By Brittany Woodby
This year has been full of challenges and accomplishments for the city of Cullman. Businesses and industries have flourished despite an historic drought which kept the city’s water supply, Lake Catoma, well under full-pool for most of the year.
“The ongoing drought has raised awareness of the need for us to pursue an additional supply (of water) for our future,” Cullman Mayor Donald Green said during his State of the City address in January.
Throughout the year the city has continued work on the Duck River Dam project which Cullman officials began researching years ago as an alternative and additional water source.
“It is imperative that we develop a plan that we can all buy into,” he said. “Future economics will dictate there are things in the future that we must do together because we don’t have a choice. I believe (finding) a long term source of water is something we must do together.”
The drought has not had much adverse impact on industry in the county, with companies such as Rehau and Serta announcing multi-million-dollar expansions and new industries like auto parts supplier Yutaka and Green Structure Homes LLC setting up factories in Cullman. Retail chains Walgreens and Hobby Lobby also announced plans to open stores in 2008.
Along with the continued growth, Cullman remains among cities with the lowest unemployment rates in the state. The Cullman Economic Development Agency solicited a study of Cullman residents to determine the level of underemployment as a means of attracting industries, despite a seemingly small available workforce.
“We can show this information to potential industries and tell them this is what industries who are already here are saying,” CEDA Assistant Director Dale Greer said. “This isn’t just us bragging about our workforce.”
Of course, residents in the city are not “all work and no play,” and Cullman’s parks allow residents to exercise and play at some of the best facilities in the region.
Green said the city has made extensive strides in its parks and recreation program with the completion in 2007 of the Field of Miracles, one of only two recreational complexes in the state featuring a rubberized walking surface to promote handicap accessibility. He also said the city is celebrating success with the Wellness and Aquatic Center, which began construction in November. The $14.5 million-complex should be completed and open to the public in the spring of 2009.
Other construction projects in the city include “streetscaping” to beautify the downtown area with brick crosswalks and greenery; renovations to the old Grief Bros. property, which will house the city’s police department by summer 2008; and building a new fire station with state-of-the-art technology to ensure quicker response times to emergencies across the city.
Cullman City Schools have also seen success with increased state test scores and new technology thanks to the system’s “1:1 Laptop Initiative,” a program started in 2005 to fully integrate technology into the classroom.
“The laptop initiative is going well,” Superintendent Dr. Jan Harris said. “We’re right on target with it and so far the program’s success has exceeded our expectations.”
Harris said recent data from state testing and system statistics indicate increased attendance and increased academic and disciplinary achievements.
“Some test scores have improved, attendance has improved at the middle school and there have been fewer disciplinary problems,” she said.
