30 minute read
By Dawn Suiter
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment: A Huntsville Landmark Provides Lessons in Growth and Adaptation
By Dawn Suiter
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Some of Huntsville’s most recognizable landmarks include its towering Saturn V rocket and the Neo-Formalist architecture of First Baptist Church, designed in homage to the Space Age with a soaring bell tower modeled after the von Braun team’s creation.
The city landscape of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries included similarly-shaped spires, created for a decidedly different and much more earthly purpose.
Two notable examples remain of early Huntsville’s industrial landscape, with Lincoln Mill’s buildings and water tower to the north and Lowe Mill’s facility with its smokestack and water tower to the south.
Lowe Manufacturing Company’s yarn spinning mill opened in 1901 at the corner of Seminole Drive and 9th Avenue, the fifth textile mill established in Huntsville. A year later, Eastern Manufacturing Company completed an adjacent weaving mill, using Lowe Mill’s output to produce high quality clothes and linens. In 1907, the companies consolidated to form Lowe Manufacturing, Inc.
Over the course of the early twentieth century, the Lowe mill
Printmaker Stephanie Flier in her Delta Dogwood Studio complex switched hands and underwent physical changes several times, eventually going bankrupt at the height of the Great Depression in 1932. However, it was reincorporated in 1933 as Lowe Mills, Inc.
Despite attempts to save the company, textile manufacturing ceased in 1937. The building remained a cotton warehouse until 1945, at which point General Shoe Company took ownership.
At its prime, the General Shoe Corporation employed as many as 800 people and produced most of the boots made for soldiers during the Vietnam War. The plant continued operations until 1979, when the buildings became a warehouse for Martin Industries commercial and residential heating systems. Developer Gene McLain bought the property in 1999.
In 2001, Research Genetics founder Jim Hudson purchased the Lowe Mill properties from McLain, transforming the complex into its current incarnation as the largest privately owned arts facility in the southern United States.
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, which still bears physical evidence of its past lives, now contains 153 working studios for over 250 artists and makers along with seven galleries, a community garden, performance venues, and a theatre. The arts and entertainment venue hosts events such as Concerts on the Dock, Monster Movies at the Mill, outdoor markets, and the International Archaeology Day Fair. Lowe Mill A&E provides a home for numerous small independent businesses and artists including the nonprofit Cattyshack, a cat rescue and adoption organization featuring a “cat lounge;” the Green Pea Press, the only public-access printmaking studio in North Alabama; and Irons Distillery, maker of handcrafted small-batch whiskey. Tangled String Studios, located in Railroad Room 6/7 at Lowe Mill A&E, creates custom-tailored guitars and mandolins and houses an intimate concert space that has drawn top quality musical artists.
Executive Director Marcia Freeland expressed considerable excitement over some of the arts complex’s newest and coming-soon additions, one of which is a studio named Huntsvillustrated that will open on Nov. 12.
This studio will allow visitors to design and screen print their own t-shirts on the spot. The combined studio, retail, and t-shirt production shop will also host private events such allowing attendees to create their own keepsake apparel.
Artist and owner Hadley Russ, who describes her operation as “a bridge between artists,” plans for her studio to collaborate with other artists in Lowe Mill A&E, such as printmaker Stephanie Flier of Delta Dogwood Studio, to create personalized shirts featuring fine art.
Russ noted that her screen printing equipment produces durable, long-lasting designs that won’t peel off like other methods of printing. In addition, her studio will include an artist wall showcasing Lowe Mill A&E artists’ works.
When asked about her future vision for the arts complex, Freeland stated that her next dream project involves bringing in artists-in-residence who will stay, lecture, and teach classes for extended periods of time. “If we can bring people here it would be a cool thing.” While these programs exist in many larger cities, Huntsville does not yet host any programs of this nature.
