INSIDE: Betty Hayes tells us all what’s going on. Page 11.
SPORTS:
OPINION:
Badgers turn election around. Page 4
Reeltown defeats Dadeville. Page 12.
THE RECORD Serving the Dadeville & Lake Martin area since 1897
WWW.THEDADEVILLERECORD.COM
VOL. 119, NO. 14
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016
Residents sound off on Councill closure plan By MITCH SNEED Editor
A proposed plan to close Councill Middle School got a chilly reception Wednesday as members of the public sounded off to members of the Tallapoosa County Board of Education and Superintendent Joe Windle. The boardroom was packed with 45 people, most who came to learn more about the plan. Windle told the crowd that this isn’t an easy decision. He said that in his four years as superintendent
the idea has come up, but it hadn’t been considered. Windle again said the main reason considering the closure of Councill is the loss of students in the Dadeville area. “This year it came to the point where the number of students lost in the past few years brought it to a point where it made sense to at least look at it,” Windle said. “Yes, we’ve lost some to private schools and we all know who they are. But more than that, there just aren’t as many kids coming in as there once was, even a few years ago.”
There were plenty in the crowd who came to speak their mind too. Former principal Wayne Chase said he thinks this idea has been kept quiet for a reason and believes that it is not the right move for the students or Dadeville. “You should separate kids of that age from the high school students,” Chase said. “It just makes sense. “If closing middle schools is such a good idea then maybe Mitch Sneed / The Record we should go to Auburn City Schools, or Opelika, or Roanoke, Superintendent Joe Windle looks on as parent Amanda Williams or Sylacauga and see why they voices her concerns about young children being mixed in with much See SCHOOL • Page 5 older students if Coucill Middle School were to close.
Plans for Throw Away Day begin to shape
County tries to repair roads with limited funding By MITCH SNEED Editor
By MITCH SNEED Editor
The grassroots effort to keep all of Tallapoosa County clean is gaining steam as organizers and the public are making plans for the first-ever Throw Away Day on Saturday, April 23. Organizers like Lake Martin Resource Association President John Thompson says he has been impressed by all the creative ways that people all across the county have been finding ways to help with the effort. “I’m encouraged by the responses we’re getting from organizations and people who just want to help any way that they can,” Thompson said. “The more people you have, the bigger impact that can be made. We’re excited about the potential and where we are, but right now we are just trying to spread the word and hear from anyone who has an idea to help clean up See THROW AWAY • Page 3
Kenneth Boone / The Record
Hometown Grocery store manager Tim Canady, left, and store owner Mike Patel stand in the produce section.
HOMETOWN GROCERY
Dadeville Piggly Wiggly takes on new name, new pricing By KENNETH BOONE Publisher
Dadeville Piggly Wiggly is now Hometown Grocery. “We are doing things a new way and wanted a new name to go with it – something new for Dadeville,” said store owner Mike Patel. The grocery store is still located at 132 East Lafayette Street, however its pricing structure is now changed from “cost plus 10 percent” to a traditional grocery store pricing with sales items and everyday low prices,”
Patel said. “Look for our ads in a week or two.” Hometown Grocery Manager Tim Canady said, “We will be competitive with everybody else. We want to give our customers the highest quality product at the lowest possible price.” Canady said the new format will also bring more choices to the grocery shelves. “Variety will be a whole lot better,” he said. Hometown Grocery will offer twiceSee GROCERY • Page 3
No matter which Tallapoosa County Commissioner you talk with, they will all say the No. 1 issue that constituents approach them about is the condition of roads. According to state highway data, Tallapoosa ranks No. 16 in Alabama in terms of the number of miles of roads. Because the county is so large in terms of miles, and due to the nature of the areas around Lake Martin, dirt, tar and gravel and partially paved roads are plentiful. But funds to do what some wish could be done to those roads are not as abundant. “We have some roads that we simply can’t do the kind of things that really need to be done,” Tallapoosa County Engineer David Moore said. “It comes down to tough decisions. We have to spend the money we have where it will do the most good and impact the most people. That means a lot of times some issues that are less travelled have to wait or in some cases all we can do is patch the big issues.” Because road funds are linked to several sources that the county has little control over like the state’s gasoline tax, money is determined in part by the
Camp Hill Dadeville 4th-grader earns scholarship to Space Camp hires new parks director By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
The Camp Hill Town council started a trend with a second straight work session prior to Monday night’s scheduled meeting. The work session continued the discussion on job descriptions for the town’s employees and once again focused on the utility department. “I like where this is going,” Council member See CAMP HILL • Page 5
Cliff Williams / The Record
Dadeville Elementary School principal Chad McKelvey, teachers Leslie Loftin and Ben Gross pose for a photograph with fourth-grade student Ezekiel Hicks Wednesday. Hicks was selected to attend Space Camp on a scholarship.
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Dadeville Elementary School fourth grader Ezekiel Hicks could be an astronaut some day after attending Space Camp on a full scholarship this summer, he will know first hand some of what astronauts do. “I hope to learn more about the solar system,” Hicks said. “I like the moon, Mars, Pluto, really all the planets.” Hicks learned of Space Camp while looking for things to do this summer. DES teacher Leslie Loftin learned that Hicks had an interest in going and approached his science teacher. See SPACE • Page 5
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