Author: cwdadmin

From The Decatur Daily
by Deangelo McDaniel

PRICEVILLE — The town of Priceville is seeking authorization from a Morgan County circuit judge to borrow $9 million to construct a 66,000-square-foot recreation center near North Bethel Road and East Upper River Road.

A hearing on the matter will be held June 9 at 10 a.m. in the Morgan County Courthouse for any Priceville resident who wants to “show cause” why the town shouldn’t be allowed to borrow the money.

Mayor Melvin Duran and Birmingham attorneys handling the legal proceedings did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Priceville officials started talking about the center in 2015, but on March 13 the council adopted a resolution announcing its plan to go to the bond market, according to court documents.

Town officials said in court filings that they determined the town’s economic base and “prosperity and welfare of its citizens will be advanced” with the project. They also expect retail, commercial and employment opportunities and “an increase of the town’s tax base and revenues.”

Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long said he was familiar with the project because the county donated 8.4 acres where construction is slated to take place.

“I think this is great for the area and would be a major tourist attraction for the county,” he said. “I don’t see any minuses to this plan.”

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling talked about a project like this for the River City during his campaign. He proposed locating it in the annexed part of Limestone County near Interstate 565 and Alabama 20 because of the amount of traffic.

Bowling said Priceville’s plans have not changed his thoughts about what Decatur should do.

“We’re still talking about the feasibility of moving forward,” he said.

Court documents did not include specific plans for Priceville’s facility, but in February Duran said it would include four basketball courts that can be converted into eight volleyball courts, a walking track, one or two batting cages, a fitness center and a rehab center.

Priceville plans to sign a management agreement with Encore Rehab to operate a portion of the facility, according to legal filings.

Duran and council members Tommy Perry, Charles Black, Donald Livingston, Joe Lubisco and Jerry Welch also outlined plans to pay the debt. The town has about $34 million in taxable property, which means the council can legally borrow as much as $16.9 million, according to court documents. The new bonds will increase Priceville’s debt to about $11.9 million, court records show.

The center’s proposed site is near the new Priceville High where the Morgan County Board of Education invested almost $24 million. Superintendent Bill Hopkins Jr. supports the project and is looking at it as a possible home for the Morgan County basketball tournament.

“Any place that is centrally located in the county is a benefit for the school system,” he said. “This is right off Interstate 65 and should attract a lot of people to the county.”

The proceeding has been assigned to Circuit Judge Steven Haddock.

PRICEVILLE — The Town Council on Monday approved a 1-cent fuel tax increase and a fiscal 2018 budget that included funding to start work on a new fire station as well as hire an additional police officer.

Meanwhile, councilmen discussed an emerging plan to build from scratch a downtown in the fast-growing town of about 3,300 people, seeking public input at an upcoming open house.

The council unanimously approved the ordinance to increase the town’s gasoline tax from 3 cents to 4 cents per gallon and the diesel tax from 1 cent to 2 cents per gallon. The increase is expected to generate about $130,000 annually that Mayor Melvin Duran said would go toward street improvements.

The council also approved a $2.89 million budget for fiscal 2018, up from $2.68 million in fiscal 2017. The new budget projects a hefty surplus, predicting nearly $3.4 million in revenue.

Duran described it as an attempt to be conservative, noting the town currently has a fund balance of roughly $2.6 million in the bank.

Before voting, the council added to the budget $100,000 to begin work on the town’s second fire station, which is slated to be built adjacent Priceville High School.

Councilman Joe Lubisco Jr. said Morgan County Schools officials have informally agreed to donate about 0.5 acres for the new station, which would serve the school and multiple new subdivisions in the vicinity.

The land acquisition is still pending approval by the Morgan County Board of Education as attorneys for both parties review the deal. Priceville officials tentatively plan to begin construction on the new station next year with completion expected by 2021.

Councilman Charles Black said the Insurance Service Office recommended the new station, which will re-position existing equipment, and that it could result in residents seeing better property insurance rates.

“We’re trying to improve safety in the community as well,” Lubisco said.

From The Decatur Daily
by Evan Belanger

PRICEVILLE — After approving a $9 million bond issue last week, town officials plan to build and open by next fall a 66,000-square-foot recreation center at North Park.

They’re also planning to use a portion of the bond proceeds to extend Marco Drive to East Upper River Road in a bid to open more property for commercial development and alleviate traffic congestion on Bethel Road.

Mayor Melvin Duran said this week that town officials expect to have $8.3 million to $8.5 million available for the projects after capitalized expenses are deducted from the bond.

“Hopefully, we’ll be anywhere from $6.5 million to a little over $7 million on the sportsplex, and what’s left we’ll spend on Marco Drive,” he said.

No groundbreaking date has been set for the recreation center, but Duran said officials hope to finalize plans Sept. 6 and plan to have it open by the fall of 2018.

Preliminary plans call for the center to include four basketball courts that can be converted into eight volleyball courts, a walking track, one or two batting cages, a fitness center, and a rehab center.

The center will be located on 8.4 acres in Morgan County’s North Park, at North Bethel Road and East Upper River Road. The park already has soccer fields, baseball fields and softball fields. Morgan County donated the land for the recreation center.

For now, town officials are calling the planned facility the Priceville Event Center. Duran said they are hopeful it will host travel ball and high school athletic tournaments, but they refrained from calling it the Priceville Sports Plex, because it could also host other events.

“You could have a wedding there, you could have a gun show there, you could have a boat show there, you could possibly have a camper show there, or a home and garden show. It’s an event center,” he said.

Noting the town’s proximity to Interstate 65, Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long predicted visitors attracted by the center would help stimulate the local economy, but said the project is not without risk for the town of roughly 3,300 people.

“It’s a big gamble for Priceville to spend that kind of money, but I think it’s going to work out for them,” Long said.

From The Decatur Daily
by Evan Belanger

PRICEVILLE — Longtime Priceville Police Chief Billy Peebles will retire next week after more than 31 years on the force and more than 41 years in law enforcement.

Peebles, 63, will step down from the town’s top law enforcement job effective Wednesday.

“There comes a time in a person’s life when it’s time to move on,” he said, adding he will most miss the opportunity to serve the public as well as the camaraderie of the force.

Mayor Melvin Duran said no decisions have been made about who will replace Peebles either on an interim or permanent basis.

“All options are on the table,” he said, adding, “I’ve enjoyed working with Billy these last 31 years.”

Including Peebles, Priceville has five police officers and six reserve officers.

Peebles’ retirement comes during a period of rapid growth for the small town east of Decatur. From 2000 to 2016, its population grew by 97 percent — from 1,674 to 3,297.

Peebles, a Priceville native, started his law enforcement career as a reserve deputy for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. He served as a patrol officer in Trinity before joining the Priceville Police Department, where he was promoted to chief in 2001.

In an interview Friday, he said he always will carry with him memories of some of the more grisly experiences of law enforcement, but he hoped his years of work positively impacted the close-knit community.

“Maybe something you said during the day affected someone’s life for the good,” he said. “At the end of the day, that’s what matters to you.”

Peebles said he has no plans to leave his home in Priceville and that he will be available to assist the police force if called upon. He said his immediate plans are to spend time catching up on chores around the house and visiting family.

A small retirement party for Peebles is planned early next month. He said he prefers a small, private sendoff with friends and family as opposed to a large public event.

“My job was a gift that God gave me. It’s something I wanted to do since I was a young man, and God opened that door for me,” he said. “It’s certainly not something to flaunt, because all good things come from Him.”