OPINION, PAGE 4
PAGE 7
Historical Society’s annual meetings approach
SPORTS, PAGE 12
A noble mission: Striving for perfection
Tigers defeat Elmore County
THE RECO CORD RD Serving the h Dadeville d & Lake Martin area since 1897
WWW.THEDADEVILLERECORD.COM
VOL. 120, NO. 1
LOOKING AHEAD: By CLIFF WILLIAMS and MITCH SNEED Staff Writer
Local elected officials have high hopes for the 2017 as city leaders enter the first full year of their terms. In Alexander City and Dadeville, optimism seems to be the theme. Mayor Wayne Smith thinks the New Year will be good for the citizens of Dadeville. “We want to remain positive and
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017
Local officials have high hopes for 2017
optimistic,” Smith said. “I am excited about the new year. We want to continue to move onward and upward and not take steps back. We want to keep making progress.” Smith points to a few projects in the works and the possibility of growth. “We are looking forward to the courthouse square renovation project and the Lafayette Street paving project,” Smith said. “We are hopeful
for industrial growth as well. We are in the mix for a new industry in the William Thweatt Industrial Park. I am also hopeful for another small industry to come to town as well.” Smith is also hopeful that the eyesore from the fire at Mott’s Woodyard will soon be taken care of. “We are meeting with the contractor Tuesday,” Smith said. “We are going to see what their plans See 2017 • Page 3
Cliff WIlliams / The Record
Mayor Wayne Smith speaks at the candidate forum before local elections last year.
TO SNOW OR NOT TO SNOW?
Commission partners with group to bring throw away day
County, state on the lookout for possibility of weekend flurries
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The second installment of an initiative to help citizens maintain clean homes, and a clean environment is set to take place through a twoday trash throwaway event held at locations in districts throughout the county. Tallapoosa County Commissioners have teamed up with a regional environmental group for the second year to place a dumping site in each of its five districts Jan. 9-10. District Three Tallapoosa County Commissioner John McKelvey said it was a good way for residents to get rid of items they normally could not through regular trash pickups. He said it was also a way to rid the county of illegal dumpsites, and said any amount of debris could be seen along the sides of a number of less traveled roads in the county. The Commission is working with the Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership (MTCWP) on the
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer Cliff Williams / The Record
The chance of a wintery precipitation seems likely for Friday and Saturday but as of now Tallapoosa County is just flirting with the possibility of a wintry mix. According to National Weather Service Meteorologist Gary Goggans, somewhere in Alabama will likely see winter precipitation. In Goggans’ Wednesday update with state leaders and first responders, he did not want to mention any accumulations just yet. “We are looking at the potential for winter weather Friday through Saturday,” Goggans said in the teleconference. “This is Alabama. Even a half-inch is a big deal. We are not going to mention any specific accumulations at this time.” Goggans explained a lot depends how and where the cold air mass from the north meets moisture coming from the south. “The cold front will move through Thursday night. Now, how this air mass moves is going to determine a lot of things and where we might see winter precipitation. We will see a disturbance along the gulf that will bring moisture into central Alabama so winter precipitation is going to be a possibility over a wide area across the state.” Goggans said there will be a transition zone that could stretch into and over Tallapoosa
A loader sits at Mott’s Woodyard to load the remaining logs following a Thanksgiving Day fire.
CLEARING SMOKE Mott’s Woodyard moving forward with cleanup “They were out there yesterday (Tuesday) removing logs,” Wilkerson said. “They are supposed to get them Dadeville residents are finally seeing out. Then start cleaning up, piling some stuff up and burning brush piles.” some movement on cleaning up Mott’s Another part of the cleanup is the Woodyard following a Thanksgiving several acres of mulch that the operation Day fire. has created – some of which is still A fire that required many volunteer smoking – six weeks later. firefighters, four Alabama Forestry “Then they are going to push out the Firefighters and others to control the mulch so that there are no big piles of blaze and is still smoldering today. it,” Wilkerson said. “We don’t have a Dadeville Fire Chief Keith Wilkerson way to put bunches of water on it. The met with the contractor that is renting only way is to tear it down with a track the property to help with Sabal Trail hoe, back hoe or bulldozer.” pipeline project Tuesday and now has Wilkerson explained that the burned an understanding of what their plan is to side will be extinguished by spreading clean up the property. By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
See WEATHER • Page 5
See THROW AWAY • Page 5
See FIRE • Page 3
Dadeville tree surgeon tells of some major operations By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Corey Arwood / The Record
Dadeville Arborist Jerry McGukin spoke to the Kiwanis Club about his trade, and his experience saving the trees of Eufaula’s historic district from a street expansion.
Weather
55 37 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
485.80 Reported on 1/04/16 @ 5 p.m.
LAKE AREA REALTY
A local arborist spoke recently about why municipalities need trees, the world of arboriculture and his experience with one Alabama city that reached a fever pitch over the widening of its historic tree-lined downtown. Jeffrey McGukin talked to the Dadeville Kiwanis Club members Thursday and walked them through the day-in-the life of a certified arborist, or someone who knows trees from canopy to root. “They get issues just like
Little Lambs
& Ivy
DAY SCHOOL
“A STATE TATE LICENSED ICENSED LEARNING EARNING CENTER” 6:30a.m.. - 5:30p.m 6:30a.m 5:30p.m.. • Monday-Friday
“Selling
Rhonda Gaskins, Broker ® Lake Martin” Cell: (256) 749-3644 rhonda@lakearearealty.net 440 N. Broadnax Street Q Dadeville, AL
we do and you know that’s one reason why a lot of people, they’ll hire me, or somebody like me to come out and inspect the trees to see if they’ve got issues that need addressing,” said McGukin. “It’s better to do it before that limb falls.” As an arborist McGukin is literally a tree surgeon, someone capable of diagnosing and addressing numerous issues with trees but treating them largely with chainsaws or hand sheers instead of a scalpel. He spoke at length about one such procedure he performed on a large scale with the city of Eufala. McGukin said during the
Ŷ ® ¦ ¡ ထ ª ¡£
• Ages 6 weeks to 12 years • 2 to 5-year-old learning curriculum • Breakfast and lunch program • Trained and CPR certified teachers • After-school & summer fun programs
580 E. South Street • Dadeville, AL • 256-825-9415
project he even stepped into new arboriculture territory through a procedure he used on a historic tree to save one of its large limbs by suspending it with cables from other points on the tree itself. “I get involved in some really unique projects from time to time and one of them was the Eufaula Highway widening, it was in every newspaper on every news station, everything,” McGukin said. “I got questions from family members, ‘you’re the one going down there and going to cut down all those trees?’” But McGukin said he was See KIWANIS • Page 3
Starting Friday:
Sing 3D – PG Underworld: Blood Wars 3D– R Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3D – PG-13