilitate a Data Driven Decision Making software program.
In other business, the council:
• Appointed Bridges Anderson to the Utilities Board of the City of Andalusia. Anderson, who is a former city council member, is replacing Jim Smith, who recently retired from the board.
• Approved the purchase of a sleigh-themed train car for Candyland.
• Approved the purchase of a shuttle loader for the Public Works Department.
The Andalusia City Council this week appointed Bridges Anderson to the Utilities Board of the City of Andalusia.
Anderson is a former two-term member of the city council and a former member of the Utilities Board, having served as the council representative on the board for six years. He is filling the seat previously held by Jim Smith, who recently retired from the board.
Anderson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and counseling and currently works as a substance abuse and outpatient therapist. He also earned a doctorate (Ed.D) in curriculum and instruction and a doctorate (Ph.D.) in leadership for higher education. He previously directed the Upward Bound Program at LBW Community College and held other jobs at LBW.
He is the past president of the Covington County credit Union Board; served as the vice chair of the Alabama Community College Association’s Commission on Administration; was president and vice president of the Alabama Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel; and has served on the board of the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce.
Anderson has worked as an Alabama High School Athletic Association basketball official since 1991, and was named official of the year in 2015. He also has worked as a head basketball coach.
Mayor Earl Johnson nominated Anderson to the board. The council unanimously approved the nomination.
Willie Edwards was introduced to the Andalusia City Council on Tuesday as the City of Andalusia’s new Director of Leisure Services.
Edwards most recently served as director of parks and recreation for the City of Opp, a job which he had held since 2011. In addition, he has been head basketball coach for both boys and girls basketball at Opp High School since 2015.
Edwards grew up playing Little League baseball in Opp.
“I have great memories of the coaches who coached me in youth sports,” he said. “They’ been an integral part of my life up until today. One, Mr. Preston Boutwell, just passed away.”
He said Boutwell taught players about being positive and making every day a good day.
“He taught us that, and I’ve never had a bad one,” he said. “I’ve had some days that were better than others, but I’ve never had a bad one.”
Later, he volunteered as a coach in Opp and in Elba.
It was while working as a paraprofessional in Opp City Schools that he decided to move into parks and rec full time.
“I was working at the school, and I was managing the pool for the city,” he recalled. “I was also refereeing basketball and umpiring baseball. A job opened on the grounds crew, and I decided to make a change. From there, I continued to move up.”
Edwards said the best part of his job is working with kids.
“That’s my joy,” he said. “I want to make a difference in kids lives. Hopefully, we can turn the light on and help them see they are somebody and they are important.”
Edwards said his goal in his new role is to enhance the city’s Leisure Services Department in all areas.
“We want to work on finding more things for adults to do,” he said, adding that pickleball is a possibility. “We do a lot of things for youth sports, but there may be a few areas like volleyball we could add.
“We want to make the park an exciting place to be for parents and kids,” he said.
Edwards also is executive pastor of Star of Hope Baptist Church in Luverne, where he has been a minister since 2002.
He and his wife, Shekeitha, are the parents of two daughters, Praise, a student at Auburn University; and Victori, a student at LBW Community College.