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment continues to play a vital role in nurturing Huntsville’s lively arts community, seamlessly combining the historical architecture of its industrial past with the vibrant splendor of better things to come. u
Photo by Dawn Suiter
Lowe Mill, Circa 1901 (Source: Huntsville / Madison County Public Library)
The University of Alabama in Huntsville Announces New Interim President
By Gus Wintzell / Photo courtesy of UA System
Chancellor Finis St. John of the University of Alabama system announced the recommendation of Dr. Charles L. Karr as the interim president of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
Dr. Karr’s appointment as interim president followed the news of Dr. Darren Dawson’s retirement from the post as UAH’s current president.
In a letter to UAH students and faculty, Dr. Darren stated that his retirement was due to private family matters.
“I am deeply grateful to Chancellor St. John, the Board of Trustees, and the UAH community for my tenure here, and I am proud of the challenges we have navigated together successfully during unprecedented times,” said Dr. Darren.
“The Chancellor, the Board, and UAH’s supporters have a deep and abiding commitment to UAH’s trajectory as a national leader in teaching, research and public service. I have complete confidence that the transition will be smooth and seamless.”
The appointment of Dr. Karr as the interim president comes as no surprise to many faculty and staff at UAH. Dr. Karr recently retired from the UA system after 26 years, which includes his most recent post as the University of Alabama’s College of Engineering dean where he served for 16 years.
During his tenure, enrollment to the College tripled and the mean ACT score increased from 24.8 to 30. Faculty grew substantially and research awards for both students and faculty increased by more than $45 million.
Alongside these accomplishments, Dr. Karr oversaw nearly $200 million in new facilities to meet the demands of new industry.
“Dr. Karr has a proven track record of transforming The University of Alabama’s College of Engineering into a dynamic research and academic powerhouse,” said UA System Chancellor St. John. “The Board of Trustees and the University of Alabama System have made he success of UAH a top priority, and I am confident that Dr. Karr is well-positioned to help UAH reach its full potential”
The UA System board will meet to vote on Chancellor St. John’s recommendation. If approved, Dr. Karr’s appointment will be for no less than 18 months starting this month.
“We will strive for excellence in all that we do, whether that is recruiting additional high-quality students, increasing the size of the faculty, deepening community partnerships, ensuring exceptional educational opportunities, or building new facilities. I look forward to working with the faculty and staff and serving UAH’s students,” said Dr. Karr. u
Rene’ Holt, DVM of Rocket City Mobile Vet On Navigating the Pandemic
By Dawn Suiter / Photos courtesy of Rocket City Mobile Vet
As businesses across the nation shifted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, pet ownership skyrocketed among those who suddenly found themselves stuck at home and in need of extra companionship. This unique situation presented both great opportunities and new challenges for those in petrelated businesses.
The uncertainty of the pandemic translated into roaring success for one of these local businesses when Rene’ Holt, DVM of Rocket City Mobile Vet found herself in the perfect position to grow her practice.
Holt founded her mobile clinic in January 2018 and by the time the pandemic happened it was already a successful, growing business.
Although she always planned to build a brick and mortar facility, Holt said that along the way she had a calling to offer end of life services to pets in their own homes. According to Holt, “I believe that animals should leave this world at their happiest and calmest, which for them is home. I also knew that I would miss the rest of veterinary medicine so I established a full-service mobile veterinary hospital.”
Of the challenges faced by Dr. Holt and by veterinarians in general, the greatest of these has been client expectations.
Holt noted that those in veterinary medicine are held to a different standard than the rest of the medical field, with pet owners expecting perfection at all times.
“If mistakes are made, social media becomes our downfall; the pandemic has made those expecta-
Dr. Rene’ Holt with a patient
tions even worse.”
The demands of the pandemic led to booming business for the mobile clinic, resulting in the number of clients/patients seen increasing to the point where Holt had to add two associate veterinarians and a second mobile clinic to accommodate client needs. She stated that she took on between 1,500 and 2,000 new patients during the past year.
