Guntersville Mayor Leigh Dollar gave her 10th State of the City address at City Harbor on Wednesday morning.
Guntersville Mayor Leigh Dollar gave her 10th State of the City address at City Harbor on Wednesday morning.
Guntersville Mayor Leigh Dollar gave her 10th State of the City address at City Harbor on Wednesday morning. She focused on “progress you can see.”
Here are some excerpts from the mayor’s remarks:
Guntersville is a destination location thanks to our beautiful and unique lake. That’s why we stay focused on our projects to renovate and improve existing facilities. We completed the renovation of Phase 1 of the ball fields at Optimist Park, creating three smaller fields primarily for ages 8 and under. A restroom and concession facility were also added.
For Phase 2, we are completely redoing the Rec Center gym. We took it down to the steel frame and concrete floor. When completed in October, it will basically be a brand-new facility with hardwood floors, air conditioning, new bleachers, renovated restrooms and improved aesthetics. The new gym will include one large area with two basketball courts, four volleyball courts and six pickleball courts. This space will also be utilized for larger events. We look forward to showing off this new rec space.
Park restrooms are another amenity being added. There will be a larger restroom at the beach area along with three smaller restrooms at the water treatment plant area, across from the middle school and behind the farmers’ market. These will also have the same stone and timber look and be great additions to our park system.
We are currently in the final design phase of other Phase 2 renovations at the Rec Center which include completely redoing and reorienting the two ball fields beside the gym, a large splash pad adjacent to the pool and making the parking area in front of the fields safer and much more functional.
Lighting has gotten a lot of attention in our upgrade projects. The soccer fields at Conners Island got lights this past year thanks to a very generous corporate donation from Pilgrim’s Pride. There are future plans to add restrooms, concessions and parking for the soccer fields.
The outdoor pickleball and basketball court and skate park also received lighting. The tennis courts also received new lights, and we look forward to getting a new timing system for the lights and completely redoing the tennis courts in the next couple of years.
Last year the large swimming pool was completely redone and this year the lap pool and baby pool were redone to better serve our community.
We also installed new water slides for the big pool.
Lighting improvements extend way beyond the Rec Center. We finally finished the extended portion of the walking trail from the Chamber of Commerce to the bridge, with new asphalt, thanks to the public works department and lighting thanks to the Electric Board. The new lights along the Lurleen Wallace Drive trail are a beautiful and functional addition to our city.
Another major Electric Board project on Highway 69 to remove the utility poles on the east side of the causeway not only improved the street lighting and enhanced the electric system, it also provided a dramatic, uninterrupted view of the lake and river bridge.
Something you can’t see is having the utilities moved underground on Taylor Street beside the courthouse and at the northern tip of the peninsula. This will be an asset to downtown and the entrance to the city.
The new parking lot between Gunter and Blount at Scott Street provides additional parking for town hall, downtown and city court, as well as the harbor. That new lot was prepared by city forces with the help of the electric board and finished out by the contractor.
The plans to continue the walking trail along the lake to go under the river bridge are still being developed. We have reversed course and decided to start work on the harbor side going to the river bridge, connecting to the Lurleen Wallace side at some point in the future.
Hopefully you will see construction start in the winter.
Another nice addition to the harbor area is the new Railroad Avenue road beside the new brewery in the silo structure. This property was purchased from the railroad which allowed the Water Board to do a sewer upgrade to their system, as well as improve traffic circulation around city harbor and enhance the safety of drivers accessing Blount Avenue and Highway 431. There is on-street parking on Railroad Avenue as well.
The pocket park between City Hall and Fant’s is a work in progress.
This great little area which will be a very nice addition to downtown.
One of our citizens’ favorite services is roadside pickup of limbs and debris. The city has an inert landfill on Highway 79 South – one that’s not for household garbage – that was previously 40 acres. This past year the city purchased an additional 56 acres to ensure landfill capacity for years to come.
The City started using the new P25 radio system that allows interoperability between many organizations. This was a crucial communication upgrade.
One thing the City has made easy to see is the budget and planning process for equipment replacement needed by each department. New equipment is always needed to provide services. Thanks to a well-planned program the council and city departments have implemented, we are able to keep the equipment fleet current within our budget means.
We are very close to starting construction of the new recycling center at Conners Island, and the pad for the new facility has been prepared by city crews.
Another nice infrastructure improvement, thanks to a Community Development Block Grant, was a drainage project we completed in the East Lake area. Along with improved drainage streets were also paved, all of which was very helpful to the residents and also helped our city look much nicer.
One big project that is easy to see as it happens is construction of a new high school, a process which has been underway since funding was obtained by the city and school board. City forces helped establish a new parking area to make way for demolition on the existing school and actual construction will start soon..
Conner’s Island Business Park is another area where you can see progress. Currently, Special Touch Restoration is building a structure in the east park. We expect the State Forestry office to start construction any time. The Industrial Development Board is showing land in the West Park and has sold another parcel of land that is being cleared.
While it’s not always obvious from the highway view, Guntersville Municipal Airport continues to grow and be a tremendous asset to our city. Construction has started on a new large private hangar. The remainder of the unfenced airport property will get fencing thanks to an FAA grant.
A look at city finances shows that revenues continue to be a bright spot for the city. Sales, lodging and use tax continue to be the largest revenue sources. So far this year, revenues have increased 7%.
The city has seen year over year revenue increases since 2013, with revenues increasing approximately 124% over that period.
The lake is the heart and soul of our community, and we work hard every day to ensure this precious resource stays healthy and vibrant.
We continue to work closely with TVA and the stakeholders group regarding stewardship issues on the lake. The main priority is weed management, but it’s not limited to weeds and includes things like water quality, Asian carp and other issues critical to the lake.
There was an important piece of state legislation passed that created a funding source through a $5 increase in boat tags that will be able to be utilized as match money (through a grant application process) for TVA.
We continue to work with the veterans for an appropriate location for a Veterans Park. Council toured various parks in June to see what other cities have done. We are committed to finding the best location to serve everyone’s needs and to see a proud American flag waving in the lake breeze.
City Harbor opened in May with rave reviews for the new businesses and everything is almost open. You can stay a night in the condos, drive your boat to enjoy a lakeside meal, walk out on the boardwalk to swing – or take a quick stroll to enjoy the historic downtown district.
There is something for everyone to enjoy and it is one of the most talked about developments across the state.
With the City Council’s approval of an agreement to allow the construction of a hotel on the last piece of city owned property at the harbor, a much-needed destination hotel for the Northtown area will soon be a reality.
All of this progress you can see would not happen without so many people working together to make Guntersville successful. No matter what part you play, thank you! We must all work toward the common goal of making Guntersville the best place it can be.
Guntersville Mayor Leigh Dollar gave her 10th State of the City address at City Harbor on Wednesday morning.
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