2
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Chamber
Champions
A Salute To Sylacauga’s Chamber Champions They Make Us All Winners
Good corporate citizens are a giving group, believing they should give back to the community they serve. This special group of extraordinary corporate citizens – our Chamber Champions – go the extra mile, investing in our mission and in our message. We salute them for their strong support of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce. Their extra effort provides the strong foundation on which we build. Thank you, Chamber Champions, on a job well done for your city and your chamber.
★★★★★ ★★ ★★★★★★★★★ ★★ ★★★★★ ★ ★ OMYA Alabama Imerys ★ ★ American Plant Service ★ ★ SouthFirst Bank ★ ★ Central Alabama Community College ★ Talladega County Economic Development Authority ★ City of Sylacauga ★ ★ Frontier Bank NA ★ Alabama Power Company ★ Nemak Alabama ★ ★ Blue Bell Creameries ★ ★ WalMart of Sylacauga ★ Curtis & Son Funeral Home ★ Sylacauga Utilities Board ★ ★ ★★★★★ ★★ ★★★★★★★★★ ★★ ★★★★★ 257307
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
3
Sylacauga Magazine 2009-2010 A product of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Table of Contents
Thriving Downtown.................................... 6 Fine Dining................................................. 8 New Chamber Leader............................... 12 Comer Library........................................... 14 Marble Magic............................................ 22 Museum and the Arts................................ 31 Things to Do in Sylacauga....................... 34 Recreational Opportunities....................... 36 Community Garden................................... 41 Focus on Education................................... 45 Sylacauga’s Promise................................. 48 Business Community................................ 52 Healthcare Progress.................................. 55 Helping the Hospital................................. 57 Profiles in Community Spirit.................... 61
Staff Editor
Carol Pappas Design Editor
Graham Hadley
Advertising Director
Pam Adamson Photographers
Bob Crisp, Brian Schoenhals, Nelda Vogel Writers
Denise Sinclair, Carol Pappas, Laura Nation-Atchison, Blair Hadley, June Winters, Chris Norwood, Brandon Fincher, Meredith McCay, Jonathan Grass Published by The Daily Home in partnership with the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce 17 W. Fort Williams St, Sylacauga, AL 256-249-0308 www.sylacaugachamber.com Cover photo by Nelda Vogel
4
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
About the cover
A foundation made from marble
Italian sculptor Rino Giannini Nelda Vogel photo
It started as a cultural exchange between the Marble City in Alabama — Sylacauga — and the Marble City in Italy — Pietrasanta. And it became a bond between the two that will last for some time to come. The Marble Symposium in Sylacauga was a part of the Cultural Exchange with Pietrasanta, Italy, sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. And the finished product was a sculpture carved on the cover of this magazine by noted Italian sculptor known to Sylacauga locals as Rino. He called the piece, “We Are All in the Same Boat” In Italian, it translates to: “Siamo Tutti Sulla Stressa Barca” “We all have the same work to do,” Rino explained. “At this moment, our boat is Earth. Pietrasanta is so far from Sylacauga, but at the same time, we are all on the same boat (Earth) with the same work to do: marble culture business and saving the purity of the Earth.” Through this precious stone, the two cities become one — all together in the same pursuit. Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
5
DOWNTOWN Sylacauga is growing and thriving Story by BRANDON FINCHER Many traditional downtown areas in both large and small cities across the country have been drying up from loss of business since long before the current economic recession. Often, those businesses will relocate to be closer to new areas of growth. But if that is considered to be the rule, Sylacauga is the big exception. Downtown continues to thrive with a nice mix of traditional “mom and pop” stores combined with national chain stores lining both sides of downtown streets. Coffee shops, restaurants, a fresh seafood shop and a bakery are all a part of the line-up along the city’s downtown streets. “I love what’s happening downtown because the more businesses that relocate downtown, whether it’s a restaurant or small business, it brings more activity downtown, and there’s a much warmer feeling, to me, than there’s been for a lot of years in downtown Sylacauga,” Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Director Carol EmlichBates said. Most Sylacauga downtown business owners agree with Emlich-Bates’ assessment. Kathy Ingram of Clothes Minded on Fort Williams Street said, “I think (downtown) gives you some of the history of Sylacauga. The whole layout of the town is really beautiful. There is a quaintness you can find here. We run a boutique specialty shop which is
6
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
complementary for the downtown area.” Charlie Simmons of Charlie’s Tops and Bottoms for Girls and Guys on Broadway Avenue said a downtown storefront makes sense when it comes time to pay the bills as well. “I think it’s a good place to be in business. Independent merchants can’t afford to be in malls and shopping centers. The rent is so high, not many independents could do it,” Simmons said. “Downtown is the most economical place to be.” Mona Carden of Carden’s Gift Cottage on Fort Williams Street said her business is benefiting from the expansion of local shopping options along Fort Williams Street. “The advantage of having a business downtown is you get to know the names and faces of your repeat customers, and you become their friend,” Carden said. Her relationship with customers led her to discover the need for embroidery in the area, so she started offering that service. “I am very happy to own my business in Sylacauga,” she said. In addition to the affordability downtown offers, Simmons likes it for several other reasons. “There is plenty of parking in back of the store, and on Broadway, there’s plenty of traffic and parking spaces there, too,” Simmons said. “Another reason is it’s close to the fire and police station. For break-ins and emergencies and things like that, it’s fairly secure. I like downtown for the older buildings as well. I think some of them are on the historic registry.” Ingram said the proximity of so many other businesses is a great help to her own business. “If someone who just needs to go to the pharmacy comes to town, there’s so many places on just two or three little streets, and it makes it easy for people to pop in to another store,” Ingram said. “We’re here for the hometown folks.” Emlich-Bates said the “mom-and-pop” stores naturally keep that hometown flavor, but even the bigger stores in downtown have managed to capture that kind of atmosphere. “I think it’s just vitally important that we keep that feeling.”
Quality Service Tradition
Carden’s Gift Cottage and Clothes Minded are two of Sylacauga’s downtown businesses.
First United Methodist Church
105 E. Spring Street Sylacauga, Al. (256)249-0362
Since 1950
www.griffinsjewelers.org
SUNDAY OPPORTUNITIES 7 am - Disciple Bible Study 9 am - Casual ‘n Christ (contemporary worship) 10 am - Sunday School 11 am - Traditional Worship 3 pm - Youth Activities 4 pm - Bible Studies 6 pm - Evening Worship
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
We’re on the web! www.firstmethodistchurch.com Check it out!!! WEDNESDAY OPPORTUNITIES 5:15 pm - Fellowship Meal 6 pm - Pastor’s Bible Study 6 pm - Youth Fellowship 6 pm - Children’s Activities and Studies 253273
7
The Best of
Fine Dining
8
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Inside Sylacauga’s white-tablecloth restaurant
Story by JUNE WINTERS
When you step into Buttermilk Hill Restaurant in Sylacauga, you instantly see fine dining at its best. One look at the snow-white linen tablecloths and linen napkins, and you realize you’re in for a wonderful meal served to perfection. There are small and large private dining rooms, a fullservice bar and a marble patio for dining al fresco, when weather permits. It’s truly “old Southern charm blended with new Southern cuisine.” The atmosphere lends itself to such occasions as bridal events, corporate dinners and “romantic dinners for two.” Located on Fourth Street in Sylacauga, the restaurant is housed in an old Victorian frame house built in 1904. Local artists adorn the house in local history, with every room featuring their handiwork. Scott Preston Smith and Kara McClendon Bacchi are owners of Buttermilk Hill. Scott is a native of Birmingham and realized at an early age he had a passion for cooking. He has perfected every dish that comes from his kitchen. Kara is also a native of Birmingham and lived in Italy for five years. Together, they make a great team for creating cuisine that can’t be found anywhere else in the area. Each table is set with chargers, and every meal is served to perfection. Sylacaugans agree it is the perfect place for celebrations of all kinds, as well as a place they love to go to relax and enjoy fine dining. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., for lunch, and dinner is served from 5 p.m., until 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. A typical entrée on the luncheon menu is sliced
Continued on Page 10
The wine selection at Buttermilk Hill
BLUE HORIZON TRAVEL Priscilla Cleveland Owner
(256) 245-7900 1-888-868-8661 Fax: (256) 245-4115
1393 Fort Williams Square Sylacauga, Alabama 35150
601 South Norton Ave. P.O. Box 1303 Sylacauga, AL 35150 227285
Email: bluehorizontravel@mysylacauga.com
256-245-0001
Locally owned and operated by Berry, Sandy and Adam Chance
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
249246
9
Fine Dining
sirloin coulette, cooked to order, with Stilton blue cheese, hot-house tomatoes and topped with croutons, shaved parmesan, spiced pecans and traditional Caesar dressing. Or perhaps you would like seafood. Then take a look at this: pan-seared mahi mahi, with caramelized shallots and lobster crème sauce, served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and haricot verts. Scott has created his own special desserts. The sweet cornbread, topped with fresh strawberries, sorghum syrup and fresh whipped cream and fresh
mint, which has been featured in “Southern Living Magazine.” When you place your order for your entrée, don’t be surprised when you are asked if you would like Scott’s special bread pudding for dessert. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare. The pudding is made with vanilla bean ice cream and topped with chocolate whiskey sauce. No one goes to Buttermilk Hill Restaurant just once. When you’ve finished your meal, you know you will be back. It’s dining at its finest.
GRIER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. CHRIS BENNETT, Car Audio & Video Installation & Service Specialist
freda@fredayork.com
10
257746
Visit www.sylacaugaliving.com Cell: 205-915-5580 • Fax: 256-249-4600 • Office: 205-991-6565 227157
•PAGERS •CELLULAR PHONES •HOME ENTERTAINMENT •TWO WAY & CB RADIOS •RAPAIR & INSTALLATION •CAR AUDIO SALES & INSTALLATION
Local Bill Pay Center For AT&T, Charter Communications, Alabama Power, Major Credit Cards, Approximately 100 Other Companies
875 Old Birmingham Hwy. • Sylacauga (256) 245-5055 • (800) 489-9093 • Fax (256) 245-1931 cgrier.griercomm@mysylacauga.com
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
243957
Excellent service and food in a refined atmosphere are the hallmarks of Buttermilk Hill.
Your Local Hometown Ford-Mercury Dealership At Jim Preuitt Ford-Mercury we offer big-city selection with small-town hospitality. When you are in the market for a new or pre-owned vehicle, come see the folks that give you the lowest prices with easy financing and great selection!
JIM PREUITT FORD
MERCURY
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
VISIT US ON LINE! www.jim preuittford.com
257339
723 East Battle St. • Talladega, AL (256) 362-6900 – 800-884-5211
SERVICE HOURS Monday-Friday 7:30 until 5:00 p.m.
