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THE RECORD Serving the Dadeville & Lake Martin area since 1897
WWW.THEDADEVILLERECORD.COM
VOL. 119, NO. 15
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016
Councill closure dominates meeting
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
An exchange with Tallapoosa County Commissioner T.C. Coley about issues relating to the possible closing of Councill Middle School in Dadeville dominated Monday night’s meeting of the Tallapoosa County Board of Education. After the board had disposed with the business on its agenda, which did not include any item related to Councill, Coley was recognized by Tallapoosa
County Schools Superintendent Joe Windle and invited to ask the board any questions he might have or make comments. “Obviously most of the concern that we’ve heard as commissioners recently has been about the situation at Councill,” Coley said. “I had some questions myself and I’ve had a chance to talk with Dr. Windle and he has addressed most of those concerns. “A lot of the individuals who spoke at the meeting last week had concerns
about the interaction between younger and older students. Dr. Windle has addressed that with me by pointing out they have to deal with those issues already at Horseshoe Bend and, to a lesser degree, at Reeltown. He has said there would be no net impact as far as job loss, he has addressed the time frame for any closure or relocation of students and he has said that the board would keep the same leadership intact through the creation of an academy like they have at other places. And while the
Commissioners updated on new site for DHR building
Dadeville Council gets help with paving issue
By MITCH SNEED Editor
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Lafayette Street in Dadeville may be closer to finally getting paved after being held up for years due to the railroad crossing. Members of the council reached out to Congressman Mike Rogers whose Legislative Counsel Forrest McConnell wrote a letter back to the council. The letter stated that McConnell had communicated both with the Alabama Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern. It also stated that the project was on hold due to language from ALDOT that the railroad did not like. McConnell indicated that if ALDOT changed the language that Norfolk Southern would be agreeable to the project. The City of Dadeville had been at a standstill with the A-Trip project thinking it was the railroad. “Finally,” Councilman Mickey Tarpley said. “Maybe this will get things moving now.” Councilman Randy Foster See PAVING • Page 7
17,438 calls. “We take calls not only for the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department, but for New Site, Jackson’s Gap, Dadeville and Camp Hill,” Abbett said. One might think that dispatchers just sit at a desk and direct calls, but there is more to it. What happens when a medical call comes in? Does dispatch just sit there? “All of our dispatchers are emergency medical dispatch trained,” Abbett said. What that means is that dispatchers are trained to provide help over the phone,
A potential new site for a new home to Tallapoosa County’s Department of Human Resources building has been located and commissioners gave the thumbs up for taking the next step in the process. Tallapoosa County Administrator Blake Beck updated the commissioners on the progress at Monday’s meeting. “We have identified a piece of property and have had discussions with the owner,” Beck said. “We feel pretty good about it, but I need the approval of commissioners to get it surveyed and appraised. We will also ask the DHR folks to come down with engineers to make sure that it is suitable for them to build on.” The commissioners voted to allow the process to move forward. The Alabama Department of Human Resources asked the commissioners to help identify a site for a new building and secure the property last July. The city of Dadeville has also been active in the search. The city had suggested property it owns near Highway 280 behind the Subway across from Highway 49, but it was found to be unsuitable. So the search was resumed and Beck said the parcel being considered is in keeping with what DHR had asked for. Beck wouldn’t identify exactly where the site was located because negotiations
See DISPATCH • Page 5
See COMMISSION • Page 5
Cliff Williams/ The Record
Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department dispatchers Angela Sarver, left, and Elizabeth Griffith staff the phones in the department’s communications center Wednesday. The department has eight full-time dispatchers.
CALM UNDER PRESSURE
County dispatchers honored on Telecommunications Week By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
They are the lifeline of the county, dispatchers of the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department. This week is just for them as the week has been designated National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. “They are the first contact that many have with law enforcement,” Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said. “They work behind the scenes.” In 2015, eight fulltime dispatchers who provided services 24 hours a day received
First Baptist to host showing of ‘Woodlawn’
Bass fishing royalty visits Girls Ranch
Cliff Williams / The Record
Hank Parker, back left, and Nick Rauccio pose for a photograph with some of the girls of the Alabama Sheriff’s Girl’s Ranch in Camp Hill Wednesday.
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By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
In 1973, Birmingham was a city just a decade removed from the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church by Ku Klux Klansmen that killed four young black girls. Alabama’s largest city was also the same decade removed from the fire hoses of Bull Connor that tried to discourage blacks marching for their civil rights. See WOODLAWN • Page 7
commission has no position on Councill, we support the school system in this tight fiscal time in any efforts to tighten its belt.” Coley also tried to smooth over some misunderstanding that apparently occurred when the county commission questioned in December what the board had done to “tighten its belt.” Board member Michael Carter pointed out that, at that time, the board had only received about two months worth See EDUCATION Page 5
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Famous outdoorsman Hank Parker blindly accepted Nick Rauccio’s invitation to support The Boys and Girls Ranches of Alabama months ago by helping celebrate the ranches’ 50th anniversary. But after a visit to Camp Hill’s Sheriff’s Girls Ranch Wednesday, it became clear. “I am not real sure why I agreed to come,” Parker said. “I am a fisherman and this is very much out of my element, but I
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