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January 29, 2011

Cullman mayor discusses city projects

By Trent Moore The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — With projects like the Duck River Dam gaining traction this year, Cullman Mayor Max Townson said one word defines the state of the city right now: unity.

“You’re in an age that has not been seen in this county, and that’s an age of unity,” Townson told a crowd of more than 100 at the annual State of the City, sponsored by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, Friday. “The city and county government is more unified than ever, and we’re all on the same page.”

Townson noted a recent trip to Washington, D.C. — taken by local city, county and state officials — where mutually beneficial projects and topics were discussed.

“We talked about making [U.S.] Hwy. 157 a four-lane, adding an interstate off ramp on County Road 222, and the [U.S.] Hwy. 278 bridge that runs down to two lanes needs to be changed,” he said.

With the Duck River Dam secondary water source project gaining momentum, Townson said the undertaking shows city and county officials are working together to secure a water source for the next 75 years.

“I’ve heard some say this is a bridge to nowhere, but that’s false,” he said. “We’re building a bridge to the future for growth, agriculture and consumption ... In 30 years, if the county is buying 45 percent of the water, they will own that percentage of the lake. We will create a water authority, based on how much water each system uses.”

Numerous downtown revitalization projects are also in the works this year Townson said, with streetscaping in the center of town and new sidewalks being installed around city school campuses. Old ditches are also being replaced with concrete flumes to improve water flow across the city, and murals sponsored by the historical society have been painted on the sides of some downtown buildings in an effort to enhance aesthetics.

Industrial growth has been another bright spot recently, Townson said, with expansions and openings by numerous companies in the area.

“When most cities weren’t bringing in industries, we opened several,” he said. “We just cut the ribbon on Royal Technologies, Rehau is in business, and Cash Acme is expanding.”



* Check out the Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 print edition of The Times for the full story.

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