11
Under New Leadership Chamber building on strong foundation
Carol Emlich-Bates
Story by MEREDITH McCAY she moved to Sylacauga in 1983, Emlich-Bates decided Carol Emlich-Bates loves Sylacauga, and when the opportunity to be executive director of its Chamber of Commerce came up, she didn’t hesitate to volunteer for the job. She recalls that a few executive board members were switching up positions when Joe Richardson resigned as executive director in April. Emlich-Bates remembers a group sitting in the back of City Hall discussing what the next step should be. Richardson said it should be to appoint an interim director. “It was an easy, logical choice for me to ask to be interim director and for them to appoint me,” EmlichBates said. “This job is everything I used to get to do at McDonald’s, (which she owned) without the hamburgers. I can be part of the community and give back to the community.” When the board eventually approached her about being the official new executive director, Emlich-Bates said she wanted the full board to vote, instead of just the executive board, so that she could be sure she had everyone’s support before taking the position. Since her early 20s when she lived in Indiana, EmlichBates had worked for McDonald’s with her first husband Rod Emlich. She had worked her way up from being an office employee in Indiana to owning a franchise with Emlich that involved opening five stores in and around Talladega County before his death in 1992, just three weeks before the opening of a store in Pell City. Emlich-Bates sold all the McDonald’s stores under her ownership in 1999, has been remarried for about 15 years and had obtained her real estate license in recent years. But she wasn’t enjoying real estate as much as she did making her McDonald’s stores a part of the community. She was searching for something more. After being involved with the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce and serving three terms on the board since
12
the best way to get back involved in her community would be to take the open position of executive director at the chamber and make it her own. “I really want to do this,” Emlich-Bates said. “I think I can make a difference, and I hope I can make a difference. Of course, this may be the scariest thing I’ve ever done. But I’m learning that if I bite off just a little at a time, it’s not as scary and I feel like I can make it.” Emlich-Bates hopes to see the chamber become healthy because she believes that is one of the vital stepping stones to growth in any community. She hopes the board will feel comfortable being active in the decision-making process by offering ideas about programs and projects. Membership growth is also something she wants to see so that the chamber will be as large as it has been in the past, before the economy entered tough times. “The goal, no matter the economy, has to be to stay positive,” Emlich-Bates said. “You can’t let the negative overwhelm you. No matter how bad the budget may get, you have to stay positive and know that any business experiences rough times. You’ve got to make it work with what you’ve got.” Emlich-Bates realizes some things in the chamber can never be the same as they were because it has to evolve with the times. She realizes this is not the world it was 10 years ago, and she is prepared to tweak some of the programs the chamber offers in the hopes of making those programs better and stronger. One thing she knows she can depend on are the “Chamber Champions” – banks, industries and other businesses that go above and beyond dues and membership fees to further fund the chamber and its programs. Emlich-Bates said their help is important now more than ever, when most are cutting their budgets instead of opening their wallets to help those with greater needs than their own. She said the city has been a great support as well, stressing that she does not envy any Council member the
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
job of deciding who to cut, what to cut or how much to cut from certain programs. Since Emlich-Bates just got started as director in May, she is still making discoveries about all the aspects of the city in which the chamber plays a role. Not only do businesses use the chamber facilities for training, new businesses considering moving to the area seek information from the chamber about the community and its schools to find out if Sylacauga is the right fit for that business. The chamber is also responsible for such programs as the Chamber Ambassadors and the Leadership Sylacauga classes that take place each year. Chamber Ambassadors are high school juniors and seniors who can experience their first taste of how a chamber works by volunteering at various chamber events. Leadership Sylacauga classes have worked hard to improve the community by creating such events as the “Taste of Sylacauga,” and “every class is the best class yet,” according to Emlich-Bates. But the most humorous role in the community for the chamber must be its role as community phonebook, entertainment guide and dictionary. If someone doesn’t know the phone number of a store or a neighbor, they call the chamber. If someone wants to know what movies are playing and what times they are being shown, they call the chamber. If someone doesn’t know how to spell karaoke, they call the chamber – and Emlich-Bates tells them to call Marble City Grill. “We have 25,000 people annually wanting to know more about Sylacauga,” Emlich-Bates said. “They view us as the resource for everything.” While she felt as if she were moving to a foreign coun-
try when she first came to Alabama, Emlich-Bates now could not imagine herself living in the North again. She has a stake in the community here because her son, one of her four children and a stepdaughter, was born in Talladega, and she cherishes every piece of advice she has been given since she arrived. When she wrote in to the Daily Home saying she wanted to subscribe to the paper just before moving here in 1979, she wasn’t expecting the advice that followed. She ended her letter about her subscription with, “If there are any problems, let me know.” What she got were 30 to 40 letters telling her about the various “problems” in Talladega as people read her letter in the “Letters to the Editor” section and decided to respond. One respondent offered her a house for rent, fully furnished with antiques. Emlich-Bates did not take the offer because she had small children at the time and couldn’t imagine trying to explain to her three girls why they couldn’t touch anything. Older residents of Sylacauga still stop by the chamber to offer advice, and Emlich-Bates said she enjoys the input. Being a businesswoman at heart, Emlich-Bates has some advice of her own to encourage small businesses, and urges the owners of those businesses to come to monthly meetings where they can network and hear from guest speakers who can offer words of wisdom. “The chamber gives back to the community, and that should be the goal for the businesses in town as well,” Emlich-Bates said. “I know the hardships for small businesses. Anyone who has a payroll has taken on a lot of responsibility. Our facilities are here to benefit them. And we are here to help them exchange ideas. We always have things going on.”
CHEAHA REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CENTER
SERVING TALLADEGA, COOSA, CLAY & RANDOLPH COUNTIES Intellectual Disability Programs Mental Health Programs Substance Abuse Programs 253247
EMERGENCY SERVICES 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK 256-245-2201
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
13
Beyond Books
Comer Library has it all covered
Sandra Stephens
Nelda Vogel photo
Story by DENISE SINCLAIR Library Services (IMLS) awarded Comer Library its Quality of life in a community is defined in a myriad of ways. In Sylacauga, at the heart of life’s quality is B.B. Comer Memorial Library — one of the best in the state and nation. Called a ‘beacon of light’ by a pre-eminent national organization, Comer Library’s light shines brighter every year as the library provides ‘big-city’ services to the small ‘Marble City.’ Several years ago, the Institute of Museum and
14
top award, the National Award for Library Service. This public library in Sylacauga — a town of less than 13,000 people — was one of four in the nation to be singled out for providing ‘extraordinary service to the community.’ Since that time — when the IMLS referred to Comer Library as ‘a beacon of light’ — the library has been renovated and expanded to more than 30,000 square feet, but the ambitious mission has remained the same, according to Library Director Dr. Shirley Spears. Thatt
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
mission is “to serve the people of the city of Sylacauga and the surrounding rural constituency from the ‘cradle to the grave’ with outstanding programs and services.” Dr. Spears says the key to the library’s success can be attributed to the combination of good city support coupled with partnerships that range from the national and state level down to local businesses, industries and community individuals who volunteer and join the library’s foundation. They play a large part in the quality of service offered by Comer Library. “No small town has a tax base large enough to carry the entire financial burden of broad, free public library service, particularly when a large, surrounding rural area is served. When the economy goes down, public library use goes straight up. So the only avenue to ‘extras’ is through partnerships and collaborations,” Dr. Spears said. Last year, 1.4 billion people visited libraries in the United States, and the statistics indicate
Continued on Page 16
SHOP ‘N’ FILL FOOD MART WEST PARK ST.
B
FT. WILLIAMS
SYLACAUGA COUNTRY CLUB #1 Fairway Drive ~ P.O. Box 430 Sylacauga, AL 35150 ~ 256-249-8075
BROADWAY AVE.
BOWDEN OILwww.bowdenoil.com COMPANY, INC.
Hwy. 280 West, Sylacauga, AL 35150 256-245-5611
257734
Proudly serving Talladega, Tallapoosa, Coosa, Chilton, Shelby & St. Clair Counties since 1955 with quality ChevonTexaco gasoline and products.
228081
HWY. 280
ACCEPTING MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
BOOKINGS AVAILABLE FOR • Christmas Parties • Class Reunions • Wedding Receptions • After Rehearsal Dinners • Birthday Parties • Pool Parties • Golf Tournaments • Other Special Occasions
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
15
Beyond Books The Richard J. Comer Center at the library
16
the economic climate pushed the number of Americans who have library cards to more than 68 percent. Dr. Spears said more than 70,000 of those visits were to Comer Library in Sylacauga, which has fewer than 13,000 people. “Over 30,000 cardholders can use Comer Library seven days a week with over 30 public-access computers available and almost 100,000 volumes of books on the shelves,” she said. The caring and dedicated library staff offers services to the mentally challenged, seniors in care, home-schooled children, after-school groups, child care centers, public school students, and the business and industrial community. Dr. Spears praised the Alabama Public Library Service for its wise use of federal funds and the Legislature for its help making so many extras available to all public libraries. The library director said, for example, Homework Alabama offers live tutoring for students of all ages, Learning Express offers more than 300 online practice tests, and the Alabama Virtual Library offers millions of
dollars worth of authentic databases for library users of all ages. Dr. Spears pointed out that many people expressed concern that the Internet would replace the public library. But she sees the Internet as a huge part of what the library offers — a wonderful promotional tool that helps the library stay relevant. “People need help with that great big unregulated source that has been characterized as 1 1/2 miles wide but only 1 1/2 inches deep. And the library staff can direct them to authentic databases like the incredible new Alabama Online Encyclopedia.” Dr. Spears says librarians, city council members and county commissioners from numerous towns throughout the state have visited Comer Library during the past five years. “They want to see our beautiful facility, but their main objective is to hear about the range of services that makes us a big part of the cultural and educational heartbeat of the greater Sylacauga community.
Continued on Page 18
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Fairmont Realty Company
fairmont@mysylacauga.com
www.fairmont-realty.com
Sylacauga’s Professional Realtors For 50 Years! 208 North Broadway Avenue • Sylacauga, AL 35150 Office (256) 249-8574 • Facsimile (256) 249-0169
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
REAL ESTATE • Residential •Rentals • Commercial •Lease • Industrial • Land
GREGG TUBBS – Owner/Broker Cell - 256-872-4663 Home - 256-245-8832
CARMON LEACH
Realtor Cell - 205-283-3788
ROBIN BROOKS – Realtor Cell - 256-334-1221 Home - 256-377-1221
PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE
KIMBERLY WILLIAMS Realtor Cell - 256-510-4628
RICHARD BOWEN
Realtor Cell - 256-267-0307
TARUS TWYMAN
Realtor Cell - 205-965-2600
MARY BENNETT
Realtor Cell - 256-267-6885
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
227142
Find Your Dream Home on line at www.fairmont-realty.com
17
Beyond Books
Dr. Spears spoke of the extra services the library partners to bring to the community. They include: • Better Beginnings with baby’s first book and information on the importance of reading to children. • Story-Time-to-Go kits for local child-care centers. • Enrichment and entertainment for Arc clients. • Enrichment programs and activities for the Bridges after-school program and the Teen Advisory Council. • Cultural Arts to the Schools (CATS) — onsite programs for area schools. • Books for Summer Reading Lists and Accelerated Reader programs for area schools • Public Story Hour each week for pre-school children. • Taking it to the Children on-site story hour for Head Start students and Drew Court residents. • Brown Bag cultural arts programs at noon during the winter, spring and fall quarters. • Highlights for Seniors with outreach to senior citizens in care. • Community Links with health information from Coosa Valley Medical Center. • Almost 100,000 books and an array of newspapers and magazines. • Financial services with access to Morning Star and Value Line. • Web site service with access at home to the library’s catalog and a variety of genealogy databases which include Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest. • Meeting rooms for in-service and educational meetings with state-of-the-art technology. Dr. Spears said Comer Library and other public libraries across the state and nation level the playing field for the underserved. “They are the one constant all Americans — regardless of age or economic status — can count on, particularly in hard times,” she said. Studies in states similar to Alabama, Dr. Spears explained, indicate for every $1 invested in library service, $6 to $7 is returned to the economy. “Public libraries give donors and sponsors the opportunity to get down to the grassroots level and invest in the community,” the library director stressed. Comer Library’s state-of-the-art facility, manned by a dedicated staff, offers programs and amenities not usually seen in a small town. Its history dates back to the early 1930s.
