County to spend $35,000 on study

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A proposed needs assessment study received the support of the Morgan County Commission to the tune of $35,000 at a Dec. 23 meeting.
At the request of John Seymour, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, the commissioners agreed to partner with the chamber and City of Decatur to finance a community needs study by an independent contractor.
The study will take place over a three-four month period.
Seymour said the study is needed to develop a community action plan in support of an ongoing effort to attract BRAC families moving to North Alabama in 2010-2011.
District 2 Commissioner Ken Livingston questioned Seymour about Decatur General Hospital’s willingness to get on board with a self-improvement plan after the study is completed.
Commission OKs bid
By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Morgan County Commission is moving ahead with plans to construct new environmental and animal services buildings in the Hartselle-Morgan County Industrial Park.
The commission approved the low bid of $2.064 million from E Tech Construction of Hartselle at its Dec. 23 meeting.
Of the total bid, $903,433 is for construction of the animal shelter and $1.031 million is for construction of the environmental services facility. Two alternate bids are included: $43,606 is for a heated floor in the kennel and $86,250 is for landscape work, per requirements of the Hartselle Planning Commission.
Eight other bids were submitted. They ranged from $2.25 million (the second low) to $2.9 million (the high). Three of the bids were rejected because they failed to meet specifications.
Architect Fred Underwood of Under-wood Associates recommended that the governing body accept the low bid. He said work should commence as soon as weather permits and the length of the contract is for 345 days.
Currently, Environmental Services facilities are located at the District 2 workshop and the animal shelter is located at the Hartselle Landfill.
The commission also faced more questions related to the purchase of 175-acres in the Cedar Cove community by Product Mart.
Barbara Mulqueen of 986 Cedar Cove Road in District 2 asked the commission if it believed the authority spent $700,000 for the land only as an investment and not as a site for a multi-use facilty.
The commission listened but declined to make a response.
Mulqueen summed up her comments by saying, “If the authority goes ahead with plans to develop the land, we will engage the Environmental Protection Authority, the National Association of Native Americans and use all other legal means available to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The commission acted on other matters as follows: