By Guy Busby
FAIRHOPE – A 1.5-mile walking and bicycle trail could circle Fairhope’s Triangle property if a $550,000 plan is approved.
The Fairhope City Council voted Monday, Feb. 22, to apply for a grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs for the project. Under the grant, ADECA would pay $400,000 for the work with Fairhope paying the rest.
Mayor Sherry Sullivan said city officials and residents have been meeting to plan the best use for the site between US 98 and Veterans Drive.
“We’ve got to put together a timeline on how we will move forward, but this is one step in that process, which is applying for grants for those trails, for a trailhead, for rest rooms, for some signage,” Sullivan said. “And again, this money does become available every year, but we felt like this was timely for us to do this as we continue to work through the development of the Triangle property.”
Alabama legislation looks to rein in police and planning jurisdictions
Updated Mar 04, 2021;
Posted Feb 21, 2021
The signs outside McKenzie Farm Market on U.S. 98 south of Fairhope, Ala., generated a stir in recent years because it ran afoul with the city s sign ordinance. The market is located outside the city s corporate limits, but regulations are allowed because the business is within Fairhope s planning jurisdiction. Alabama is one of a few states with police and planning jurisdictions that extend beyond the city limits. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com)
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But for Mike McKenzie, the phrase represents a modern-day frustration that affects his business. The owner of a mom-and-pop produce market south of Fairhope, McKenzie cannot vote in city elections even though he is assessed permit fees and must abide by zoning ordinances issued out of Fairhope City Hall. Not long ago, a city employee told him to remove a sign because it was in violation of a city ordinance.
By Guy Busby
FAIRHOPE – The Fairhope City Council voted Monday, Feb. 8, to approve a municipal budget that officials say holds spending and income estimates as a low level.
The council voted unanimously to approve the budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The fiscal year began Oct. 1. 2020, but in election years, most municipalities wait until the new term begins to complete the budget.
Mayor Sherry Sullivan said city officials have been working since the term began to draft a budget.
“As y’all know, when I took office there was not a budget in place,” Sullivan told council members on Feb. 8. “It’s a lot to come into that big of a budget and just all the capital projects and all the equipment folks are asking for to prioritize all that and thanks to Jill and Kim and the department heads for really working through this with me. But I’m glad that we’re here and hopefully we can get it passed tonight and we can move forward with some of these projects.”
New start set April 30 Crowds fill downtown Fairhope during a past Arts and Crafts Festival. The City Council will vote Feb. 22 to postpone the 2021 event until April 30. File photo Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival Posted
By Guy Busby
FAIRHOPE – City Council members plan to postpone the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival from mid-March until at least the end of April due to COVID-19 precautions.
Officials supporting the delay said that date is tentative, and the event could be pushed back further or canceled if the pandemic continues. The council voted in 2020 to call off the festival for that year due to the coronavirus.
Rally outside Carlsbad City Hall during the January 5 City Council meeting
Contagious regulation
So much of the backlash against these shutdowns could have been averted if they were approached with even one iota of nuance (“Carlsbad and Encinitas rebel against restaurant lock-downs,” Cover Stories, January 20). In the spring, the shutdowns were understandable as we were all still learning about the nature of the pandemic. Months later, taking the same approach even after the relative safety of outdoor dining, is simply draconian and almost vindictive.
It seems as if Covid restrictions have taken on the same political calculus as being Tough on Crime did in the 1980s and 1990s, with officials competing over who can be the toughest. A glaring problem with their outbreak metric (and why they were so reluctant to release it, until journalists managed to expose it), is that it is anything BUT scientific.