Humble beginnings
The library rose out of the ashes of the Great Depression in 1936 when 23 organizations led by the Sylacauga Rotary Club met to discuss “the time being ripe for the creation of a library.” The library evolved from 250 donated books placed in the back room of a local bank to today’s broad, free public library service to parts of several counties. It stands as an example, Dr. Spears said, of the importance of combining city support, grant money, citizen involvement and sponsorships from business and industry. The library was nurtured by the city of Sylacauga, which gave $4,250 seed money, $50 a month for operations, and the appointment of an energetic board of interested citizens to run the library. The tiny library moved from place to place in those early years, but in 1938, the Works Progress Administration
18
Library Director Dr. Shirley Spears (WPA) set up the largest WPA library project in the state in Sylacauga. A $28,000 WPA grant in 1939 helped build a new building to house the library. Avondale Mills’ Comer family gave $5,000 to furnish the library, and the name was changed from Sylacauga Public Library to B.B. Comer Memorial Library in memory of the late Gov. B.B. Comer. From the beginning, the library was part of the ‘big picture’ of the Sylacauga community, and as the years passed, the WPA building became inadequate During the early 1970s, Sylacauga was ready with blueprints and land, and in March 1979, Comer Library moved into its present building. The federal grant provided $592,000; the city donated prime downtown property and $218,314, while Avondale Mills gave $75,000 for furnishings. Comer Library quickly outgrew its facilities and over a period of more than seven years, Dr. Spears and the library staff planned for an expansion. In 1991, a library foundation was formed to raise funds for the betterment of the library’s service and to provide seed money for a renovated and expanded facility. The foundation raised $1.5 million toward the project that started in November 2002. Comer Library relocated to a temporary site in a store downtown, and in December 2003, it moved back into
Continued on Page 20
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
For over 50 years the Sylacauga Utilities Board has been providing electric, natural gas, water and sanitary sewer services to our community. In 1999, we added high speed and wireless internet access to that list. We are proud to be your locally owned and operated utility. If you have any questions about our services, please give us a call.
Billing Office: 256-249-8501 Operations Center: 256-249-0372 Email comments and questions to: sub@sylacauga.net
UTILITIES BOARD CITY OF SYLACAUGA 301 North Elm Avenue • Sylacauga, AL 35150
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
227140
19
Beyond Books
Coveted art collection showcased at library
Amy Price Nelda Vogel photo
an expanded 39,000-foot library and conference center. Today, Comer Library continues to be a ‘beacon of light’ in the Sylacauga community and other counties as it provide free services to thousands of people.
Preserving history for the future
20
Future plans at the Comer Library include a Business, Industrial and Religious History Center. The library has digitized the “Avondale Sun” newspaper from 1924 forward and published “A Brief History of Sylacauga Marble”. Dr. Spears said the library will begin collecting original documents, recollections of individuals and other information about downtown stores, local industry and area churches. “So much of our local history has been lost, and we want to preserve as much information as possible for future generations. We will be seeking a sponsor for our center,” she said The library is open seven days a week. Its hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The library is located at 314 N. Broadway Ave. For more information on the library, call 256-249-0961 or visit its Web site at www.sylacauga.net/library.
The library staff and board members are particularly proud of the art and sculpture housed in the Comer Library. In 2007, Stephen Felker gave the library the historic Avondale commercial art collection. The 18 original paintings by Douglass Crockwell, which ran as advertisements in the 1948 Saturday Evening Post, detail important occasions in the lives of families of many of the employees of Avondale Mills in Sylacauga, Alexander City, Birmingham and Pell City. “The Crockwell paintings are on permanent display, and people come from all over the country to see the beloved, historic paintings. We are happy to have them as well as the other 125 original works of art in Comer Library. “We value the library, and the paintings add to the beauty of our building and permeate the consciousness of the people who come to the library.” Paintings are not the only works of art found among Comer Library’s treasures. The library acquired, We Are All On The Same Boat, a sculpture from pure white Sylacauga marble carved by visiting Italian sculptor, Rino Giannini, and displayed in the Lane Family History Center.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
THIS is THE PLACE you want to be......
SYLACAUGA - 126 N. Norton Ave.
TALLADEGA - 301 W. North St.
When YOU Need A Full Service Bank... Checking Accounts Savings Accounts Certificates of Deposits Auto, Recreational Vehicle Loans Residential, Commercial Mortgages SouthFirst Bank opened in 1949 and has continued serving the banking needs of these communities with friendly and high standards of customer service. We are a local Community Bank...Strong, Safe and Secure. We welcome the opportunity to show you how much we care.
SYLACAUGA 126 N. Norton Ave. 256-245-4365 Member
FDIC
TALLADEGA 301 W. North St. 256-362-6101 www.southfirst.com 253246
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
21
Carving out a niche It’s not the “Marble City” by chance Story by LAURA NATION-ATCHISON
Sculptors from Alabama and around the world converged on Sylacauga for the Marble Festival.
22
Working artists scattered all over town in April, working with the pure white marble that has made the city of Sylacaga famous. There was Italian sculptor Rino Giannini, working hands-on in his hometown of Pietrasanta, Italy’s sister city to Sylacauga. And the two together translated into the city’s first Magic of Marble Festival. Events for the Marble Festival took place over two weeks, celebrating the history of the industry and its importance commercially as well as in the arts. “The idea for the festival grew from working with the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Retiree and Tourism Committee,” said
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Continued on Page 24
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
23
Marble City Officials stand to honor both countries.
Ted Spears, who serves as president for the Sylacauga Arts Council and chairman of the Magic of Marble festival. The committee was looking for an avenue of attracting people to the area and was approached by Ralph Froshin from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. “He wanted to know if Sylacauga would be interested in an international program with Italy,” Spears said. So Spears spoke with the arts council board of directors and Sylacauga Mayor Sam Wright and the city was on its way to its connection with the Italian city known for the same high-quality white marble that Sylacauga has. Spears credits the reputation of the city’s arts
24
council and the support it receives from the community as part of the reason the state organization approached the council. Mayor Wright and his wife visited the city of Pietrasanta in 2008 prior to the Magic of Marble Festival. They were part of the State Arts Council’s Freedom Delegation that traveled to Italy. During the Magic of Marble Festival, 19 Italian officials and artists visited Sylacauga for a day of celebration April 28, 2008. The group toured three of the area’s marble quarries, saw displays of marble products in place at B.B. Comer Memorial Library, had a truly “American” lunch
Continued on Page 26
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
25
Marble City at Sylacauga’s Marble City Grill and were honored with a citywide reception held at J. Craig Smith Community Center. It was during the reception that Wright and Pietrasanta Mayor Massimo Mallegni signed a Pact of Friendship. The event did even more than feature the city’s claim to pure-white marble, Spears said, it had a broad effect on the community. “It gave us a focus for a tourism component,” Spears said. “And an opportunity to establish an educational program.” Students at NicholsLawson Middle School in Sylacauga are involved in a pen pal program with middle school students in Pietrasanta, and this year, they are using computers to converse “face to face.” Part of the importance of the conversations between the students is that this group of young people is living in a much smaller world, Spears said. “It’s a smaller world than the one we grew up in,” he said. “They will be competing for jobs internationally. It’s important our kids have the opportunity for cultural awareness, and there’s also the language component. What we hope will follow is visits back and forth, a student exchange program in which they can actually visit each other’s communities.” In addition to the working artists, last year’s festival brought international performing talent to Sylacauga. There was a performance from Adria Ferrali
Another sculptor works on one of the pieces created at the Marble Festival.
Continued on Page 28
26
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
MONEY-SAVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY TIP No. 21
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF A COMPACT. By LaClaire Carter Alabama Power Engineer
You’ve heard all the talk about compact fluorescents. The good news
Compact fluorescent facts
is, most of it’s true. They’re easy on the budget. And easy on the planet. Regular old incandescent bulbs have
Compact fluorescent lamps
served us well. Or have they? Guess
than incandescent bulbs.
they were better than nothing, but consider that only 10% of energy used by incandescent bulbs is turned into
(CFLs) use up to 75% less energy
CFLs can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
The two facts mentioned above
light. The other 90% is converted into
come to life when you consider
heat. I’m sorry but in these days of
of 6% on your electric bill.
that lighting makes up an average
rising energy costs, 10% efficiency just doesn’t cut it. Take a look at some of those facts we’ve got printed on the right.
Converting incandescent to compact fluorescent
You’ll see that compact fluorescents (or CFLs) make a lot of sense. Incandescent
Compact Fluorescent*
60 watts
15 watts
75 watts
20 watts
90 watts
23 watts
100 watts
28 watts
And if you tried them a couple years back and found them to be too dark or too flickery, give them another shot. Manufacturers worked out most of the kinks in the past year or so. For more tips on compact fluorescent bulbs, visit AlabamaPower.com/tips.
* This comparison is an approximation.
The actual lumens or light output may vary from bulb to bulb. ©2009 Alabama Power Company
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
27
Marble City Italian sculptor Rino Giannini working on We Are All On The Same Boat.
Nelda Vogel photo
28
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
and the New Dance Drama Company and a concert of Puccini’s arias given to an audience of 700-plus by Mimma Briganti and the musicians of the Fondazione Festial Pucciniano. At B.B. Comer Memorial Library, library director Dr. Shirley Spears and her staff put together a four-part lecture series for the occasion, providing information about Sylacauga marble and the history of the stone. The Library Foundation even produced a book, “A Brief History of Sylacauga Marble,” written by Ruth Cook of Birmingham. Giannini left his piece created in Sylacauga in the city, and now it’s in the Lane History Center at Comer Library for everyone to enjoy. The piece is titled “We’re
257723
Continued on Page 30
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
29
Marble City All in the Same Boat,” representing the basic unity there is among all people. The Sylacauga Arts Council purchased another sculpture, “The Falling Star,” done by sculptor Don Waller of Kentucky, which represents the artist’s conception of the famous meteorite that fell on Sylacauga. The piece is done in Sylacauga marble and is now on the grounds of Sylacauga’s municipal building. The Marble Festival for 2010 is already set for March 24-27 and will have even more to offer. There’s an arts and crafts show planned for Comer Museum and Arts Center along with a student art show as well, a Marble City Run being organized by the Sylacauga Recreation Department, another lecture series at Comer Museum, and research on the history of marble will continue at Comer Library. Plans include an observation deck at local quarries, events at Blue Bell Creameries and again, there will be visiting sculptors working in beautiful white Sylacauga marble. Actually, the Chalaka Arts Festival, which hasn’t been held for several years, is going to be held again as part of the festival, Spears said. There also will be student art shows, with the emphasis being put on marble.
