The A.P.P.L.E. after-school program hosts the Andalusia Humane Society every Thursday in meetings designed to expose the animals to children, and raise awareness of the animals that still need homes.
Barbara Tyler, who coordinates A.P.P.L.E. and also volunteers with the Andalusia Humane Society, helped organize the event along with AHS’s Debora Evans.
“The event first started in the summer, the APPLE program children would come and walk the dogs in our dog park.” Evans explained.
“The kids absolutely loved it, so we incorporated it as a regular thing for the APPLE program.” Christine Holley, one of the instructors at APPLE, said.
The children will also be volunteering at the Andalusia Area Humane Society’s annual Doggy Dash this Sat., Sept. 23, starting at 9:30 a.m.
–Lacy Stinson
Andalusia Star News
The Andalusia City Council on Tuesday approved an $18.3 million budget for the 2018 fiscal year that increases operating expenses only 1 percent more than the current budget. The operating expenses are three percent less than the city budgeted three years ago, Mayor Earl Johnson said.
Johnson said the city’s largest budget expense, salaries, is roughly the same as in the current budget, which included a 7 percent increase in employee salaries and benefits. At the same time, the council scrapped its pay and classification plan, which included automatic step raises for employees, regardless of work performance.
Johnson said Tuesday the city is currently working on a new employee performance policy. The budget also pays $2.3 million in long-term debt.
“Not including the debt associated with the airport or the downtown projects, we have reduced long-term debt by $4.6 million since 2012,” he said.
The city also has established capital improvements account, which it has funded since 2014, depositing more than $2.5 million there.
Earlier this year, those changes netted the city an improvement in its Standard & Poor’s credit rating, now an A+.
In the past year, the city also rearranged the operations of several departments and amended the sanitation fee structure.
“This is a very sound budget, and it is extremely conservative,” Johnson said. “It is one we can meet, absent something unforeseen coming up.”
The mayor said the city is in the best financial condition it’s ever been in.
Budget totals, broken down by departments, follow:
- Administration – $ 2,734,556
- Planning and Development – $3,089,070
- Police – $2,412,874
- Fire – $1,236,749
- Public works – $2,133,318
- Education – $2,436,000
- Long-term debt – $2,304,000
- Contingency – $250,000
- Outside agencies – $256,812
- Other – $862,000
- Capital Improvement – $613,421
Seven employees of the Andalusia Utilities left Monday morning for Orlando Utilities, where they are working to help restore power in the wake of Hurricane Irma, department manager Jeff Puckett said.
The men traveled as part of an agreement the city has with Electric Cities to provide aid in times of disaster.
Those traveling include Tom Arnold, Noel Wheeler, Chris Martin, Zac Godwin, Cory Gilbert, Jerran Williams and Rodney Meredith.
Andalusia Star News
City of Andalusia Planning and Development Director Andy Wiggins told the Lions Club on Wednesday that the city is in preliminary discussions about potentially opening an incubator site for retail businesses and the possibility of a new retail trade area.
Wiggins said the proposed incubator would be for “mom and pop” type businesses and they would provide training opportunities to teach small business owners.
“We had a conversation yesterday about doing a retail incubator,” he said. “What that is is trying to find a space to help grow – I call them mom and pops – and set up this some type of facility with little store fronts that they can go into and provide them with a service of how to run a business.
“One of the things we are seeing in Andalusia is our mom and pops – we don’t have that many mom and pops,” he said. “We have a couple of different problems in Andalusia.”
The first is available space, he said.
“We are very limited to the amount of space we have for a retailer,” he said. “You take a major clothing retailer outside of JCPenney, like Cato. If a company like that wanted to locate here, there is not 20,000-30,000 square feet that they can go into.”
Wiggins said it’s called second-generation space.
Lion John Vick asked if anyone was in the old Piggly Wiggly building.
Wiggins said the city is trying to market that building.
He said 30-40 years ago everyone wanted to be downtown; today, they want to be on the bypass or next to a specific store.
“The dynamics of retail have changed a lot,” he said. “The bricks and mortar stuff is becoming more and more difficult. They stick to their guns on where they want to be, which makes it challenging for the city to recruit those retailers.
“I will tell you that (City Clerk) John Thompson and myself do a lot of this work. We go to trade shows where retailers and developers are,” he said. “I’ll tell you this, there is a tremendous interest in our city because we have the economic base to back it up, but our problem has been space.”
Wiggins said city leaders are currently looking into fixing that problem.
“One of the things we have been talking about, the retail trade areas change over time,” he said. “Take Montgomery, you have East Chase Mall, the dynamic trade changes. We are set where I think we need to start developing a new retail trade area. We have started meeting with developers and see what the possibility of creating a new retail trade area.”
Wiggins said Andalusia has different dynamics.
“We can get out on the bypass and loop it in like 10 minutes,” he said. “That’s one of the things we try to explain. We are rural Alabama, we are accustomed to driving 10-15 minutes to go to wherever we want to go.”
Wiggins compared that to Orlando or Montgomery, where it takes 10-15 minutes to travel a mile.
“We are set up a lot differently than the cookie cutter city,” he said.
Andalusia Star News
Site work is under way on the Western ByPass for Splash Hopper’s Express Wash.
Telisha Atchison, who with Rob Martin is developing the new business, said she’s convinced the more upscale car wash is needed here. Atchison and Martin are local residents.
“Frankly, Andalusia needs it,” Atchison said. “We looked at several spots, but felt like that location would be the best for the traffic. It should be easy in, and easy out.”
The car wash will be located across the bypass from Andalusia Tire.
“It’s a pull-through, conveyor-style car wash,” she said. “When a driver enters, there is a bug prep station the driver can spray on before washing, or brush with windshield.
There is an automated pay station, where drivers can choose a package and pay with a credit or debit card, or with cash.
Then they’ll advance to an attendant, who will spray the vehicle down with soap, she said. Read More>
Andalusia Star News