Community honors veterans
Those who have served in the military have learned applied the leadership lessons learned to many areas of life to make American a better country.
That’s the message Jack Hawkins, the Troy University Chancellor and a former U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant who saw combat action in Vietnam delivered to those gathered for a Veterans Day program Friday at the Covington County Veterans Memorial. The program followed the annual Veterans Day Parade.
“To the Marines present – Happy birthday!” he said. “Today marks 242 years of service. The Marine Corp was formed one year before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Read More>
Andalusia City Schools Superintendent Ted Watson is in the process of interviewing potential contractors for a massive project to renovate both the auditorium and the stadium at Andalusia High School.
Last month, the school board was set to open bids for the proposed project, but received none. In an earlier bid process – for the auditorium half of the project – the lowest bid was approximately $1.1 million higher than a professional estimator had predicted, and did not include architects’ fees.
“The next step, as far as the law is concerned, is to solicit a contractor with whom well be happy and who we are convinced can do the project,” Watson said. The school board can negotiate prices on the project.
The day after the bid opening that wasn’t, Watson said, he met with officials at the Alabama Building Commission to determine the proper steps for proceeding.
“He said we had already hired an architect who knew the rules, and we would be in good shape if we listened to him,” Watson told members of the Andalusia City Council Tuesday night.
Since that time, he said, several interviews have been conducted. He has been joined by the architect and by Andalusia Director of Planning and Development Andy Wiggins. Read More>
South Alabama Regional Airport recently started receiving an extra $5,000 a month from Vector Aerospace.
Now, Vector pays $30,000 per month for its space.
SARA Executive Director Jed Blackwell said that means that the Covington County Commission now receives $15, 265 per month, up from $13,222 a month.
The city of Andalusia receives $12,070 per month, up from $10,455 a month, and the city of Opp receives $8,165 per month, up from $7,073.
SARA retains $1,500 a month for maintenance.
The breakdown is congruent with the agreement among SARA and the three entities, when the entities refinanced the airport debt.