A special book detailing the history of the marble industry in Sylacauga
30
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Promoting the
Arts Council, museum are up to the task
Arts
Story by Laura Nation-Atchison The Sylacauga Arts Council works throughout the year to provide scholarships for youths in the area, for art supplies and to provide performers for the yearly Miss Sylacauga Pageant. This year, the council is making grants available to students with interests in dance, drama, photography and painting. The students submit a proposal to the council to apply for the grants. The council also arranges for students to attend performances of professional theater groups and symphonies, sometimes bringing the productions to town to perform. “It been proven that students who are exposed to the arts and humanities do better in a number of ways, Arts Council President Ted Spears said. “And in life, as well.”
Continued on Page 32
This wood carving of a Native-Amrican is just one of the many pieces of art on display at the museum.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
31
the Arts
Museum home to special works
From metal sculptures to paintings, a wide variety of mediums can be found at Comer Museum.
Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center is a place to find more arts activities in Sylacauga, with monthly exhibits, art lessons and special arts events taking place. The museum has been in place since 1985 and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Its permanent collection includes pieces of Sylacauga marble carved by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti, who sculpted Birmingham’s Vulcan, and other marble sculptures, along with paintings and other pieces. Monthly exhibits have been scheduled through April 2010. October brings the annual Artists Selects exhibit, with featured
SYLACAUGA PROMOTIONAL BUILDING #3 SYLACAUGA, TALLADEGA COUNTY, ALABAMA
SB Pinkerton Industrial Park 471 Billingsley Road
Calvin Miller, Executive Director PO Box 867, Sylacauga, AL 35150 Phone: 256-245-8332
millercalv@tceda.com www.TCEDA.com
32
Building Details x
60,000 square feet
30’ Eave — 32’ Maximum
x
Price — $1.4 million
Adjacent to airport
x
Total Acres — 10
x
Within 78 miles of four automotive assembly plants
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Building Expandable
the Arts
artist Chris Hartsfield. A watercolorist, Hartsfield is a Sylacauga native. In November, the museum hosts a Local Artists Expo, with the work of more than 70 artists featured. It’s an Old Fashioned Christmas at Comer Museum in December, and spe-
cial events will be announced. The memorial exhibit from LaBron comes in January, and there will be a Black History Month exhibit in February. The Pleasant Hill Painters will be featured in March, and in April, there will be art from students in Sylacauga Schools.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
33
10 Things To Do Or See in Sylacauga Before You Die
1
GO ON A TOUR …at Blue Bell Creameries Ice Cream Plant.
2. TAKE A HIKE …on the Sylaward Trail or in Veteran’s Park.
3. GET A VIEW …of the Crockwell Paintings Collection at B.B. Comer Memorial Library.
34
4. GET MOVING …at the skateboard park or the BMX bike track.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
6. TAKE A VISIT …to the origin of the Marble City’s marble industry at Gantt’s Quarry.
7. SPEND A NIGHT …under the lights at the Marble City Classic, Aggies vs. Tigers. 8. CHECK IT OUT …at the Jim Nabors Museum and see the hometown boy made good collection.
5. PLAY A ROUND …at FarmLinks or Sylacauga Country Club.
9. GO FISHING …at Lake Howard or along the banks of the Coosa River.
10. TAKE A STROLL …on downtown streets, lingering for coffee, dessert, a home-cooked meal, a day of shopping or an evening of karaoke.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
35
Sylacauga’s Recreation
OPTIONS Trails, tracks, parks add to city’s past time
36
Sylaward Trail at Lake Howard Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Story by MATT QUILLEN A road lined with trees opens up to a view of Lake Howard as you drive toward the Sylaward Trail. The lake’s inlets are set against a backdrop of green in September, formed by the outskirts of the Talladega National Forest. A sign marking the trail sits waiting as you come to the wooded area; a pavilion with picnic tables and grills sits on the right. Traveling up the trail, the lake view begins to fade below the sloping hill, as you move into denser and denser forest. The sun barely breaks through from above the winding path. Be sure to wear your hiking boots. While your track is clear, the terrain is rocky. There are no sidewalks to be found along this trail.
BMX track, skate park draw adventurous crowd
Travel roughly eight miles toward downtown, and you will find large mounds of neatly formed red clay. Another type of track, this one is not for travel on foot. Come on the right day, and you can see racers of all ages on their BMX bikes, circling, riding up and over the man-made obstacles. If your favorite recreation involves four wheels and a deck, the skate park sits right across the street by the playground.
Sylacauga’s skate park
Continued on Page 38
World’s leading producer of industrial performance minerals 1301 Gene Stewart Blvd.•Sylacauga, AL
256/249-4901
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
37
Recreation OPTIONS Recreation emphasized in city
The attractions in the city of Sylacauga have something for any age group. In recent years, upgrades and additions have been made to South Highland Park, Beth Wallace Yates Park and Fairmont Park to go along with the Noble Park and Central Park projects. Parks and Recreations Director Jim Armstrong is the authority on the places to see in the city. He has overseen the park endeavors for the last six years, including the city’s “jewel” in Lake Howard. “I call it Sylacauga’s diamond in the rough,” Armstrong said. “It’s hard to believe that right here in the city of Sylacauga you have got a 150-acre lake. In the spring and into the early summer when the mountain laurel are blooming, the banks will just be absolutely gorgeous.” The Sylaward trail at Lake Howard, named by a local student by combining “Sylacauga” and “Howard,” had its grand opening earlier this year. The twisting trail runs around 14 miles throughout the forest. The project was made possible through a joint venture with Sylacauga and the U.S. Forestry Service. Armstrong said the city funded the project while the forest ser-
Lake Howard
SYLACAUGA HOUSING AUTHORITY Established In 1941
415 West 8th Street • Sylacauga • (256) 249-0381
“Serving Sylacauga’s Affordable Housing Needs For 68 Years” 257740
38
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Recreation OPTIONS vice oversaw the work. “Because it’s a national forest, you have got to make sure that you’re not disturbing a natural habitat,” Armstrong said. “We had to go out and walk the woods and GPS. We had to have somebody come out and blaze the trail, and you had another group that had to come in and make sure the trail was in the right place, to keep silt from going into the lake. It was a process.” Maps are made available at the Sylaward entrance. Armstrong said signs are also posted to help travelers stay on the right path. But the trail is long. “We have had a few people that have” gotten lost he said. “Luckily, you can get a little cell phone reception. They called and said, ‘I don’t know where I am,’ so you have to try to guide them out.”
Programs aimed toward youths
A kink rail, a pyramid, a roll-in and a quarter pipe: these are some of the pieces that skateboarders are familiar with at Noble Park. The BMX course and skate park have
Continued on Page 40
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
39
Recreation OPTIONS
Other Sylacauga parks and attractions Beth Wallace Yates Park tennis center, volleyball Central Park Fairmont Park walking track, basketball court, playground equipment Pinecrest Park walking track South Highland Park basketball court, playground equipment
Sylacauga’s BMX bike track
40
added an element aimed at teenagers and young adults to the family friendly grounds. The BMX course has races scheduled throughout the year, bringing in competitors from around the state and beyond. The skate park offers skateboarders, bicyclists and roller bladers a place to practice their craft without taking up the stairs of City Hall and other areas around town. “It’s pretty nice,” 15-year-old Trent Gardner said. “There are a lot of kids that come here and skateboard, hang out. It’s pretty cool.” The park is a big hit with out-of-towners, too. Alexander City resident Brandon Jones said it is a great place where people can skate legally. “It’s the enjoyment of skating,” he said. “The trip to
the skate park is well worth it. I spend time with my friends, throw out our tricks, compete against one another and have fun.” These are just some of the examples of what Sylacauga has to offer for residents and guests. Armstrong said that the recreation opportunities add to a town that already has a lot to offer. “I think we offer a good quality of life here,” he said. “Not only do we offer a good park system for families to enjoy, we have a good school system. We have good restaurants. “There’s not many towns with 13,000 (people) that offer as many parks and green spaces as we do. … I can’t see why anybody would want to live anywhere else.”
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Communitywide Knollwood Christian thirdgrader Abby Leach harvests okra on a field trip to the garden.
Story by BLAIR HADLEY It is easy to look sharp when things are going well. It is far more telling to see the mark of character when times are tough. While it is no secret that economic times have been hard of late, the manner in which Sylacauga, as a community, responded to those times cannot be exemplified more than by the Sylacauga Grows community garden. One of the biggest needs identified by the city of Sylacauga during the economic downturn was one of the most basic – the need for food. To answer the call rang communitywide, and a 5acre plot was set aside to be plowed and tilled so that life-sustaining staple crops could be planted, sewn and
Continued on Page 42
Green Effort Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
41
Green Effort harvested for the good of those who might have gone hungry otherwise. Numerous private and public organizations lent a hand to address the need. With the blessing of the City Council and spearheaded by the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, the Sylacauga Grows community garden was laid out on a plot of land made available by the Sylacauga Housing Authority, said SAFE Executive Director, Margaret Morton. “When Sylacauga was facing significant unemployment and the jobs that left after Vertis closed and some of the other businesses closed, the Chamber of Commerce sponsored a job fair at the Jay Spencer Community Center that more than 1,500 people attended,”
Lead gardener Bill Roberts teaches students from Knollwood Christian School how to plant turnip greens.
Libraries Change Lives… Libraries Build Communities… Visit Your
B.B. Comer Memorial Library Often! 314 North Broadway Avenue, Sylacauga, Alabama 35150
256 249-0961
www.sylacauga.net/library
42
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
248395
Morton said. “What we did was put together a survey for those who were most in need. The intent was to connect with those individuals and find out what their greatest needs were, and one of the greatest needs was food. “So, as we began to strategize about how we might fulfill that need, we knew we had the Care House, which is a faith-based initiative with a clothes closet and a food pantry,” Morton said. Working together as a group, Morton and several other civic leaders, including Sylacauga Mayor Sam Wright, developed the concept of the Sylacauga Grows community garden based on a similar project in Birmingham called the Jones Valley Urban Farm. “A group of representatives from Sylacauga went to Jones Valley Urban Farm, and basically we were committed to see that happen in Sylacauga,” she said. “Our goal then became to provide produce and help the community through farming and education.” That goal would come to be realized in a remarkable fashion. People of all ages, all walks of life and social groups came together, and working side-by-side, they planted, grew and harvested more than 2,000 pounds of produce and about 1,700 ears of corn, Morton said. Morton said most of the harvest was given away and the rest was sold at a reduced rate. “We wanted to be able to get free produce to the
Okra was one of many summer crops planted this year.
