By Tiffany Green

STAFF WRITER

The new year brings new plans for some of the small towns in Cullman.

A new restaurant in one, new municipal ball park in another and hopes for new town halls, are all plans for the future of Cullman counties small towns.

Holly Pond mayor Herman Nail said he has some big, but attainable plans for the new year.

“We have quite a few things in mind,” he said. “But it all depends on the economy.”

He said with the economy tight, he is not sure how much the town will be able to do, but he is hoping for better economic times in 2009.

Nail hopes to replace four dugouts in the town park and finish the dugout and score stand at the t-ball field.

“An on-going thing we are trying to do is upgrade everything before the season gets here,” he said.

Nail also wants to upgrade the senior citizens building by painting it and doing some other modernizing to the building.

The town sewer system infrastructure also needs upgrading, Nail said.

“The town has applied for grants the past three years and has not gotten them,” he said. “I believe we will have a better chance this next year.”

Nail and the council has also discussed plans for a new town hall.

“We are in the process of looking at our options,” he said. “It all depends on how the economy goes. We will just take it easy and do things as we are able.”

New mayor of Good Hope, Corey Harbison wants to continue the work for his town and hopefully do some upgrading.

“We want to maintain the hard work we have been doing in our town,” he said.

Harbison hopes to do some much needed work on the sewer system in the new year and he plans to buy needed equipment for the street department.

“We want to work on the sewer system and buy new equipment for our street department because it is outdated,” Harbison said. “I will continue to work hard for this town.”

The town of Vinemont hopes to bring in a new sports complex.

The sports complex is proposed to have four or five softball/baseball fields. Mayor Melba Patton said the town has discussed this for the past 12 years and the town is now ready to begin the project.

The council discussed plans at this months meeting and decided they will search out a engineer by looking at the companies previous work at other parks.

The town has 32.5 acres of land and it is paid for Patton said. The land is located on Highway 31, just north of the Vinemont post office.

West Point mayor Kenneth Kilgo is excited about the sanitary sewer project that will hopefully bring new businesses into the area.

“We hope Jack’s Restaurant will come in by May,” Kilgo said in a previous interview. “The sewer project will lay the future for more business coming to the town.”

Kilgo said without the sewer system, no businesses were willing to come to the town. Now with plans for the sewer project to begin soon, Kilgo hopes to attract more businesses.

“The sewer capacity will attract some business,” he said. “We have been pursuing some and are now going back to look at some folks.”

Another plan for West Point is building a new town hall. Kilgo and the West Point town council began discussing plans for a new town hall at the last meeting.

Officials want to build a new town hall located on Highway 157, in the location of the old Hastings Construction site. Kilgo hopes to share the site with the West Point fire department.

Baileyton mayor Johnny Dyar said he has a lot of plans for his town in 2009.

“We’re getting ready to open up our senior citizens building on January 8,” Dyar said.

Dyar also said Dr. Bucco, who currently practices out of his Dodge City office, will soon move into the medical clinic in Baileyton.

He also has plans to clean up the town park and replace old trees with new ones.

“We will plant trees in memory of loved ones and some veterans,” Dyar said.

Colony mayor Morris Fitts said he wants to town to work together and move forward.

“It’s all about working together,” Fitts said.

Council members is planning a black history program for February.

Council member Patrick Ward is organizing a program for Black History Month and hopes to have guest speakers.

Ward said he is looking to add family activities for the community in 2009.

“We want to make more activities available for people and want to involve Cullman county,” Ward said.

Fairview Mayor Randell Shedd and Dodge City Mayor Perry Ray could not be reached for comment.



‰ Tiffany Green can be reached by e-mail at tgreen@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 221.