COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 34
Hot on the trail of expansion
The Islander
INSIDE
JULY 19, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com |
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Location for supermarket super controversial By JOHN MULLEN Islander contributor
Child pornography production case heading to grand jury Bay Minette resident Jennifer Lynne Weekley’s production of child pornography case will be heading to a Baldwin County grand jury, after Weekley waived her right to a preliminary hearing July 13. For more, see page 4.
Local art gallery hosts driftwood artist Gulf Coast Arts Alliance will be hosting an exhibition featuring the wood sculptures of member Claudia Hodges from August 7 through August 26. For more information and to see samples of her work, jump to page 34.
DEATHS
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Linda C. Anne James Franklin Forte Robert William Harmon LaDean Kirkconnell Leona Mae Phillips Julian Tedder Rev. DuWayne Vernon Winters
ORANGE BEACH – Location, location, location. And a bad one at that. Everybody seems to want Rouse’s to open a new store in Orange Beach. Just not in the southeast corner of Canal Road and Alabama 161. “Pass the word on that we would love to have them in a different spot,” Planning Commission Chairman Robert Stuart told Rouse’s representative, Phillip Burton. “Bring it. We want your sushi, we want your boudin, we want it all.” The unlikely building of a Rouse’s at the proposed location provided the liveliest banter during a busy July 10 meeting. Almost secondarily, the agenda included a new 26-story Phoenix building by Brett Robinson. It is planned for an empty lot between Tidewater condominiums and DoubleTree by Hilton, formerly the Island House Hotel. Also presented were a rezoning request for the former Reynolds concrete site with an eye toward a mixed-use development, final plat approval for an 88-townhome project in East Orange Beach called Spyglass and a 216-unit micro efficiency apartment complex behind Baldwin EMC off the Foley Beach Express. The Reynolds site, directly east of the Orange Beach Event Center at The Wharf, received a 9-0
By CRYSTAL COLE crystal@gulfcoastmedia.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A rendering of Phoenix Orange Beach II discussed during this month’s planning commission meeting. favorable recommendation for the rezoning and was presented to council on Tuesday after press time. Spyglass also received a favorable 9-0 recommendation, was in the final approval stage and doesn’t have to go before the council again. Greenways Apartments received a 9-0 negative SEE SUPERMARKET, PAGE
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Orange Beach considers employee health care costs By CRYSTAL COLE crystal@gulfcoastmedia.com
Health care costs for City of Orange Beach employees was a major concern during the July 11 city council meeting as council members discussed their options in the face of rising costs for the city. Under the city’s current plan, individual deductibles are $300 and family deductibles are $900. With the city’s new proposed Option 1, individual deductibles would rise to $750 and family deductibles would rise to $1,500. Under proposed Option 2, individual deductibles would increase to $1,500 and family deductibles would rise to $3,000. The individual out-of-pocket maximums would also see an increase under the newly proposed
Gulf Shores considers airport improvements, child care programs
options. The current individual out-of-pocket max is $400 but would rise to $3,000 under Option 1 and $6,850 under Option 2. For family out-of-pocket max, the current plan’s amount of $400 per individual would be raised to $6,000 for Option 1 and $13,700 for Option 2. Councilman Jeff Boyd raised the issue that employees that suffer catastrophic injuries or illnesses could be on the hook for a great deal of expenses. “That’s devastating to an employee of this city and his family that has to make decisions,” Boyd said. Boyd proposed the city continue its current plan for one more year and evaluate its options. SEE HEALTH CARE, PAGE
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Fire Marshall visits OBUMC PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ORANGE BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Marshal Craig Stephenson visited Orange Beach United Methodist Church child care program this week. During his visit he shared fire safety ideas and showed them the fire truck and equipment.
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A grant from the Federal Aviation Administration could help improve technology and cut costs at the Gulf Shores airport. Airport Authority Manager Scott Fuller told the council during its July 10 work session that the FAA grant was for $341,805 with no matching funds required by the city. “The Airport Authority is putting up $18,989 in matching funds and the state of Alabama is also putting up $19,000,” Fuller said. Fuller explained what the grant would allow the airport to do. “Basically, what this project is going to do is replace about two miles of lights that we have to inspect and maintain daily at the airport, and the system we’re replacing is about 18 years old,” Fuller said. “It will provide us a new generator to supply power to the entire airfield in the event of a power outage and also put in pilot control lighting. For the first time in 20 years, we’ll be able to start turning those lights off at night and a pilot can just call them up on the radio.” Fuller said the move would save the airport about 50 percent in utility costs. Mayor Robert Craft said he thought it was a good move for the airport. “It sounds like a good deal,” Craft said. The council also considered whether to approve an assembly permit for a weekly farmers’ market to be held in the Waterway Village district. Merida Hines-Tyler approached the city to produce the weekly market, which would run from July 23 until Dec. 31 every Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. “rain or shine.” Additionally, the council discussed a potential memorandum of understanding between the city and Gulf Shores Elementary School to continue the after-school child care program. According to staff, in the last four years, both Gulf Shores Elementary Project Dolphin Pride 21st CCLC and the City of Gulf Shores operated an after school care program. In 2013, Gulf Shores Elementary was awarded a 21st CCLC grant and the attendance in the program tripled. SEE AIRPORT, PAGE
Gulf Coast Media
BALDWIN LIVING, 5-6
OUT & ABOUT, 24
CLASSIFIED, 8-9
PUZZLES, 7
HEALTH, 21-23
SPORTS, 12-14
VOLUME 41 • ISSUE 30
LEGALS, 26-32
TV LISTINGS, 15-18
1 SECTION • 36 PAGES
OPINION, 10-11
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