Despite the rapid influx of new patients during the pandemic, Holt noted that Rocket City Mobile Vet’s revenue has grown steadily since the start, showing revenue increases of approximately 35 to 40 percent annually.
The trend continued throughout 2020 and 2021. Although the business has been very successful throughout the pandemic, Holt attributes this more to a combination of time and word-of-mouth referrals.
COVID-19 has changed the “The pandemic did hurt the bond between veterinarians and their clients because we all had to distance ourselves but it does feel like we are slowly building those relationships back.”
way Holt’s practice operates, requiring her to rethink the way the clinic handled at-home care with clients. They stopped going into homes and immediately began wearing masks to protect themselves and others. Holt noted that “the pandemic did hurt the bond between veterinarians and their clients because we all had to distance ourselves but it does feel like we are slowly building those relationships back.”
Holt was aware early on of the danger presented by the Covid pandemic and took steps to ensure the safety of her staff, family, and at-risk clients. She stated that she was open with the vaccination discussion with her staff, encouraging vaccination as soon as it became available.
As a result, her company has a 97 percent vaccination rate.
In addition, they wore gloves in the beginning, masks at all times, and did not enter client’s homes. Although they continued to offer end of life care to their patients, they did so only in outside settings and with masks.
Holt added “Once we were vaccinated and the transmission rate was lower, we started to enter homes again but still masked and that is where we stand currently with our protocols.”
Rocket City Mobile Vet is in the process of completing construction of a permanent sister location, Rocket City Veterinary Hospital, at 1229 Slaughter Rd. in Madison.
The mobile clinic will continue as before, and Holt plans to manage both by adding more veterinarians as needed to accommodate the new clients. Because clients are now used to seeing the associates in the mobile practice, Holt said that it won’t be a huge change for them when she is in the brick and mortar facility, although she still plans to do mobile as well.
On the topic of whether the business’s success during the pandemic encouraged the move, Holt responded “Not really. I’ve always known that I would own a brick and mortar business and I did miss that aspect when I went mobile almost four years ago. Having both will be the best of both worlds.”
Holt’s biggest takeaway from her experience as a veterinary health provider during the pandemic is that “we are all truly in this together and as long as we work together, we will continue to grow and be healthy. And always, kindness can go a long way in this world.” u
Veterinary assistant Tessia Sammons doing a dental cleaning on a patient
Supply Chain Shortages: Questions Answered
By Mike Easterling
The headlines on the Internet scream doom as supply chain issues unsettle consumers around the country.
A sampling: • CNN – $24 billion in goods is floating outside California’s biggest ports; and also, The global supply chain is about to get worse. • New York Post – Don’t expect supply chain or price relief anytime soon. • CNBC – Supply chain chaos is hitting global growth and could get worse. • ClickOrlando.com – Truck driver demand grows as nation grapples with supply chain issues.
There are several reasons being blamed for supply chain issues. There are backlogs at American seaports with goods floating in the Pacific at Los Angeles and in the Atlantic at Savannah, keeping supplies from shelves.
The obvious reason is the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting slow down of production. There’s also a labor shortage, with workers abandoning low-wage jobs to seek higher wages and more benefits.
In the wake of 490,000 warehouse workers who quit their jobs in August, and presumably over 730,000 deaths contributed to COVID-19, the workforce is depleted. Baby boomers are also retiring.
Companies such as Walmart, Target and Amazon are trying to attract younger workers with more benefits, including free college tuition. Some companies, such as McDonald’s, have increased wages.
“Market forces have effectively raised the minimum wage,’’ said S. Ray White of the Huntsville branch of Warren Averett, which provides accounting services, technology resources, HR solutions and business advisory needs.
While there are several issues other than a shortage of labor and truckers -- increasing freight prices, forecasting demand, port congestion and changing consumer attitudes are also influencing the supply chain crisis -- none seem more problematic than a shortage of truck drivers and overall labor.