Continued on Page 44
Your Community Bank Where We Value Our Customers and Our Community
101 West Fort Williams Street s Sylacauga, AL s (256) 245-6099
Extended Hours Lobby Hours
7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Drive In Hours
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Saturday
www.alatrust.com Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Member FDIC
43
Green Effort most needy in the community,” she said. “We created vouchers that individuals and families could use at the Care House. Those vouchers were for 6-pound bags of mixed produce. That did not include corn. We also gave away about 14 ears of corn per family.” What wasn’t given away was sold in 6-pound bags for $5 apiece, she said. Morton said one of the key people from the community to lend a hand was retired landscaper Bill Roberts, who volunteers much of his time there as a lead gardener. While Roberts does not like to brag, he was happy to share his enthusiasm for Sylacauga Grows. “What I’m hoping is that every city in Alabama will do this,” Roberts said. “It really is a no-brainer.” Roberts said that one of the things that made his efforts the most worthwhile was seeing the way the garden has helped people, not just by feeding them, but by improving they way they feel about themselves. “It’s been a joy to work with every single person,” he said. “I think the first thing that happens when people face challenges like being unemployed is they feel like they aren’t worth anything, and nothing could be further from the truth. We’ve got some dad-gum good people in this city, and that includes the people that are in need. For myself, it’s just been an unbelievable joy and gratification.” Roberts’ sentiments are echoed by Sylacauga Mayor Sam Wright, who was not only a leader of the project from the ground up, but also an active participant in working the garden. “When we started talking about the community garden I was very excited about the possibility of how this could really help people in our community, and I saw firsthand the results of how a community garden benefits a community” Wright said. “It had a cross section of all of Sylacauga working together to help someone else.” Wright said he was more than happy to get his hands dirty with the rest of the volunteers working the garden. “I feel like part of the job of being mayor is doing what needs to be done,” he said. “Also, I’ve enjoyed working in the garden, and my wife has enjoyed the same thing. It’s kind of like giving blood. You roll up your sleeve to give blood to someone you don’t even know. It’s kind of the same principle.” Less than a year into its creation, Sylacauga Grows community garden is already a story of success and unity within a community, and plans are under way to expand the garden next year to include individual plots
www.superiorbank.com
44
for people to work. Morton perhaps summed it up best when talking about how the garden was a reflection of the community that brought it about. “It really is at the heart of the community helping itself and creating a way of doing that – identifying a need and then coming together to find the solution,” she said. “It was truly a volunteer, community-wide effort.”
“Providing Quality Home Care In Our Commmunity”
CPAP and OXYGEN Owners - Mel & Melinda Palmer
201 W. Ft. Williams St., Suite #28 • Sylacauga, AL 35150 228086
Sylacauga 126 N. Broadway Ave. 256-245-2281
Will Harris, a third-grader at Knollwood Christian School, carries buckets to the harvest.
Member FDIC
Phone 256-245-1411
Toll Free 877-245-1411 • Fax 256-245-1471 email: melpalmer@bellsouth.net
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
257724
Broad Horizons for Sylacauga students and schools
Story by MATT QUILLEN research and studies. The city school system is taking the lead and working with cutting-edge research, as administrators and teachers do their part to keep their district among the top systems statewide. Literacy, technology and the “Differentiated Classroom” are at the center of new initiatives being put into place to help maximize the student experience from K-12. Differentiated Classroom is a program designed to better reach all students through practices formed by
“Years ago, we looked at what we needed in classrooms,” Superintendent Renee Riggins said. “With the diversity in the classrooms you see now, you have to try to meet the needs of every child. I contacted Staff Development for Educators, and they partnered us with Dr. Michael Shackleford.” Shackleford has served as a consultant at SDE for more than six years. The Differentiated Classroom training sessions are held at several school systems
Continued on Page 46
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
45
Broad Horizons throughout the country. Shackleford coaches different core groups, or “cohorts,” every year. These are made up of teachers from each of the city schools. “The idea of differentiation is trying to level the playing field so all students have the opportunity to be successful,” Shackleford said. “Teachers are selected from area schools to form teams. They have to go through a fourday institute, a very intense time to really immerse them in the idea.” The cohorts then go out and train other teachers at their schools on the many changes, from the learning environment, to curriculum, to instruction methods. The group selected this year is the third group to be trained. Testing and Curriculum Coordinator Patrick Littleton said the training goes beyond the old structure of the classroom. “One of the biggest components that you start with is the learning environment,” he said. “The realization is students have needs that are physical and emotional that have to be met before the instruction can take place.” The teachers have found success by emphasizing nutrition and by breaking up lectures into smaller lessons. This is done through, among other things, active engagement of students and moving them around the room to get oxygen to the brain. The curriculum has been adjusted to focus on the key parts of a topic to raise learning retention, while staying in line with the state curriculum. “There were these essential pieces that, at each grade level or subject, students had to master before they could
46
move on to the next topic or subject area,” Littleton said. Littleton said teachers were apprehensive at first to sign up as cohorts. “Because the training was so good and what it provided to the teachers and the students was so powerful, that we really didn’t have to beg any more after that (first year),” he said. “People really wanted to get involved.” Differentiation is helping to meet the needs of not just the majority, but of the entire classroom. “The idea to bring this in, from my understanding, came from a gifted/special education meeting,” Littleton said. “These two were the ones saying, ‘We’ve got to help these students. We’re teaching to the middle and not helping those on both ends of the spectrum.’”
Learning in 21st century
Schools are constantly adapting as new technologies are developed. The City School System is setting priorities to get both teachers and students prepared with the latest information and the latest technology. Teachers and other professionals took part in districtled development sessions in August. Using teachers from within the system who were tech savvy as trainers, basic and advanced technology topics were covered. Littleton said the long-term goal of the school system is to bring the latest in wireless technology to students. “What gains a lot of press is the fancy new computer lab with the shiny new hardware in it,” he said. “Technology is not going in that direction, that is an old way of thinking. It’s going in the direction of being able to take it with you and use it however you want. A lot of things have to
Veolia ES Solid Waste SE, Inc. - Alabama PO Box 430 - Moody - AL 35004
257438
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Broad Horizons happen to make this work, but a student should be able to walk on campus and safely use a wireless computer application anywhere.” Another part of the initiative is getting students helping other students. Riggins said the high school kids have been going to elementary schools and teaching the basics of using a computer. She said the program is enlightening for both students and student-teachers. “These kids have been so involved,” Riggins said. “I was observing a group at Indian Valley one day, and all the power had gone down. They were in the midst of a class and (the student) had projected a picture of a computer and was going over the parts. When the power went down, she went up to the board and drew a picture of the computer and continued on with the class.”
Superintendent Renee Riggins
Reading focus key to success
Basic reading skills are essential for learning all subjects taught in the classroom. Now the District Literacy Council is working to take it a step further — to have students be able to apply the knowledge learned from reading in real-life situations. The council is made up of city teachers and administrators. Taking some of the best parts from literacy programs from across the country, they have set standards for both literary instruction and role responsibilities. The School System has also teamed up with the Alabama Reading Initiative in creating the districtwide plan. According to an ARI representative, no other school system has developed and implemented its own plan
besides Sylacauga City. Both Riggins and Littleton said all of these programs work together. New initiatives and technologies are brought in all to achieve the same goal: the student’s education. “There’s nothing that we’re trying to do, from the leadership plan to the tech plan, that stands alone,” Littleton said. “It’s all interconnected.”
ALLEN COMPANIES •Exxon, Pure & Phillips 66 Gasoline & Diesel Fuel •Unocal, Fina & Primrose Lubricants •76 High Performance Racing Gasoline & Lubricants
Wholesale Distributor Serving Alabama
Phone 256-245-4578
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
227119
1251 Old Birmingham Hwy., Sylacauga, AL 35150
47
Keeping a Promise
Sylacauga takes care of its children
People gather for a special community Thanksgiving dinner.
48
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Story by Jonathan Grass Gardener Bill Roberts said the garden has done wonders Sylacauga’s foundation has always been its children, and the city has remained determined throughout the years to give them the best futures possible by promising them the best opportunities to grow right now. Specifically, there are five of these promises, and they’re part of the city’s involvement in America’s Promise Alliance. Sylacauga’s Promise is sponsored by Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, a non-profit organization dedicated to building families through community-based activities. The Five Promises are those of caring adults, safe places, healthy starts, marketable skills through effective education and opportunities to help others. Sylacauga’s Promise has gone out of its way to make sure that each of these promises is continuously kept for the city’s youths. “It’s been found out what we’re about whereby our community at large has been able to grow and nurture its families and children,” said Executive Director Margaret Morton for Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement. SAFE has a mission to constantly generate projects to help the kids. Among its latest developments is the Sylacauga Grows Community Garden. The garden grows crops year-round and not only benefits families with its output, but is tended by youth volunteers who want to do some good for their hometown. The idea for garden came from a survey distributed at a local job fair which revealed that the top need for residents was assistance with obtaining food. Since its first crops sprouted, SAFE has split the produce between market sales and donations to Care House, a local church-based charity organization. Head
The leading global supplier of high-tech aluminum components for the automotive industry
in providing residents with accessible food. SAFE has other ways to help the children develop life skills in the outside air. Youth get to participate in the regional division of First Tee. Through this national program, adults help kids develop character, values and life skills while out on the golf course. First Tee is held locally in Fayetteville at FarmLinks. First Tee is just one example of how the influence of adults and building self esteem helps children grow up healthier. SAFE has been making new strides to add to its existing programs of tutors and leaders. Its latest effort has been to team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Alabama. Its program director, Valerie Shannon, said the division of the national youth-mentoring program was encouraged by SAFE’s work with youths, and members of the division knew the workers of Sylacauga’s Promise were the perfect people to call to get set up in Talladega County. “We called SAFE because we knew it was a prominent part of the city. They could help us get started and house us,” Shannon said. Big Brothers Big Sisters of North East Alabama will also introduce the program, Mentoring Children of Promise to Sylacauga, which will provide special mentors to children who have loved ones behind bars. Shannon said children in that tragic situation are especially in need of caring adults in their lives because they face a greater likelihood of ending up in the same situation as their incarcerated family members. These are only the latest in a continuous series of
Continued on Page 50
GM L850 CYLINDER BLOCK
Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary As Part Of The Sylacauga Community
257220
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
1244 North Talladega Hwy. Sylacauga, AL 35150
(256)249-4836
227284
49
Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement sponsors Sylacauga’s Promise.
50
programs set up through SAFE. Among other prominent Promise events in the city is the after-school program, BRIDGES. This is a program that provides a safe afterschool environment where students can learn about enriching their lifestyles, making healthy life choices and developing academically. BRIDGES is divided into several programs for students of various ages covering grades five through 12. These divisions include BRIDGES 21st Century Learning Center; BRIDGES, Too; and Comer BRIDGES. BRIDGES has many sponsors throughout Sylacauga. Morton said its partners include “virtually every stakeholder in the city.” SAFE has assisted students further with two previous school supply drives. The first took place in 2006. It helped provide much-needed supplies to children of Avondale Mills’ employees who found themselves out of work when the plant closed. The Promise Committee held its second supply drive in August this year due to the faltering economy, and more than 585 students received supplies for the new school year. “The appreciation and depth of gratitude in that room was just phenomenal,” Morton said. In addition to standards like backpacks and notebooks, several donations allowed SAFE to provide students with books from the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce that could be redeemed for school uniforms. One of most cherished community efforts of Sylacauga’s Promise is its annual Thanksgiving dinner. Needy families can get hot holiday meals courtesy of the Promise Committee at various locations in November. The Promise has been serving these holiday meals since 2003.
