Feb. 12, 2019 Alex City Outlook

Page 1

THE INSIDE, PAGE 3 Dog perishes in fire ACFD responds to Saturday

TUESDAY SPORTS, PAGE 11

Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892

BRHS vs. Chelsea, more area basketball inside

February 12, 2019 Vol. 127, No.30 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢

County project affected

Alexander City Police Department officer Orlando Daniels checks information on a laptop during a recent patrol. Daniels was recently named the Police Officer of the Year by the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce.

Commission gets disappointing news on courthouse square project in downtown Dadeville By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer

For nearly four years the Tallapoosa County Commission and the City of Dadeville have been working on plans to renovate the courthouse square in Dadeville but Monday the commission received news that could derail the project. “We opened bids at the end of the month,” Jeff Harrison with CDG Engineers and Associates told the commission at its monthly meeting Monday. “The low bid came in at $1.48 million. We were severely off the mark.” The county and city partnered in applying in 2015 and 2016 for TAP (Transportation Alternative Projects) grants with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). The City of Dadeville was going to provide $135,000 in matching grant funds and engineering fees and the county was going to provide $94,000 in matching grant funds and fees. With engineering fees and testing already paid for, the bid would bring the project to $700,000 over budget. Originally, the project was budgeted for $900,000 and was to include renovating sidewalks, moving utilities and landscaping. With the project both on county and city property and rights of way, the Tallapoosa County Commission and the City of Dadeville combined their projects to try and get more work done for the money. As the idea of the project progressed, so did the scope and eventually included an idea for one-direction traffic around the courthouse meaning portions of Cusseta and Tallassee streets would have to meet ALDOT requirements for a state road. Tests revealed work would have to be done to the base of those streets to bring them up to par.

Bravery in the face of danger Officer of Year Daniels’ response to shooting typical of dedication to duty, police chief says By RON COLQUITT For The Outlook

F

rantic calls of “Shots fired! Shots fired!” flooded the Alexander City Police Department’s dispatcher at midnight in late November 2018 and officer Orlando Daniels was first on the scene of the triple shooting because he was close enough to hear the gunshots. Daniels’ courage, quick thinking and enthusiasm for his work resulted in his being named Police Officer of the Year by the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce. Daniels, 29, said he thought fellow officers were trying to prank him when he got the word about the honor. “I was kind of surprised,” Daniels said. “I told (Alex City police chief Jay Turner), ‘I ain’t going to believe this until I see it in writing.’ He said, ‘Seriously, you’ve got it.’” See OFFICER • Page 9

Today’s

Weather

67 37 High

Low

Lake Martin

Lake Levels

483.78 Reported on 02/11/19 @ 3 p.m.

LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443

laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL

6

54708 90050

8

USPS Permit # 013-080

Ron Colquitt / For The Outlook

Daniels has become a leader in the patrol division and was praised for his response to a triple shooting in November as he went in without backup.

Community remembers Leslie Gaston at annual chili cook-off By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer

Saturday morning was a little different for 4-year-old Parker Ann Gaston as she got ready for the second annual Leslie Patterson Gaston Chili Cook-Off. Young Parker Ann rallied her grandmother Cindy Scroggins before the sun rose for an event the girl has been anticipating for months. “She parted my eyes with her fingers,” Scroggins said. “She was saying, ‘Wake up, the chill off is today, the chill off is today.’” Parker Ann is the daughter of Leslie Patterson Gaston, who passed away from an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) she suffered while giving birth to Parker Ann. The chili See CHILI • Page 10

Crestview Apartments

Cliff Williams / The Outlook

Leslie Gaston’s daughter Parker Ann serves up lemonade to help with the chili cook-off fundraiser held in memory of her mother Saturday.

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