The American Truck Association has reported 80,000 drivers are needed to plug the holes. Meanwhile, trucking wages are rising to attract employees.
“There’s definitely a shortage of truck drivers, and you’ve probably seen some of the ads for what type of the compensation is now,’’ White said. “It’s extraordinary what you can make in the country now.
“And a labor shortage at the source of the supplies coming from the factories, we’ve got all of our clients that are in manufacturing and distribution having the same pain and that’s the labor. So it’s not just the goods coming into the U.S., it’s being able to have a sufficient amount of labor.’’
Local merchants had mixed responses to the supply chain crises.
None of the stores visited had obvious shortages, though there were some red flags.
At Costco on a recent trip everything appeared to be business as usual with shelves and aisles full as many customers roamed the store. According to managers, the store has not experienced troubling shortages outside of random, small ticket items.
A Walmart manager said her store also hadn’t seen a problem with shortages, saying the only thing that stood out was “minor’’ products such as ironing boards sometimes running out.
“We haven’t had problems with deliveries that I’ve seen,’’ she said.
But general merchandise dollar stores were experiencing smaller truckloads of merchandise, reported one associate, particularly among sports drinks and other products from one provider.
A manager at a major grocery chain said his store, while not obviously impacted as no shelves were barren, said he’s seen signs of possible problems unless the crisis is solved.
The store, which receives an average of around 3,000 products, got only 1,000 recently. Collateral things such as a shortage of cardboard, used for such items as cola and beer packages, is among the shortages delaying supplies. “There are problems,’’ he said.
A recent U.S. Census survey found 45 percent of businesses are experiencing delays.
David Salters, a human resource expert out of Warren Averett’s Birmingham office, said any current or future supply problems won’t be limited to the United State.
“It’s really kind of a global problem,’’ he said. “We’re not the only ones that have ships sitting out at sea.’’
Charlie Eddy of Warren Averett’s office in Cullman said there is a shortage of truckers, but it’s “not a new issue.’’
Eddy said companies are constantly searching for drivers, but the situation is currently troubling with trucking offices experiencing equipment delays as well as employee shortages.
“It’s these long-haul routes,’’ Eddy said. “Those truckers have to be away from home for maybe a week.’’ u
In 1976, one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and 1970s known as The Band, performed their last concert together. It was a starstudded musical extravaganza called The Last Waltz, made into a major concert film by Martin Scorsese. It was intended to mark the end of an era for The Band and their music.
The First Waltz at the Orion Amphitheater at Apollo Park in Huntsville is marking the beginning of a new era for the North Alabama’s music scene.
Huntsville’s Venue Group unveiled the inaugural First Waltz weekend at the new 8,000-seat Orion Amphitheater at Apollo Park in Huntsville, May 13 – 15, 2022. Located adjacent to the emerging MidCity District, the three-day live entertainment destination is opening with an all-star lineup, all of whom have deep ties to the North Alabama region.
The First Waltz extravaganza will bring performances by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Brittany Howard, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Drive-By Truckers, and Waxahatchee, followed by special performances from Huntsville’s own vibrant musical community including The Aeolians of Oakwood University, Kelvin Wooten, Deqn Sue, Translee, and the Huntsville Community Drumline.
Led by Ryan Murphy, who will act as general manager of the Orion on behalf of the City of Huntsville, the Huntsville Venue Group is a joint venture partnership between the global Venue Group team including Mumford & Sons Ben Lovett, his brother Greg Lovett, Graham Brown, and Jesse Mann, in partnership with other respected industry veterans.
“I was talking to one of our partners, Mike Luba about how the first few weeks of the Orion’s opening was going to be a celebration of North Alabama’s music legacy and history,”
By Kimberly Ballard / Site photos by Alex Hendrix of Huntsville Venue Group
explained Murphy. “Mike and I talked about how that first weekend was the beginning of something and not the end, but as a riff on The Band’s Last Waltz, we have all these artists performing together, mixed in with some of the Muscle Shoals hits and it seemed to work for such a landmark event.”