The popularity, not to mention increasing necessity, of the event has helped it grow tremendously. Morton said the Promise Committee served around 200 families during its first year of Thanksgiving dinner service and served more than 1,500 during its latest such event. The committee is expecting the need for around 2,000 meals for the 2009 holiday. Sylacauga’s Promise also sponsors its Ultimate Ball Drop during the annual football game between Sylacauga High School and B. B. Comer High School. Participants’ donations help purchase books for the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and support additional Promise activities. In addition to the survey’s identification of the need for food, it also stated that utility assistance was need in Sylacauga. The Promise Committee responded with a utility relief project. SAFE worked with the Sylacauga Utilities Board to donate $25,000 for families who needed help with utility payments due to unemployment and medical problems. Other donations to this cause provided relief in excess of $10,000. Activities like these are much more than your typical volunteer projects. The commitment to community Sylacauga has shown through the Five Promises have led to America’s Promise Alliance naming the city among its 100 Best Communities for Young People for three consecutive years, something only 47 cities in the country have been able to do before. Sylacauga’s Promise has also helped the city gain recognition in national magazines, such as Newsweek and Golf Digest. Sylacauga’s Promise is a communitywide program
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
other cities want to emulate. “Because of its commitment to the promises, Sylacauga continues to be recognized as such an ideal place for families, not because we have all the answers, but because we work together to look for solutions,” Morton said. However, Sylacauga’s Promise is not about recognition, it’s about making a difference to children. In fact, some of Sylacauga’s kids have been so touched by the Five Promises that they even put forth efforts to give back to them. One is Katie Pugh, who, while still a student at Sylacauga High School, created AGGIE V.O.L.S., a program to help students learn the importance of volunteering and how this makes a difference in the lives of a community’s residents. Pugh received the Harris Wofford Award for volunteerism in 2005 for this program. Just as the youths are the focus of the Five Promises, they are indeed its future as well. The difference the program makes to them today is already spawning a cycle of success that will have the very children who are Promise beneficiaries become tomorrow’s Promise perpetrators. SAFE can be reached at 256-2454343. Information on additional programs can be viewed at http://safefamilyservicescenter.com.
OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. SAVE MONEY. LIVE BETTER.
OXFORD REALTY
257118
1102 West Ft. Williams St. Sylacauga, AL 35150 Office: 256-249-3727 Fax: 256-249-9007 Bill Pharr - Broker - 256-872-6208 Robby Mckemie 256-510-2564 Brad Chappell 256-391-2139 Lindsey Walker 256-267-9520 Rockey Pittman 256-404-7014
Amy Watkins 256-404-4777 Kenneth Murphy 256-404-2168 Mary Harvard 256-404-0859 Tim Pearce 256-872-3274
41301 U.S. Hwy. 280 • Sylacauga, AL 35150 (256) 245-0356 www.walmart.com 257741
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
51
Building a stronger
Business Community
Marble is still a key part of Sylacauga’s economy.
Story by CHRIS NORWOOD
52
Like the rest of the country, Sylacauga’s industrial prospects will be looking up in the coming months, according to Talladega County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Calvin Miller. “I think things will definitely be looking better in the next 12 months,” Miller said. “The automobile industry is starting to come back, which means Sylacauga-based companies like Nemak and Fleetwood Metals will be hiring back more of their employees. Also, there are about 200 Honda employees that live in Sylacauga, and they are going back to a five-day work week, and some will even be adding Saturday shifts, which puts a little extra money in people’s pockets.” Like virtually every other city in America, Sylacauga’s prosperity is dependent to a large extent on outside forces, Miller continued. “We’re as involved in the national
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Harrell’s Fertilizer economy as anyone, not just in automobiles but in housing, too. Imerys and Omya both make calcium carbonate, which is used as an additive in building materials. Sylacauga also has a lot of people working at Wellborn Cabinets in Clay County, and they are obviously being helped by a housing revival.” Sylacauga and the EDA have also taken steps to Radney-Smith is Coosa Valley’s hometown funeral home that brought lower prices to this area.
Marble City Pharmacy “The way a drug store used to be...”
Call or come by and let us easily transfer your prescription from another pharmacy. OUR PHARMACISTS:
Danny R. Johnson, R.Ph. • Jacob M. Johnson, PharmD Shelly Smith, PharmD 264 West Fort Williams St. in Ogletree Plaza Sylacauga, AL
Caring People Caring For People
248396
We honor all burial insurance and pre-need contracts.
Continued on Page 54
Let us serve your family’s health care needs.
RADNEY-SMITH FUNERAL HOME
320 North Elm Ave. • Sylacauga, AL For more information, call 256-245-1616
ensure that new businesses continue to locate there as well. “We’ve done something to try to make it more attractive,” Miller said. “We’re putting up a 60,000-square-foot speculative building at the airport that will help bring
256-245-4446
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30-6:00; Sat. 8:30-12:30; Closed on Sunday
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
257779
53
Business Community
Fleetwood Metal Industries people to the area. Even if the particular spec building doesn’t work out for them, there might be an adjacent lot that would be perfect. That’s actually what happened with our first spec building. Harrell’s Fertilizer looked at it, but it wasn’t quite what they needed. They ended up building next door.” Some existing businesses are growing as well. Agrium will be expanding its research and development department, adding five or six new chemists and chemical engineers to the payroll. “And those are fairly high paying jobs, too,” Miller said. Also, Hocking International recently announced a partnership with Harrell’s to produce liquid fertilizer that
Tired
will create 15 more new jobs to start. This venture will be based in the industrial park, in a portion of the Magnatech building, Miller said. “If things go as planned, they will continue to expand and increase employment.” As this magazine goes to press, Miller said he was anticipating yet another major announcement for Sylacauga, but until everything had been finalized, he could not share the specifics. “I can say I’ve got someone looking at the spec buildings in Sylacauga and Talladega today,” Miller said. “We’re just trying to use the raw materials we have to market the area.”
Curtis and Son Funeral Homes
of waiting on a good heating contractor?
Wait no more.
Sylacauga • Childersburg Barry Curtis
54
www.info@affordableairllc.com
(256)245-4361
Serving the area for over 35 years
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
227152
227247
369 James Payton Blvd., Sylacauga, AL 35150 Talladega 315-2459 • Sylacauga 245-2870 • Childersburg 378-7838
Sylacauga staying ahead with
HEALTH CARE
Story by Brandon Fincher appearance continues to this day. When it comes to quality of healthcare, many local people assume they need to go to Birmingham to get the best the state has to offer. Those people may want to take a second look in their own backyard at Coosa Valley Medical Center. In just the past few years, CVMC has gone to great lengths to improve its facilities, its medical staff and its quality of service. Coosa Valley Medical Center CEO Glenn Sisk said, “We participate in studies that compare our organization with both hospitals throughout the state and across the country, and we’ve made tremendous progress over the last several years in our quality scores. “We believe that sends a message to the community that the quality of care delivered here in Sylacauga is on par that you’ll find anywhere, certainly in Alabama.” Sisk said aesthetically, the hospital looks much better after the completion of the west wing project in 2007. Vanessa Green, vice president of senior and support services at CVMC, said the effort to improve the hospital’s
Renovations to the Short Term Rehabilitation Center were recently completed, which increased the number of beds there from 75 to 85. “We took part of the old hospital and really have done a great job matching it up to the west wing,” Green said. The last renovation phase will be for the medical center’s nursing home, which will create new rooms and a new living area and add other amenities. It is scheduled to start in November and be completed 18 months later. It too will match the style of the west wing. “When we’ve completed these three phases, we will have completely either built or renovated the entire continuum of care,” Green said. “We’re really excited about that.” Amy Price, vice president of patient care services for CVMC, said the improvements are meant to reach out and attract women, since they are in many cases the people who make healthcare decisions for the family. She believes the hospital’s new Outpatient Imaging
Continued on Page 56
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
55
HEALTH CARE
Coosa Valley Medical Center has seen a 15 percent increase in the number of babies born their and has increased its OB/GYN staff to keep up with the growing demand.
Center will please all the members of a family with the speed and efficiency of the center’s services. “In building our new facility, it was designed to reach outpatients and to create an environment where outpatients could come in and have imaging studies and laboratory tests done without feeling like they were ever in the hospital,” Price said. The hospital has the fastest and highest resolution CT scanner on the market right now, Price said. “If we have the best machines that take the best pictures, then the physicians can make the best diagnosis,” she explained. The hospital also has added several more physicians to better meet patients’ needs. Sisk said, “We have had great success with the growth of our medical staff. We’ve been very fortunate to have a fine group of physicians throughout the years, but more recently we’ve added a number of specialties that have been unrepresented or underrepresented on our medical
staff, and we’re particularly pleased with the quality of physicians joining our team.” In 2009, the hospital recruited Dr. Clay Davis and Dr. Renee Davis, who both practice family medicine; Dr. Keith Roberts, who is a general surgeon; and Dr. Elizabeth Perkins, who is a rheumatologist. The hospital also added an obstetrics and gynecology doctor two years ago and will add another one in 2010. When that doctor arrives, CVMC will have four physicians who can deliver babies. “Over the last two years, we’ve seen a 15 percent growth in the number of babies that are delivered in Sylacauga,” Price said. “We want to keep people close to home.” Sisk added that the main criteria CVMC uses to choose physicians to come to Sylacauga focuses on how well they deliver care, the manner in which they deliver care, and whether or not they plan to stay in Sylacauga for many years.
SAFE
Serving the community for 40 years!
ANDERSON
56
78 Betsy Ross Lane / PO Box 1122 Sylacauga, Alabama 35150
227286
Comfort-Trust-Efficiency
Business Owner cell: 256-404-8335 home: 256-249-0563
227277
PLUMBING
Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement
Julius Anderson Sr.
visit our website at: www.safefamilyservicescenter.com
OFFICE: 256-245-4343
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
FAX: 256-245-3675
Hospital gets a helping hand
Coosa Valley Medical Center Auxiliary Story by DENISE SINCLAIR Since 1982 the Coosa Valley Medical Center Auxiliary has been a valuable asset, not only to the hospital but to the entire community. The volunteer support group has logged thousands of hours of service as goodwill ambassadors for the medical center. In addition to the volunteer hours, these individuals give yearly to the medical center, they also have raised thousands of dollars each year that are used to purchase equipment and services for patients and the community. Whether they work in the hospital gift shop, surgery waiting area, information booth in the main lobby, deliver flowers, serve as a transporter for patients, or provide spiritual support and beverages to families in waiting rooms, the auxiliary adds a special caring touch to what the hos-
Continued Page 58 Couple Jean and Tommy Ham volunteer in the Transitional Care Unit at the hospital. The two are taking patient Raymond Webb, a former auxiliary member, for a little time outside his room. Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
57
Medical Center Auxiliary
pital does, said Vanessa Green, vice president of the hospital. Since its formation in 1982, the auxiliary is made up of two groups – Pink Ladies, the female members, and Red Coats, their male counterparts. Volunteers average more than 1,000 hours per month of work at the hospital. The auxiliary has 65 members today, including many couples giving up so many hours a week to volunteer at the hospital. Tommy and Jean Ham started as auxiliary members almost two years ago. She is retired, and he is semiretired. Someone suggested they join the auxiliary, and they did, spending four hours each Friday in the Transitional Care Unit at the hospital. Montine Webb represents the very essence of volunteerism. She has been a member of the auxiliary since 1984. During those 25 years, Mrs. Webb as volunteered more than 26,000 hours to Coosa Valley Medical Center through the auxiliary. Her husband, Raymond, was also a volunteer for more than 15 years, until his health prevented him from doing it. Mrs. Webb became interested in the auxiliary when a friend, Mary Jane Moore, kept asking her to come to a meeting of the organization. The two were in a garden club together, and her friend thought she would enjoy volunteering. “I was ready to get out of the house,” she said. And 26,000 hours later, Mrs. Webb continues doing just that. Mrs. Webb said the auxiliary is very important to the hospital. “Not only do we just transport patients and deliver flowers, we work in the nursing home, TCU, and raise funds to buy equipment perhaps the hospital might not otherwise get,” she said. Mrs. Webb has held every office in the organization and served on the state auxiliary board for 12 years. The organization raises funds through its gift shop, annual jewelry sales and Holiday Tree of Love with the proceeds going right back to the hospital through medical equipment, nursing scholarships and more. Sue Thompson has been a volunteer for 13 years, giving at least 5,000 hours of service during that time. She, too, was led to service by other volunteers. “I have friends who volunteered here. They introduced me to the auxiliary. I love it. The auxiliary and hospital feel
P.O. BOX 2359
•
Tonya Henderson, senior director of nursing at the hospital, shows auxiliary members the new biliblanket purchased by the auxiliary for newborns. The blanket was a request made by pediatrician Dr. Robert Gray. like a second home to me. It gives me something to do besides cutting grass at home. I get to see a lot of people I know. It is a good way to renew friendships with people I knew from Talladega. I grew up there, and through the auxiliary, I see lots of friends from there,” she said. Mrs. Thompson has also been an officer in every position in the auxiliary, which has given her a good overview of exactly what the auxiliary does. “We do have a good team. I encourage and talk to anyone interested in volunteering. You decide what you want to do based on your physical abilities,” she said. Catherine McCaa started as an auxiliary member seven years ago and has more than 1,500 hours volunteering with the organization. Prior to becoming an auxiliary member, Mrs. McCaa was a registered nurse for nearly 20 years working in the newborn nursery at the hospital. She volunteers five hours on Thursday, coming in at 7 a.m. “I wanted to stay in the medical field, so this allows me to still be in the medical community. I want to be here to be a part of the hospital and auxiliary to lend a helping hand,” said the 80-plus-year-old retiree.
