Auburn Council Discusses Boykin Community Center

Steve Flowers

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OPINION

We are continuing this week with our summer series on Big Jim Folsom — Alabama’s most colorful governor.

Those of us who grew up in and around Alabama politics have coined a descriptive term for a person who is obsessed with seeking political office constantly and tirelessly without reservation or concern for their physical, mental or financial welfare. They will run for highelected office at all costs. The term we use to describe those people is named for the man who best exemplified that obsession, George Wallace. Therefore, someone who is driven by an obsession to win high public office has the “George Wallace Syndrome.”

The Alabama baby boomer who was eaten up with the George Wallace Syndrome more than any other I know was Don Siegelman. Siegelman ran nonstop beginning from the time he was a student at the University of Alabama in the 1960s. He was successful. He was president of the student government at Alabama

There is an old political saying that you don’t ever want to get into a race with someone who wants it more than you and will outwork you. Siegelman was never outworked. He was relentless and focused on the ultimate prize that many a young politician in Alabama aspired to and that’s the governor’s chair. He captured the brass ring.

Siegelman reminded me so much of Wallace, he truly deserves the award for having the Wallace Syndrome. He and Wallace were so consumed with politics and being governor that neither one of them could tell you what they were eating when you had lunch with them. Eating was a sideline to any political discussion they were having and calling lunch. They ate because they had to eat to survive.

Siegelman was always a little more liberal than most Alabamians. Therefore, he grew up admiring the more progressive Alabama political icons. He admired our progressive New Deal Democrats, such as Lister Hill, John Sparkman and Carl Elliott. However, the utmost idol for young liberal politicians of my era was James E. “Big Jim” Folsom. Folsom was truly a progressive on fiscal and social issues.

Siegelman had a markedly similar career and educational background as Bill Clinton. Both were almost the same age, both received undergraduate degrees from their state universities, both left college and went to prestigious law schools — Clinton to Yale and Siegelman to Georgetown. They both went on to do postgraduate work at Oxford in England. Then they both started running for office right away. Clinton ran for Congress, then governor of Arkansas. Siegelman ran for secretary of state and then on up the Alabama political ladder to attorney general, lieutenant governor and governor.

As Siegelman was beginning his first foray into Alabama politics, I will share with you a funny story that I call the “Don Siegelman meets Big Jim story.”

Siegelman was campaigning hard all day for secretary of state in early 1978 and wound up his day late in Cullman. Folsom, in his later years, camped out at a truck stop along the interstate in Cullman. Folsom was drinking coffee and Siegelman spotted his lifelong hero and liberal idol and went over to introduce himself. Siegelman gave Folsom his spiel and what he was doing and how his campaign for secretary of state was going. He gave Folsom the story of his pedigree concerning all of his educational degrees: University of Alabama Student Government

See FLOWERS, page B10

LEGAL NOTICES — PAGE B12

BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER HGOLDFINGER@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM

AUBURN —

The Auburn City Council approved several items relating to the new Boykin Community Center during Tuesday night's council meeting.

The Boykin-Donahue Campus Project is a large city project to add a multi-cultural center, a splash pad, recreation center and more to the to the current Boykin Community Center.

The council approved a lighting services agreement with Alabama Power Company for the Boykin-Donahue Campus Project for over $112,000.

The lighting agreement will place permanent lighting on the new campus and pathway lighting between the new section and the old section.

The council also amended the professional services agreement with McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture for the Boykin-Donahue Campus Cultural Center Project for over $27,900.

This amended agreement included additional funds because of changes inc classroom sizes, restrooms and more, said City Manager Megan Crouch. Essentially the amount increased in design costs but it will lower construction costs.

Auburn Mayor Ron Anders said that the idea for the cultural center came from a local resident back when Anders was first elected to this position in 2018.

“This idea was to create this school house

[a Rosenwald House] and use it as a center for education, recognition and there could be some historical, kind of museum qualities to it as well,” Anders said. “… But I never thought we’d be looking at a million dollars to build this.”

The cost of the project for the cultural center is just over a million.

Anders said his original vision was this could be a community project, rather than using a contractor with a high price tag.

The mayor asked if there was a chance of stepping back to look at the price tag or re-evaluate.

“Can we talk about this even more?" he asked. He did clarify though that he was still on board for the project, despite concerns.

Crouch said that while yes, it can be discussed, the council is contractually obligated to pay McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture.

Ward 1 Council Member Connie Fitch Taylor expressed disagreement with Anders’ concerns.

She asked why the cost was not taken into account sooner. Anders said he never thought there would be a contractor and it would be a community project.

“I’m getting a little sensitive about this, simply because, this is something that has already been put out there to the community, everybody’s excited about it,” she said.

The design of the project wouldn’t change, just how labor and materials are acquired.

Anders’ vision of a community project is how Hickory Dickory Park was built, Crouch said.

Even if the project had the full green light as of Tuesday night, it could be two months before things begin, the city said.

Crouch said she’d like to talk further about the project during the biennial budget discussions.

The council also approved a professional services agreement with McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture for the Boykin-Donahue Campus Recycling Center Project for over $33,900.

Finally, the commission amended the professional services agreement with

See AUBURN, page B13