Until now, the new venue has been referred to generically as the Huntsville Amphitheater.
“We went through multiple iterations of what we thought the whole idea of the amphitheater is about,” said Murphy. “We hear artists on tour say, ‘We just played Red Rocks’, ‘We just played the Greek’, or ‘We played the Garden’ and that rolls off the tongue so nicely, we were thinking along that line.
“We came up with a long list but as we began leaning into some of the history of the area, we worked with the city and came to a consensus with The Orion. It sounds really great and hits all the marks we wanted to hit.”
Lovett said that in his experience as a band, one of the things a band gets the most excited about is the places they get to play.
“We often go out of our way to perform at a venue based on either its reputation or the design of the event,” he said “I still think the Orion’s design plays a big part in the show, and if you see shows at the Red Rocks in Colorado or the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley, people tend to say the show feels like it incorporates the design elements of the venue.
“I am excited to think we have done the same here with the Orion. When people see photos and videos of performances here, they will immediately know it took place at the Orion in Huntsville.
“I absolutely hope the Orion comes to be held in the highest regard within the live auditorium community.”
Lovett and Murphy have promised from the beginning a truly unique food and beverage experience at the Orion as well as at the Food Village located across from the Orion in Apollo Park.
“Inside the Orion, we will be light on food and heavy on beverage,” said Murphy. “It will not be cookiecutter or corporate branded concert hall concessions. The concessions will be under the Orion’s umbrella of concepts like for instance a whiskey bar and a collective craft beer bar, all unique branded offerings throughout
By Kimberly Ballard / Site photos by Alex Hendrix of Huntsville Venue Group
the venue.
He said the adjacent Food Village outside the amphitheater in Apollo Park will have a more robust food offering that is an extension of some of the great brick and mortar establishments here in Huntsville and in North Alabama.
The food and beverage is about supporting and elevating local small businesses who are doing a great job in Huntsville, and whose food and beverage reflects what is going on all over North Alabama.
“We are leaning into the idea of coming to the Orion to see a concert, grab a great craft beer from a Huntsville brewery, grab some great Alabama barbecue or an amazing brisket sandwich from the area, getting a good taste of Huntsville, so that maybe they never make it downtown, but they get a feel for what Huntsville is all about while at the show and in the park.”
Lovett said they are developing a bunch of different concepts in the Food Village at Apollo Park and one of those is a great taco destination, a tap room, and a beer hall with pretzels,
“We want the Food Village at Apollo Park to have something for all tastebuds, and it’s going to be amazing,” he said. “But the activity around the outside of the amphitheater is going to make it a year-round destination so that on a Tuesday night when there is no show at the Orion, people will still want to go out to Apollo Park and have dinner. I think people will find that experience to be very special.”
Lovett said the other big thing they are focused on
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Pictured above: General Manager Ryan Murphy with Ben Lovett on the site of the Orion Amphitheater
Pictured left: aerial photo of Orion Amphitheater
right now is jobs.
“We are in a heavy recruiting mode,” Lovett said. “But the unemployment rate here is so low, there are not people in Huntsville looking for work and we’re not trying to dislocate people from other local businesses, so we are really trying to attract people to move here.”
He said about half of the team they have hired so far have moved to Huntsville to do their job.
“Our focus over the next couple of months is going to be to build out a great team of professionals from the venue side as well as broadening the restaurant and hospitality side,” Lovett said. “Everything from security and stewarding to production, bartenders, and housekeeping – it’s crazy how many jobs are created. It is very people-intensive, but it is one of the reasons I love it. You are providing special kind of work and opportunity for people.”
Lovett said he hopes people travel from all over the world to eat at restaurants, stay in hotels, and the entire experience leaves the artists themselves saying, ‘I just played the Orion in Huntsville and not only was the venue great, but the people were engaged, one of the best audiences ever’.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the Orion Amphitheater reinvents the concept of a major event space.