Continued on Page 60
Sylacauga, AL 35150
(email) jhicks@cvappraisal.net (web) www.cvappraisal.net
Jerry Hicks
& PIZZERIA
Office: 256-249-8605 Cell: 256-404-5050 Toll Free Fax: 1-866-748-2989
227127
58
If You Can Dream It I Can Bake It! 210 N. Broadway, Sylacauga (256) 249-0808 raspberrybakery@yahoo.com
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
257722
a history of overcoming obstacles through education. Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind – Investing in Life “I will not just live my life. I will invest my life.” Helen Keller
For over 150 years, the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind has provided superior education, service and care to those who are deaf, blind and multidisabled and their families. The history of Talladega and AIDB are forever intertwined. With more than 1,100 employees, AIDB is one of the largest employers in Talladega County, and our presence is felt far beyond the classrooms and manufacturing lines of our campus programs. AIDB’s multi-faceted education and service programs empower children and adults to transform their disability into ability, and our impact reaches into all 67 counties of the state. AIDB continues the tradition of excellence by providing educational and rehabilitation services from birth to aging through the Alabama School for the Deaf, Alabama School for the Blind, Helen Keller School of Alabama, Alabama Industries for the Blind, the Gentry Facility, MGH Special Equestrian Arena and Regional Centers located in Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery-Auburn, Talladega, Tuscaloosa and Tuscumbia.
Space kindly donated by
aidb.org 256.761.3206
AIDB and Honda Manufacturing of Alabama: Partners in Education
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
59
Bruce Mueller followed suit about five years ago as a member. After retiring from the Navy, Mueller moved to the area from Buffalo, N.Y. “I came down here to get warm,” he said. “I needed something to do. I learned about the auxiliary through word of mouth. I like helping people. It gives me a good feeling to help someone who needs help.” Helen White’s husband was a United Methodist church minister for 45 years when they moved back to Sylacauga. She started volunteering six years ago thanks to friend Nelda Morris. “I knew this is what I wanted to do after learning about it. I started volunteering while I was still working,” she said. Being a volunteer as an auxiliary member, White said, is one of the most rewarding things she has done. She has given more than 1,000 hours to the auxiliary. Originally from Sycamore, Mrs. White said, “I think of the auxiliary as a community. Not only do we provide support to patients and their families, but we give back monetary support to the hospital. The auxiliary through the years has given more than $750,000 through equipment and funds to the hospital.” Mrs. White is the new auxiliary president and said the organization gave a significant amount of funding to renovate the second floor of the old portion of the hospital for the Transitional Care Unit. It has also donated seed money to renovate the nursing home, which is expected to begin in November. Any department at the hospital can submit a request for equipment, and the auxiliary reviews and considers these requests, then decides whether to fund them. Bill Ham, 82, is another member of the auxiliary, volunteering more than 1,000 hours.
Prior to becoming a member, she was an educator for 30 years, many of those as principal at Childersburg Elementary School. After retiring from the school, Mrs. Ham worked for Central Alabama Community College for 10 years. “I couldn’t stand it at home, so I came here to volunteer. I like meeting people. I meet so many of the people I knew at school. Nearly, every Friday when I volunteer I see someone I don’t normally see. I feel I do some good here. I like to think we do a service for the public and hospital,” Mrs. Ham said. Recently, the auxiliary purchased a biliblanket for newborns. Tonya Henderson, senior nursing director, said pediatrician Dr. Robert Gray requested the blanket for babies because in the last year or so, the hospital has seen an increase in the number of babies delivered as a result of the hospital adding pediatricians and obstetricians. “We have seen deliveries increase significantly. It is part of our business growing here at the hospital,” Mrs. Green said. To become an active member of the auxiliary, you must: • Complete an application form and background check. • Be interviewed for placement. • Be approved for membership by the Auxiliary Board. • Attend orientation. • Pay annual dues. • Be assigned to a service and receive comprehensive training in the service. To become a member of the auxiliary, call Coosa Valley Medical Center at 256-401-4070.
Sylacauga ~~~
What a Name, What a Town!
You are invited to our Marble Festival and Exposition March 15-March 28, 2010
The Mayor and City Council of Sylacauga Welcome You to the Marble City
257745
60
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Profiles in community spirit
Dedicated to education and the arts Story by DENISE SINCLAIR
Dr. Ted Spears has always been interested in the welfare of children and how to best serve them. He was an educator for decades. He was a principal at Benjamin Russell High School, spent seven years with the state Department of Education, then was assistant school superintendent for Talladega County Schools and finally worked for Central Alabama Community College before retiring. But Spears couldn’t stay away from education. He became the director of First United Methodist Church kindergarten, working there for 10 more years. Spears said those 10 years are the most delightful ones he spent with children. “Those youngsters don’t know much more than their names when they start there. When they leave, you see the remarkable changes that occurred with their stay at the kindergarten as you watch them change from a cocoon to a butterfly,” he said. Since retiring again from First Methodist kindergarten, Spears didn’t give up on finding ways to help children. He has worked with the Sylacauga Arts Council, guiding this nonprofit organization down a path to provide programs for children in the community. Children are not the only segment of Sylacauga’s community with which Spears is involved. He serves on the Retiree Tourism Committee at the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce, chaired the first Marble Festival held this year in the Marble City, and played a key role in making sure the renovation and expansion of B.B. Comer Memorial Library went well. Of course, Spears had a good reason for tackling the library construction project. His wife, Dr. Shirley Spears, is director of the library. Spears was paid a $1 each for the two years of work he did to see the project completed. “I did that to make sure the library got built for the community. When I was at CACC, I oversaw similar work there,” he said. Spears believes every person has a responsibility and duty to make their community better. Spears even spent time working for the Isabel Anderson Comer Musuem, loving every minute of it. “Again, doing this volunteer work with these organizations is a way for me to help make Sylacauga a better place to live,” he said. Yet, Spears’ greatest interest is the Sylacauga Arts Council. He wanted to see the organization branch out. He saw a lack of artistic endeavors in schools and began to work to bring art programs into schools in the area. “I’m convinced art helps children in so many ways. I believe arts are more important than reading, writing, and arithmetic,” he said. The Arts Council has spent more than $200,000 bringing Birmingham Children’s Theater productions to Sylacauga. It has sent middle school students to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and provided special programs, like the Huntsville Ballet Company’s production of ‘The Nutcracker’ in the community. Arts Council programs are supported by member dues, donations,
grants from the Alabama State Council for the Arts, and through partnerships with other local organizations. Art Council programs are offered to more than 10 area schools and pre-school centers. The Arts Council each year has seen the number of children it serves rise. For example, more than 6,500 youngsters in 2004 alone attended events sponsored by the Arts Council. Spears, through his work, has continued to enrich the lives of children in the Sylacauga area. He learned his community involvement by watching others. “Look at the Comer Library Board. Harry Brown Sr. has been serving on that board for more than 40 years, then you have Donna Dickey, who spends all her free time volunteering hour upon hour at the library. She has been a board member for 36 years. I’ve watched them and others. They taught me volunteering is the right road to take and give back to the community,” Spears said. Others, Spears said, also have been an inspiration to him, including the late Beth Yates and Rochelle Kidd, who works diligently as a volunteer with the Arts Council and Coosa Valley Medical Center Auxiliary. “Volunteerism is the thread that runs through all of them and I’ve learned from watching the goodness in those people giving of their lives to help others,” he said. While the Arts Council’s main focus has been on children, it took on a new role last year in promoting the city’s marble industry. The first annual Marble Festival was held in Sylacauga in the spring of this year. The festival showcased the city’s marble industry along with sharing the celebration with a town in Italy that also has a marble industry.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
61
Profiles in community spirit
Doing more than protecting and serving Story by DENISE SINCLAIR
62
While Louis Zook has served and protected his community for 25 years as a police officer and chief, he has also spent his years in Sylacauga contributing in other ways perhaps not seen by citizens. Zook became police chief at 36 in February 1995. He had worked in the Police Department since 1984, and prior to that he was a deputy with the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department for four years. A native of Jefferson County, Zook graduated from Selma High School, the Alabama Police Academy and the FBI National Academy. He also attended Gadsden State Community College and the University of Virginia. When Zook was sworn in as police chief, he said, creating community awareness and prevention of crime should be the Police Department’s first priorities. He wanted to create more community awareness in the department’s efforts to prevent crime. Those priorities continue today, providing a safer community that has seen major crime decrease over the past decade. Zook sees and hears a lot about Sylacauga and its quality of life in his travels throughout the area. “Sylacauga is big enough and has a lot to offer, but it is still small enough to be comfortable to people. You can become involved in a lot of organizations and efforts here,” he said. The police chief said he has never seen a community pull together to address issues like Sylacauga does. “If there is a need out there, this community pulls together, from the back-to-school-needs effort to the community Thanksgiving dinner to building a house for Habitat for Humanity. People in this community do things to help each other,” he said. And Zook is or has been involved in many of those efforts. He and his two sons volunteer for the community Thanksgiving dinner, he serves on the Executive Board of the United Way of South Talladega County and has also chaired the annual fall fundraising effort. He is vice president of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and will take over the reins as president in another year. This year, he is spending time as a Sylacauga High School Aggie Band Booster since one of his sons is in the band. The chief said there are always groups working together to make Sylacauga a better place to live. “You can always find something to be involved in. There are people in this community that all they do is volunteer. You don’t see that in a lot of places,” he said. Zook and his wife, Dusty, are the parents of teenage sons, Michael and Steven. Steven is a junior, while Michael is a senior at Sylacauga High School. They are members of Marble City Baptist Church, where Zook has served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon and in other capacities. When it comes to the Police Department, the chief has tried to enhance the Department through grants and
donations so officers are better able to serve the community. “These grants enable our department to do things we are not normally able to do. All of the city’s money can’t go to the Police Department,” he said. In the nearly 15 years since Zook became chief, the department has received some $2.3 million in grant and other funding to pay for personnel, equipment, supplies and more. The police chief said the nature of a small city requires officers to be approachable and friendly. The Department is a proponent of community policing methods, and the cornerstone of this philosophy revolves around partnering with the community to improve the quality of life of all citizens. The department is committed to keeping the community informed about department activities, programs and accomplishments, while educating the public about crime in neighborhoods and ways to decrease crime. “Our department receives good community support. People work with us. We’re not afraid of complaints when citizens think we are doing something wrong. If people don’t trust us, they won’t complain. If they do, we can work on the problem. It is through compliments and complaints that we are able to measure our strengths and weaknesses,” the chief said. Working together, he said, “we can keep Sylacauga a safe, friendly and excellent community.”
