Russell pool annexed into city

By Laura Johnson | Alex City Outlook

Published Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The City of Alexander City unanimously passed a resolution on Monday that annexed the Russell pool and about 30 acres of land from the property formerly owned by Russell Corp.

The exchange has been in the works for months but only recently became official when the council accepted the property at its last regularly scheduled meeting. The Russell campus is an unincorporated area surrounded by city property. The annexation was the next step needed for the city to officially take ownership of it.

“Even though I’ve known we were going to do it, I’m just so excited that it’s ours now,” Mayor Barbara Young said. “We are just so appreciative.”

With the donation, the city will be able to continue to use the old Russell pool, which will require some restoration, but will still help the city save as much as $700,000.

“We’re resolving our issue of not having a pool,” Council President Richard Langford said. “It comes at a much lower price tag … plus we get all that additional acreage.”

Before the property can be used, the city must build an access road by May 1 to comply with the terms of the agreement with Russell. Officials estimate the total cost of the road construction project will be $200,000 and the city council made provisions for the expense in the 2010 budget, which was passed in October.

The city must also make accommodations to ensure the facilities comply with regulations set by the Americans with Disabilities Act before they can be used. The estimated cost for those improvements is $100,000.

In other business, the city also adopted the 2005 Edition of the National Electric Code, set a public hearing on Dec. 7 to discuss vacating Emerson Road, accepted a proposal to pay $11,966 for a redesign of the city’s Web site and accepted a bid for steel encasement pipe work from Slone Utility Contracting, Inc. of Hokes Bluff in the amount of $109,575.

The city also accepted a request for a parade permit from the Alexander City Middle School Cheerleaders who will hold a 5K/10K and one mile fun run on Saturday, Nov. 21.

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