“The Orion Amphitheater will be an impressive quality-of-life addition to complement our thriving arts and entertainment community,” he said. “We anticipate this amazing venue will help attract and recruit new people and ideas to our community from across the Southeast.
“By expanding usage beyond hosting live music, the Orion Amphitheater will provide year-round community programming with seasonal markets, food and film festivals, regional theater productions, environmental symposiums, and family friendly events.”
“The Orion Amphitheater is an architectural landmark different from others in the city, and together with the elevated hospitality, we are re-setting the tone for Huntsville’s cultural future,” said Murphy.
Over the next few weeks and months, Murphy said they are going to start announcing a more extensive lineup, with a ton of major artists announcing over the next month or two.
“Here we go,” he warned. “Things will really start rolling now.”
Tickets are on sale now at www. theorionhuntsville.com. Multi-night packages are available. u
Orion Amohitheater rises above Ben Lovett
Q&A with Ben Lovett, the Man Behind the Orion Amphitheater and Grammy Award-Winning Band, Mumford & Sons
By Kimberly Ballard
This is the second interview Ben Lovett has granted to the Huntsville Business Journal and we are appreciative of his time.
I’m just curious, concerts have gotten so extravagant these days with pyrotechnics, confetti, acrobatics, and lighting effects, will the Orion accommodate all of that?
The size and dynamics of the show depends on the artists, it comes in with the show, but the Orion was designed to accommodate it. Of course, health and safety are always the first consideration, but we are ready for whatever eventuality an artist may want to bring. Absolutely.
There is one band distinctly missing from that list of First Waltz performers…
The timing doesn’t really line up for the band (Mumford & Sons) to perform at the beginning of the season unfortunately, but we have thoughts about it and look forward to playing there one day. Right now, I am looking forward to it as a music fan, and then subsequently one day, as a performer.
Are you spending a lot of time here in Huntsville?
I am planning to spend most of next year here in Huntsville.
Maybe you should buy a house?
It’s a possibility, I’m talking to my wife about it. I am open to suggestions.
Are you recognized when you go out?
I can choose to or not to be recognized when I go out. A hat, sunglasses, and a big jacket and people don’t think twice about it, but I tend not to have a big problem. It is one of the advantages of not being the front man.
Are you getting a lot of support from the business community?
We’re having some really interesting conversations with local businesses. For example, your Ford dealership is rolling out an electric fleet of vehicles and I think it is great they are talking about providing vehicles for artist transportation. That is just one example of working with a team locally.
Over the next two or three months, we will be announcing the pillars of supporters for the Orion and local partnerships.
Have you had a good experience working with the City of Huntsville?
Huntsville – this city is amazing!
The conviction of John Hamilton, Shane Davis, and Mayor Battle is remarkable. The follow through. They are not just politicians who say they will do one thing and then do something else.
They laid down the gauntlet and said, ‘This is what we are going to do’ and it stays on track.
There have been some tough times, everyone has had to work very hard to keep this on track,
Robins & Morton (general contractor) have honored their word, and they are on schedule. Everyone is doing what they said they are going to do.
That should not be that remarkable, but I have been jaded after dealing with people in New York and London, so much so that I find it amazing when people are actually doing what they say they are going to do.
You feel confident that Huntsville is big enough to support such a big and exciting venue?
I couldn’t be more excited. It feels like the capacity is here for Huntsville to grow without bursting at its seams.
Flying in yesterday to the airport, it feels like there is room to have ten times the current infrastructure and capacity the airport has, and yet nowhere does the city feel like it is struggling with its growth. It is sort of naturally filling its shoes and I think that is like a testament to all the people involved in planning and infrastructural development.
Well, we do have a lot of very smart people here running things!
