On Opening Day 2012, Johnson Park will reopen as Legends Field.
That will be the new name of the complex once renovations are complete, said Dwight Mikel, director of the City of Andalusia’s department of leisure services, as he updated members of the Andalusia Rotary Club Tuesday with news of the Johnson Park project.
“And that’s April 2012,” Mikel said. “Things may look slow, but we’re on schedule. The easiest way I can tell for people to gauge our progress is this – if you don’t see grass growing in the growing season, you know we’re behind.
“A lot of you already know this, but there’s going to be eight fields,” he said. “Chick Earl Field will be the benchmark of the facility. The council didn’t want to name the other fields after individual people because there have been tons of people who have done a tremendous amount for youth sports. The plan is to create a ‘Legends Wall.’
“We’ll have 25-30 to start with, and then add four or five each year to recognize their contributions to youth sports,” he said. “There are a lot of deserving people whose name would never make it on a field.”
Plans are under way to assemble a list of candidates, and it is expected the council will appoint a committee to do the selections, he said.
Currently, crews are busy at Johnson Park on number things, such as installing the new state-of-the-art lighting and PA system, he said.
As for the physical look of the park, Mikel said all the fields will be irrigated, and the new concession stand will be identical to the one at the sports complex.
“Plus, with the new sound system, we’ll be able to make park-wide announcements, and we’ll be able to control the lighting system from anywhere with the use of a Blackberry,” he said.
“Parking has been a big concern,” he said. “No longer will children have to cross the lot to get to another field. We’ve negotiated a lease with the Palmer family for some land adjacent to Palmer and Sons. That spot will be used as parking.”
Mikel said the park will not include a regulation sized field; instead the city felt it was more beneficial to utilize the fields at the Andalusia High School and at LBW Community College – a move that saved $400,000 by not building a new field.
“It’s taken a long time for things to get to this point,” he said, speaking of the overall project. “It was actually a benefit, because we were able to evaluate things and do it right.”
A city worker clears the site next to the Springdale Estate where city officials hope to create Central Park. Stephanie Nelson/Star-News
The City of Andalusia is working with a Birmingham firm to design a long-term plan for what might become Central Park.
Mayor Earl Johnson reviewed what he called a “broad plan” with council members last week.
The 14.5 acre park will include city hall, the veterans memorial, Springdale and the recently-acquire property between city hall and Springdale.
Dale Fritz and Associates of Birmingham is working with the city on the design. Johnson said that Fritz previously worked with the city on the Gateway and the veterans park.
The recently-acquired office building will be torn down, he said, adding that its current footprint will become a parking area. That parking area will be connected to the parking in the rear of city hall, with a few spaces added closer to city hall. As well, a driveway from the rear of Springdale will connect to existing parking.
“This is designed so that if an event were taking place at Springdale, you could drop people off on the property and then exit to the parking behind city hall instead of trying to get in and out on East Three Notch,” Johnson said.
Similarly, the current walking trail at the veterans park will connect to new walking trails on the Springdale property.
A pavilion is proposed for the Springdale property, and the current garage will be altered to facilitate crowds. The garage portion will become a prep kitchen to be used by caterers; an office will be added; and restroom facilities will be added. The plumbing is already in place, he said.
Johnson said that the slight slope of the front yard lends itself to seating for outdoor performances. Preliminary plans call for a portable stage to be used for such events.
The architects have proposed playing on the lush Japanese plants already in place to give parts of the property the feel of a botanical garden.
“The potential is unlimited,” Johnson said. “Dale works all over the Southeast, and says there is not another park facility like this in a town our size.”
The mayor said the preliminary plan was painted with “broad strokes” and that cost estimates and potential sources of revenue must be identified.
“We won’t do all of this at once,” Johnson said.
He said he expects it will be calendar year 2012 before the facility is available for rent for private events.
“We’ve got to get the restrooms and other facilities in place,” he said. “We don’t want people to use it and it not meet their expectations, because that will hurt us in the long run.”
He said more detailed plans will be presented to the council before work moves forward.
