January 2022 | Volume 12 | Issue 8
THEHOMEWOODSTAR.COM
HOMEWOOD’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE
Hiking for Hope
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2022
Dan Sims to walk Appalachian Trail from Alabama to Maine to fundraise for pediatric cancer research.
See page A14
Top Performance
People walk along Shades Creek Greenway on Lakeshore Drive in Homewood. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Extension to Shades Creek Greenway tops 2022 priorities in Homewood By NEAL EMBRY
Project SAMson, a sports analytics and technology initiative, brings a new edge to Samford University’s athletics programs.
See page A19
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H
omewood residents looking for ways to get active, or just to get out and about, are in luck heading into 2022, with plans to extend the Shades Creek Greenway as well as adding sidewalks and a pocket park. Those projects are just a few of the top projects and developments heading to Homewood in 2022.
SHADES CREEK GREENWAY PHASE II
The second phase of the Shades Creek Greenway project will connect the existing trail that currently ends at the intersection of Columbiana Road and Lakeshore Parkway to the other side of Columbiana. It will extend down behind the Crescent at Lakeshore apartments, behind the businesses in the Wildwood area and ending at BioLife Plasma Services. The estimated cost for the project is about
Community...... A14 Sports............... A18 Opinion............ A28 Real Estate..... A29
$6 million, an 80-20 split between the Alabama Department of Transportation and the city of Homewood, which will be responsible for around $1.2 million, according to City Engineer Cale Smith. The plan is for the project to go out to bid this spring, Smith said, with ALDOT overseeing the bidding process. A timeline for the project’s completion is unknown at this time, Smith said.
See 2022 | page A30
Homewood’s David Clark starts journey as pro MMA fighter By ERIC TAUNTON
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David Clark, left, a professional mixed martial arts fighter, and Nick Guiditta run through a 3-minute sparring round while training at Spartan Fitness in Homewood. Photo by Erin Nelson.
When he wasn’t reading manga, studying or drawing in the library at his middle school, David Clark could be found reading about martial arts. Clark trains and coaches at Spartan Fitness, a martial arts and fitness gym in Homewood that teaches various fighting styles, including muay thai, boxing and jiu jitsu. He started learning everything he could about martial arts while in middle school, starting with “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” by Bruce
See CLARK | page A31