It is like there is already anticipation around things that could cause issues. Take your greenways and how you will move people around the city when the Orion opens, so it doesn’t end up causing a traffic jam. In other cities, they talk about that after there are traffic jams.
There is an intelligence in Huntsville that is already trying to work through and prevent issues before they become issues. It’s quite amazing. u
A Different Way to Give Back
By Guest Contributor
As many of us anxiously await potential changes in our tax laws and the dawn of a new year, there are many questions regarding how to give back to our community during the upcoming return period.
Bridgeworth Financial has come up with a solution by providing insight on how to help provide for underprivileged children in the Huntsville-Madison County community and the state of Alabama as a whole.
As part of the Alabama Accountability Act, the state of Alabama sets aside up to $30 million each year for Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) – allowing Alabama taxpayers to redirect up to 50% of their state tax liability to an SGO.
By redirecting your tax dollars for education in our local area, funds go directly to kids and schools in need instead of the Alabama Department of Revenue.
In short, an SGO provides K-12 scholarships to pay tuition for qualifying low-income students so eligible families in Alabama have the opportunity to choose the education that best fits their child’s education needs.
Approved Organizations
As a resident of Huntsville and Madison County, Rocket City SGO is the choice for many in our area. Scholarships for Kids is another notable option and one of several worthy organizations approved and located in the Jefferson County area.
The websites for both these organizations help explain the programs in more detail. No matter what part of the state you reside in, you can contribute to any on the approved list if you are an Alabama taxpayer.
Here is a list of Approved Scholarship Granting Organizations in Alabama.
Next Steps
If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, follow these main steps below: 1. Go to the Alabama Department of Revenue website and set up a My Alabama Taxes (MAT) account. 2. Once you log in, go to “Report a donation to an SGO.” 3. After completing your personal information, choose the
SGO of your choice from the menu titled “SGO Name.” 4. Fill in your donation’s desired amount, up to 50% of your estimated state tax liability. 5. Mail your check, made payable to your selected SGO,
to the address listed on their website or from the approved list previously referenced. 6. You will immediately receive a confirmation number, so keep that for your tax records until you receive a letter or email with further confirmation of your donation.
Important Reminders
When it’s time to file your taxes, you will have an Alabama state tax credit in the amount of your donation.
This results in an increase in any refund you are due or a potential reduction of any amount owed. It is critical to estimate 50% of your Alabama tax liability to base your contribution amount.
However, suppose you were to contribute more than 50% of your actual Alabama tax liability and cannot use the total amount under current law. In that case, you should be able to carry forward the excess portion and use it next year.
For further questions, please contact a Scholarship Granting Organization in your area or reach out to a Bridgeworth advisor at https:// bridgeworthfinancial.com/
Bridgeworth Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser.
This content does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial, or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial, or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information. u
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle Visits Community Free Dental Clinic
By Lori Boatfield / Photo by Steve Babin
The Community Free Dental Clinic (CFDC) received special guests on Nov. 4. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong visited the clinic to raise awareness for the program and emphasize its continued need for funding.
The clinic opened its doors in 2013 and is the only organization of its kind, with a mission to provide free dental treatment for underserved and low-income Madison County residents in dental crisis. The impact of the program is not limited to tooth extractions but provides benefits to overall health. Extractions and antibiotics help avoid costly hospital stays due to infected gums and abscesses, which can be life-threating. Assessments by dental staff and registered nurses have also identified mouth tumors, blood pressure and blood sugar issues.
In addition to financial support, the clinic has immediate need of volunteer dentists, dental assistants and nurses, volunteers who can process paperworkas well as inkind donations of dental equipment, dental and office supplies, personal hygiene products and infection control items.
“46,000 underserved... we want to bridge the gap to provide comprehensive care for those who have never been able to receive it,” Said Dr. Solomon of Huntsville’s Community Free Dental Clinic.
For information about how to donate, visit hsvfreedental.org or Community Free Dental Clinic on Facebook. The CFDC is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit partnered with United Way. u