The Andalusia Junior Woman’s Club will host the Second Annual Three Notch Market arts and crafts fair on Sat., May 7, 2011. The event will be held from 10 am to 4:30 pm at Springdale on East Three Notch Stree, next to City Hall. Tickets are $3 per person, and can be purchased the day of the event.
Other activities include; all day entertainment provided by various groups from and around Andalusia as well as The Rochelle Harper Band performing at 3:00pm. Food and beverages will be available for sale all day.
The AJWC is currently accepting applications from vendors, artists and craftsmen. For more information and to download vendor applications, please visit our website at http://ajwcthreenotchmarket.webs.com, or call 334-222-2030.
The AJWC is a non-profit organization that has been raising money for more than 35 years in this community, providing financial support for schools, charities and other organizations. This event serves as the AJWC’s spring fundraiser.
The new APD training facility was named in honor of Chief Wilbur Willams. Williams is shown with wife, Alleta,
Capt. Mike Bowlan, Lt. Paul Dean and Mayor Earl Johnson. | Michele Gerlach/Star-News
Andalusia Police Chief Wilbur Williams is rarely at a loss for words.
But the well-spoken chief swallowed hard before stepping to the microphone after learning that the city’s new police training facility had been named for him.
More than 100 people braved cool weather and constant rain to attend the official opening and dedication of the new training facility Friday morning.
Mayor Earl Johnson praised Williams for his work in Andalusia over the past decade, saying that he challenged the chief to make his department the best-equipped and best trained.
“This is a culmination of that goal,” Johnson said, announcing that the $1.2 million facility was being named the Wilbur W. Williams Law Enforcement Training Facility.
“I can’t tell you what that means to me,” Williams said.
Before becoming chief in Andalusia, Williams’ law enforcement career included work in the Mobile Police Department, running the department’s police academy, and developing and teaching in Bishop State Community College’s criminal justice program.
The 2,500 sq. ft. facility, which is located off of Academy Drive, sits on a 15-acre parcel adjacent to the department’s firing range, where recent renovations have outfitted it with 20 pistol lanes and a rifle area and a “shoot” house used for close-quarters tactical training. Classrooms are outfitted with a television, whiteboard, retractable projector screen and complete computer hookups.
The facility was funded with proceeds from a USDA grant and a USDA low-interest loan and “lots of sweat equity,” Williams said.
Williams recalled that he was attending a state chiefs conference and listening to a program about the availability of USDA funding when he received a phone call from the mayor letting him know that the local facility was being funded.
Members of Williams’ family were on hand for the surprise honor, including his wife, Alleta; his son, Trip; his daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Barry Porter, and their children, Eldon, Ella and Barrett.
Vector Aerospace has signed an agreement with local governments for an expansion to their facility in the South Alabama Regional Airport industrial park that will more than double its current working space, add additional offices, and mean at least 100 new jobs in coming months, Mayor Earl Johnson told council members Tuesday night.
Johnson said the construction is a joint project for Andalusia, Opp, Covington County and the South Alabama Airport Authority.
“We are very excited about this,” Johnson said. “The money will be in place in two or three weeks and we’ll be kicking off with in a month.”
“This will mean at least 100 new jobs here,” Johnson said, adding that Vector’s parent corporation is very pleased with the quality of work done in its Covington County facility.
Vector moved in to its existing facility at South Alabama Regional Airport about two years ago and has already outgrown the space, he said.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city will oversee the construction of the expansion in much the way it did SaeHaeSung’s new facility in the Andalusia Industrial Park.
Vector provides helicopter maintenance and repair to military and domestic companies from its Andalusia location.
Formerly known locally as AcroHelipro, Vector was rebranded in 2008. The company operates state-of-the-art facilities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Johnson also announced the Airport Authority has leased both of its large twin hangars to Support Systems Andalusia Alabama, a subsidiary of SSAI, which plans to provide maintenance, repairs and overhauls for C130s at the South Alabama Regional Airport. The company expects to hire 50 employees.
The lease agreement puts the Airport Authority in a positive cash flow situation, he said, and means more local jobs.