Andalusia Housing Authority Director Lena Boswell said Wednesday she is still awaiting arrival of the new cluster boxes to install before mail delivery service can be reinstated at West Haven apartments.
“I have the confirmation,” she said. “And we are hoping they will be here by next week.”
Mail delivery has been suspended to the apartment complex since a June 25 incident in which a threat of injury or attack by dogs roaming loose,” for the local letter carrier, USPS spokeswoman Debra Fetterly said.
Fetterly said she received confirmation that the boxes have been ordered.
Until the boxes are delivered and installed, residents may continue to pick up their mail from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and Friday. On Thursdays and Saturdays, they can pick up mail from 9 a.m. until noon.
The 12 World Series teams are set.
Now, it’s time for some softball.
In a little more than a week, the 2011 Babe Ruth Softball 12U World Series will take place at the Andalusia Sports Complex from Aug. 4-9, and 12 teams from around the country will vie for the coveted title of champion.
The final team that qualified for the World Series did so Monday morning, tournament coordinator Dwight Mikel said Tuesday.
The teams competing in the World Series are Franklin, La.; Mineral Area, Mo.; Halifax, Mass.; Othello, Wash.; Hazlet, N.J.; Fern Creek, Ky.; Lodi, Calif.; Oviedo, Fla.; East Brewton; Brewton; South Alabama (host); and Alexander City.
Mikel said everything is “coming along real well” in getting ready for next week’s tournament.
“If we had to start tomorrow, I think we could pull the trigger and start tomorrow,” Mikel said. “I don’t believe you’re ever totally prepared, or ever totally finished. I think we could drive a stick in the mud right now and play if we had to.”
During a regular World Series committee meeting Tuesday, Mikel said the finances for the tournament “are in good shape.”
“I had projected out ‘(about $70,000)’ that needed to come from outside sources other than those needed to be generated by the tournament,” he said. “We’ve met that with $2,000-$3,000 to spare.”
However, Mikel said right now the key to the financial success of the tournament will come from three sources.
“The success of it is how many folks come, the concession revenues and the vendor fees generated, which are percentage driven,” Mikel said. “Other than that, if those three things come in, then we’ll do very well.”
Mikel said the revenues from the folks that attend the tournament, the concession and the vendors are roughly anticipated to be about $32,000-$33,000.
Teams will arrive in Andalusia next Wed., Aug. 3, some time after lunch, Mikel said.
Three teams will fly into Montgomery, and two teams will fly into Pensacola. Buses and coaches will make the trips to pick the teams up.
Passing. Dribbling. Defense.
These are just a few things campers are learning this week at the Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp at the Andalusia Sports Complex.
European instructors will coach students ages 3-10 on the basics of soccer.
Charlie Howe, of London, England, said the primary focus this week is to give the campers “skill” in the game.
“We want to be able to improve the kids’ soccer skills,” Howel said. “The kids love it, and we want to leave them with that — a love of the game.”
On Monday, campers learned the basics in dribbling. Today, campers will learn about passing and receiving; Wednesday will be for shooting; Thursday will be for defense; and Friday will be a fun day for the campers, Howe said.
The camp will run until this Friday, and every day from 9 a.m. until noon, campers ages 6-10 participate in the half-day time slot. Campers ages 3-4 participate in the 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. time slot each night.
This is the sixth camp Howe and Robert Bailey — the other instructor of Birmingham, England — have instructed this summer.
They worked the first part of the summer in Florida, and moved up to Georgia before coming to Alabama.
“We love it here,” Howe said. “This is a great facility.”
The Andalusia Board of Education approved employment and fundraisers at a special called meeting Monday night.
The board approved an alumni football game for Aug. 11 at Andalusia High School and approved a fundraiser for the AHS football program to sell ads for radio commercials.
The board also approved employment for:
• Beth Wilkes and Debbie Posey as part-time family and consumer science teachers at AHS, effective from Aug. 2 to Dec. 16, 2011.
• Delores Bell as fulltime family and consumer science teacher at AHS, effective Jan. 3, 2012.
Superintendent Ted Watson said that Bell was not available for employment until January.
-Kendra Bolling
Ms. Andalusia Manor Felma Schrimshire was crowned as the 2011 Ms. Alabama Nursing Home Monday afternoon.
Courtesy photo