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Profiles in community spirit
Keeping a focus on the children
Story by MATT QUILLEN the arts with the city’s children through plays and events Charon Douglass has spent most of her life working with kids. As a counselor, a volunteer or on her work on numerous boards, her concern has always centered on children. “That’s where my heart is,” she said. “I love children, both of my parents were teachers, I’m married to an educator. I’ve always had a great value for education.” Charon is the wife of Gerald, the principal of NicholsLawson Middle School, and the proud mother of Robert and Clifton, who both grew up in the city school system. She served on the planning committee for the Board of Education, as an officer with the PTA and as a member various advisory boards for 14 years while her children went to school. “I think the work that’s done in public schools is probably the most essential service that anybody can provide,” she said. She has also worked for several years on the board of the Arts Council. She has been able to share her love of
with the group. For 25 years, Charon worked in substance abuse prevention at the Cheaha Mental Health Center. She served as a substance abuse counselor and as the director of prevention during that time. Next she went to the Presbyterian Home for Children. She worked as a social worker there for three years until the Sylacauga facility closed. She currently works with the state Department of Mental Health as a consultant. Charon said she was also proud of her work at SAFE, where she was part of the charter group. She joined others in laying the foundation for the family services center and still spends time there as a volunteer. As a child, Charon attended the Mt. Canaan Baptist Church in Talladega. Today, she attends that church again with her family. She has served there in several positions, including trustee, a member of the choir, and, of course, the youth department.
Sylacauga Health and Rehab is now part of the Noland Health Services Family of Senior Living Communities.
Conveniently located on West Ft. Williams St. (256) 245-7402 Visit us on the web: www.sylacauga.nolandhealth.com
228874
Services include: •Short Term Rehabilitation •Long Term Care •Skilled Nursing •Out-Patient Therapy
Sylacauga 43 N. Broadway (256) 249-0341
Chelsea 15863 Hwy. 280 (205) 678-2265
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Payton Branch 135 James Payton Blvd. (256) 401-3000
Childersburg 120 8th Ave. SW (256) 378-4000
Vincent 42828 Hwy. 25 (205) 672-2222
63
Profiles in community spirit
Compassion a driving force for helping others
Story by DENISE SINCLAIR Medical Center is where I needed to be and want to
Vanessa Green’s mission in life has been to help others. Her compassion and advocacy for young and old alike led her to the health care field instead of teaching. She started her mission as a 15-year-old candy striper at then Sylacauga Hospital. Today, Green is vice president of senior/support/marketing division at Coosa Valley Medical Center. Green credits Donna Dickey as being a role model as a candy striper, leading her to a career in health care that began at the hospital in 1981. A native and resident of Coosa County, where she graduated from Weogufka High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Troy State University. Green thought when she left college she wanted to be a teacher and work with children and did an internship at the Alabama Children’s Home. Instead, she took a job at the hospital, saying she was searching for a ministry of some type in her life. “I realized once I started to work at the hospital, that was my mission field and where I was supposed to be. I was at peace,” she said. “I can truly say Coosa Valley
be.” Green loves the hospital, nursing home, auxiliary and community where she lives and works. “I’m committed to the people I serve here. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. This is where my heartbeat is. I felt this is where I was supposed to be. I never wanted to consider anything else,” she said. While the hospital is very much a focal point of her service to the community, Green has spent years working with other organizations in the community and serving on boards. Today, she remains on the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement Board. She has been active in the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life. She previously served on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, was a member of the Rotary Club and on the board of the Arc of South Talladega County. She wears many hats at the hospital but focuses much of her time on senior citizens overseeing hospice and long- and short-term care in the geriatric setting. She also is in charge of food service and marketing operations. The bottom line, Green said, is 27 years ago she started at the hospital as a patient representative and worked
SYLACAUGA PEDIATRIC CLINIC
1114 West Fort Williams Street Sylacauga, AL
Thinking Ahead... is the name of the game. COMMERCIAL
Liability • Work Comp Property • Commercial Auto Bonds
“Helping To Grow Sylacauga’s Future”
PERSONAL
Auto • Home • Umbrella Boat • Motorcycle
115 West Clay Street • Sylacauga, AL 35150 Matthew Austin
Robert M. Gray, MD Rekha Chadalawada, MD Darlene Mathis, DNP, CRNP
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
257727
257079
Ph. 256-245-6540 Fax 256-245-8700
64
256-245-3267 • Fax 256-245-2315
with the hospital auxiliary. Over those 27 years, she has become an historian when it comes to the hospital. She has seen many changes in those nearly three decades and has remained committed to the hospital and her community. “My commitment has never wavered. My focus is on people, whether it is the auxiliary or some other responsibility. Our new hospital is something you could only dream about. “I have been able to see it happen and been part of a team that saw it completed. There are still some things I want to see completed, such as the renovation of the nursing home,” she said. Over those 27 years, Green said she had three encouraging bosses and was given the opportunity to do so much. She has been recognized for her work at Coosa Valley with an Excellence in Executive Leadership award. That award was about her integrity, compassion, advocacy, resourcefulness and excellence in her work in helping others. She uses that ability and talent today, serving her community and hospital, touching lives in so many ways on a daily basis. She and her husband, Jeff have two sons, Chad and Chase.
“Dentistry With A Smile For Your Smile” 209 West Spring Street, Suite 200 Sylacauga, Alabama 35150 Craddock Health Center physicians have a proud heritage of medical care dating back to 1912 Appointments: (256) 249-1100
Main # (256) 245-5241
NEW S A P TIENT E M O C WEL
Diseases We Treat *Diabetes *High Blood Pressure *Cholesterol *Heart Disease *Vascular Disease *Liver, Stomach & Colon Disease *Arthritis *Osteoporosis *Menopause * Prostate Disease *Memory Disorders *Headaches
Complete Comprehensive Dental Care
Services We Provide *Breath Alcohol Testing *Drug Screening *D.O.T.s *Diabetic Education Classes * Infectious Disease Control *Weight Loss Clinic *Vascular Imaging *EKGs *Cardiac Event Monitoring *Hearing Tests *Vaccinations *Laboratory Testing *Company Physicals *Pulmonary Function Testing *Ultrasounds * X-Rays *Workman’s Compensation Claims *Screenings for Hypertension, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Thyroid Disorders, Obesity, Osteoporosis, Cancer and others
ien Family Dentistry r B ’ Dr. John A. O’Brien O 497 West 3rd Street Sylacauga, AL 35150
Phone 256-249-3884
(With Credit Approval)
257730
Interest Free Financing 277266
We accept most insurances Visit our web-site at www.craddockhealthcenter.com
Implants • Bleaching • Cosmetic
No representation is made about the quality of the dental services to be performed or the expertise of the dentist performing such services.
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
65
Profiles in community spirit
So many ways to help his hometown Story by MATT QUILLEN
As an employee of the city or a volunteer for the city, Bill Roberts has spent most of his life serving his hometown of Sylacauga. Roberts served the city as a firefighter when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Still, he continued to work for the department as a fire inspector. Roberts has donated his time to several organizations, including SAFE, Leadership Sylacauga, The Marble Festival committee and the Sylacauga Tree Commission. “We have a program where for every tree in Sylacauga that is cut we plant two more in its place,” Roberts said. Another project Roberts was a part of got its start at a job fair. There, people were asked to fill out a questionnaire listing their most pressing needs. “Of course, number one was jobs, but the number two need was food for their families,” he said. “While we did not know of anything in particular that we could do as far as the jobs were concerned, we did feel like there was something that we could do for the food part.” The idea for the community garden was born. In partnership with SAFE, Sylacauga Promise and the local Housing Authority, volunteers broke ground on the garden in the spring. Roberts said the garden grew more than one ton of food and 1,700 ears of corn. The vegetables are sold at the nearby stand. Nancy Dickson is the auxiliary services coordinator at SAFE. She said she got the opportunity to work with Roberts on the garden project. Dickson said one of the biggest ways Roberts made an impact was by working with young adults on this and other projects. “He is an unbelievable role model,” she said, “taking the time out to work with those youth and trying to instill a sense of value and purpose in everything that you do in life.” Roberts has also worked with the city on a community service for fines project. “I found out that there were a number of people who happened to owe fines to the city for different reasons,” he said. “They were unemployed and didn’t have a way
Rev. 14:12 We welcome you and extend a cordial invitation to meet with us.
SYLACAUGA SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 37640 U.S. Hwy. 280 - Sylacauga Pastor Chris Newell (205) 688-1816 Elder Contact (256) 245-0030
66
to pay them off. So I’ve been working with a number of them, letting them do community service to work their fines off. That has served us all well.” Roberts has done all of this in spite of a potentially deadly disease. In 2002, his MS had become so bad he was bound to a wheelchair and put on oxygen. Doctors told him he only had 14 months to live back in 2005. But a new medication that was not typically used for MS produced amazing effects for Roberts. “Within three months I was out of my wheelchair,” he said. “I still have (MS), it’s not a cure and I do have some issues with it. But for the most part, I can do things that I never thought I would do again.” Roberts said he listens to his body now and stops when it tells him to. “That’s the nice thing about doing volunteer work,” he said. “They don’t fire you for not being there.” Roberts said his ordeals with the disease changed the way he looked at life. He said he decided to make an effort to live every day like it was his last. “I pretty much believed that for a while,” Roberts said. “It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but I have continued to do that through the years. Just live every day as the only one I have control over and I try to make each day an opportunity to do something for somebody else.”
Velcon Filters, LLC Fuel Filtration & Separation Specialists
www.velcon.com / vfsales@velcon.com Local Office: 256.245.4331
257726
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
Central Alabama Community College WWW.CACC.EDU • TOLL FREE 1-800/643-2657 256/234-6346
CHILDERSBURG 256/378-5576
Sylacauga Magazine • 2009 - 2010
TALLADEGA 256/480-2066
257070
ALEXANDER CITY
67
OMYA INDUSTRIES
2071 Sylacauga-Fayetteville Hwy. Sylacauga, AL Tel. (256) 245-1777 • Fax (256) 245-0606 www.omya-na.com
248403