BAYBRIEF | EDUCATION
Swiger recusal KENNON: ‘I’M AT A LOSS FOR WORDS AS TO WHY THIS IS A QUESTION’ BY JOHN MULLEN ORANGE BEACH — Recusal or not, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon believes Angie Swiger should resign from her position on the Baldwin County School Board. Swiger has applied for one of the five spots on the new Gulf Shores School Board as the city prepares to form a school system independent of the county. “The minute she applied for the Gulf Shores position she should have resigned from the Baldwin County Board,” Kennon said. “Again, I’m at a loss for words as to why this would even be a question.” Elberta Mayor Jim Hamby is also calling on Swiger to resign. Upcoming are sensitive split negotiations between the Baldwin County School Board and the new system. At stake, officials familiar with school splits say, is everything — books, buses, desks and all manner of academic- and facility-related assets. “Since I have applied for a position on the Gulf Shores City School Board, I will recuse myself from any legal discussions involving the split or the negotiations if it’s appropriate to do so,” Swiger said in an email to media outlets. “My service on the board has always been based on honesty and transparency and I would never allow my participation to be legally or ethically questioned by creating a conflict of interest.” Kennon said Swiger being on the Baldwin County board puts her in a unique position. A recusal by itself, he said, is not enough. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Recusing herself has nothing to do with being privy to information. That’s my issue. How do you be an applicant for one board, sit on the other board that is negotiating with the other board you’re trying to get on and
think there’s not information being shared? I just think it’s unethical to even consider it.” Swiger is in her second term representing the southernmost district, encompassing Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Elberta, Fort Morgan, Ono Island and other incorporated areas. She feels she owes it to the people who put her in office to continue to represent their interests. “Whether I am selected for the new board or not, the communities of Elberta and Orange Beach still need strong representation,” Swiger said. “For more than three years, I have worked very hard to help the town of Elberta realize their dream of becoming their own feeder pattern; and Orange Beach will be transitioning to a feeder pattern as well. Those transitions can be difficult and both communities still need a strong voice. Whether that voice is mine or not is yet to be determined.” Earlier this month the Baldwin County Board of Education asked for an attorney general’s opinion on Swiger’s status. The county is asking if a board member can legally live in a city school district and serve on a county school board. There’s no timetable on when the county might receive an answer. “This isn’t about me, and it isn’t about Tony Kennon or Jim Hamby,” Swiger said. “It’s about the children of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Elberta, and I won’t be pressured into any action that isn’t in the best interest of those children. The worst thing I can do is leave the children and families of these communities without representation. They elected me twice to do a job for them and I’m going to do it.” If Swiger resigns or is appointed to the Gulf Shores board, the Baldwin County board would have 30 days to name her replacement.
BAYBRIEF | MOBILE
Back to the future
CITY PRESENTS PLANS FOR POSSIBLE CIVIC CENTER REDEVELOPMENT BY DALE LIESCH
T
he city came one step closer this week to answering a question that has plagued Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s administration for years: What should be done with the Mobile Civic Center? The city held an open house Nov. 13 to share four proposed concepts for the repurposing of the half century-old facility and the 22-acre site it sits on. During the open house, which attracted more than 350 participants, Stimpson recalled how tough it was initially to talk to citizens about the possibility of tearing the structure down and ridding the city of the millions of dollars in deferred maintenance costs. “It was like pulling out a cattle prod and hitting everyone,” he said. “Everyone took that cattle prod and hit me. We’re in this together.” While it appears completely tearing down the structure is no longer being considered, Stimpson did admit it would cost $20 million in maintenance to use the Civic Center as is and another $17.5 million over the next 10 years to further maintain it. The administration has hired commercial real estate firm CBRE, with architecture firm Gensler, to help the city develop a plan to repurpose the site while allowing some of its previous uses to flourish. One of the goals of the possible redevelopment is also to help the Civic Center compete with venues in Pensacola and Biloxi. The concepts range from leaving the center as is to developing a theater district. All the concepts
presented include mixed-use development. The “status quo” option, which would leave the structure as is, would mean the city would pay the deferred maintenance costs to bring the facility “up to snuff,” CBRE’s Bob Peck told the crowd. Under this plan, a portion of the parking lot would become part of a mixed-use development. “It would be a better site and be better able to compete with venues to the east and west,” he said. Another option would be to create an arts district with two possible phases. The plan would include extending Eslava Street. To the south there would be a mix of uses, including a smaller arts venue. To the west of Eslava Creek, the city would create a low-density residential district. In a second phase for the arts district, the Civic Center would be renovated and the low-density residential district would be expanded. A third option would be to create a new arena on the site. The plan would also include an expansion of Eslava Street with a new arena with seating for 5,000 to 10,000. The surrounding area could then be developed as a mixed-use facility and a theater district, or an office and retail development. The fourth option would provide for a mixeduse development with retail onsite. Following the presentation, those in attendance were able to chat with planners and provide their opinions on the concepts presented. The next step would be to create an RFP request for developers, Stimpson said. Redevelopment or construction could start as early as 2019. N o v e m b e r 1 5 , 2 0 1 7 - N o v e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 9