MEMORIAL SERVICE SET
A LOOK AHEAD AT THE DADEVILLE CHRISTMAS TOURNEY. PAGE 12
THURSDAY
THE
The funeral for Officer Kelly Cotney will be held Saturday. See obituary notice, page 2 inside.
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 December 17, 2015 Vol. 123, No. 251 www.alexcityoutlook.com
City begins asphalt substance testing By MITCH SNEED Editor
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
Crews work along Church Street in Alexander City Wednesday, applying a substance designed to extend the life of pavement.
If you noticed trucks and workers on several city streets in recent days spreading what looked like sand – it was not preparation for any impending winter weather. Instead, the work was part of a new program approved by the city council and initiated by the Alexander City Public Works Department to test a substance that can help add life to asphalt roads.
Crews have been working along Church Street, Dadeville Road and Russell Road, areas that will be used as a pilot to see if the products can deliver the extended life that has been realized in other areas. “We are seeing results in other places where it extends the life of a road by a third or more,” said City Engineer and Public Works Director Gerard Brewer. “If we get that kind of result here, it will save a tremendous amount of money. This process costs just pen-
nies on the dollar compared to asphalt.” The process involves the spraying of an agent called Reclamite, which is billed as a preservative seal on the recently paved roads. On older roads where cracking is occurring, a compound called CSR is used, where it works as a resin to seal cracks and prevent further decay. “We are eager to see how it works,” Brewer said. “We feel pretty good about making that investment.
Dadeville PD investigates claims of business fraud By MITCH SNEED Editor
Mia Osborn / The Outlook
Dadeville Police Department investigators are searching for answers and residents have been calling in bundles claiming that a local business has ripped them off. Dadeville Police Chief David Barbour said that in the last week or so the department has 17 complaints alleging that an electronics repair business that was located on Highway 280 had closed without returning the customers’ devices and in some cases money that was left as See FRAUD Page 7
Mary Elizabeth Vardaman tests out a machine at The Coffee Corner in downtown Alexander City. Vardaman said the business will be open soon.
EXCITEMENT BREWING New Coffee Corner downtown preparing for full-fledged opening By MIA OSBORN Staff Writer
The weather may be cooling down but excitement is heating up in downtown Alexander City as people anticipate the opening of Main Street’s new business, The Coffee Corner. The busi-
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USPS Permit # 013-080
Lake Martin
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Reported on 12/17/15 @ 6 p.m.
Linda Shaffer, REALTOR® C: 256.794.4641 • W: 256.329.5253 shaffer@lakemartin.net 5295 Highway 280, Alexander City, AL
ness, which will be ready for a soft opening later this week, is owned by Alex and Mary Elizabeth Vardaman, who won the spot on Main Street in Alexander City’s first ever Missing Piece Business Competition. The Vardamans’ win in this sum-
mer’s contest secured them the DE General building at 107 Main with waived permit and licensing fees. In addition, the Vardamans received a start-up package valued at $100,000, including an advertising blitz from Lee See COFFEE Page 7
Commissioners start process for possible light at Hwy 34 & 49 By MITCH SNEED Editor
An intersection that has concerned area drivers for decades is again drawing calls for changes to improve safety. The intersection of Alabama Highway 49 and Alabama Highway 34 south of Dadeville is well traveled for people headed to residences as well as to points See INTERSECTION Page 3
Yeti cups are this season’s hard-to-get Christmas gift item By DAVID GRANGER Outlook Staff Writer
Every Christmas brings at least one popular gift that, because of its popularity, becomes almost impossible to find. It’s happened with the Tickle-Me Elmo doll, the Ferbie and with certain gaming consoles. But a cup? This year, the Yeti Rambler Tumblers, the insulated cups that keep cold drinks refreshingly cold and hot drinks almost unbearably hot – both for extended periods of time – have distinguished themselves as among the most difficult Christmas gifts to find. Yeti Ramblers are made from 18/8 stainless steel with double-wall vacuum insulation. The cups are tough and amazingly functional. But, as of Wednesday, the cups
weren’t even available on Yeti’s web site. Howver, the customer was given the option to leave an email address so they could be notified when the Ramblers were available. Russell Do-It Center has been a Yeti authorized dealer for several years. According to Scott Pearson, assistant manager of the Highway 22 store, it hasn’t had any Yeti Ramblers since early November. “We got about 60 then and it took us about a week and a half to sell them all,” Pearson said. “Everybody’s asking about them. They tell me we’ll have them a little bit after the first of the year, but I don’t know. The date keeps changing.” Randy Baker, store manager at Fish Tales on U.S. 280, another authorized Cliff Williams / The Outlook Yeti dealer, says his store hasn’t had the cups in three weeks. While they are silver and not gold, the search for Yeti cups has “They told us when we ordered in been like a hunt for the Holy Grail this holiday season as the See YETI Page 3 items seem to fly off shelves.