Local News
3 years of excess revenue helps city pay bills
ATHENS — It’s been a good three or four years for city-of-Athens finances.
With revenue exceeding expenses by about $1 million in 2009, the city has money to pay off some large projects.
City Council President Ronnie Marks said coming up $1 million in the black is the result of careful budgeting.
“The City Council passed a conservative budget, and our department heads administratively fell in line with cost-cutting measures that resulted in savings,” Marks said. “For the past three or four years, we’ve had good revenues. I anticipate that 2010 will be a challenge, but we will meet it.”
Among the projects the city is able to pay off are:
• Roy Long Road. “We had an overrun on this project that extended all the way from the intersection of U.S. 72 and South Jefferson Street south and around Steelcase and east on Roy Long Road all the way to U.S. 31,” Marks said. “We paid off a $117,424 invoice.”
• Site work for Custom Polymer rail spur in Elm Street Industrial Park. “We ran into some bad dirt there and had to move the dirt and replace it with crushed rock,” he said. “We projected $80,000 but, because of the bad dirt situation, it cost $115,000. This is really important to Custom Polymer because they are thinking of doubling in size.”
• Cottonwood sewer. “We were able to pay off our matching portion of $98,875 for the Cottonwood sewer grant,” Marks said.
• Police cars. “A couple of years ago, we bought a bunch of police cars and financed them. We paid them off at $159,335.”
• EastSide Junction incentive. “We appropriated an industrial-development incentive to the developer up to $350,000 by paying back half of the 1-percent sales tax. This is the first year for the payback of $85,000 and the city’s half was $85,000. The school’s portion, which was not affected, was $170,000 in sales tax,” he said. “And that’s all new money.”
• Clyde Mabry Drive. “This was a joint project with Limestone County for the street going back to the Health Department. We paid off our portion of $106,315.”
• Capital-expenditure fund. “We were able to put $175,000 in that account.”
• Municipal Court. “The Municipal Court had gone over budget by about $1,000 on materials, so we were able to appropriate that much to the court.”
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Local woman dies in Friday fire
A woman who was badly burned when she was discovered in her unit at Elmwood Apartments by police and firefighters late Friday night died not long before midnight, authorities said.
Vickie Strasser, 52, was taken by ambulance at about 10:40 p.m. to Athens-Limestone Hospital with second- and third-degree burns over 95 percent of her body. MedFlight was called to rush her to Huntsville Hospital at about 11:30 p.m., but she died before the helicopter arrived. -
Athens Police make 14 arrests in Friday night drug roundup
Friday night was a busy one for Athens Police officers. While several investigators were conducting a roundup that resulted in 14 arrests, other officers responded to a fire call at Elmwood apartments (see story on today’s front page).
Lt. Trevor Harris said officers conducted search warrants at two homes — one at 1210 Plato Jones St. and another at 903 Brownsferry St.
Madison Police Department provided two additional officers and dogs from the K-9 unit to assist. -
Family displaced by fire seeking residence to rent
One family displaced by last Sunday’s fire at Athens Village Apartments is desperately looking for a home or apartment to rent in the area.
Scott Robertson and his wife, Amanda, and four children, daughter Jordan, 16; son Matthew, 14; son Dallas, 9; and daughter Lily, 5, lost everything they owned on Aug. 29 when an early morning fire — sparked by a cigarette thrown on a patio chair outside another apartment — destroyed all eight units in Building D of the apartment complex at 1711 W. Elm St. in Athens. -
TVA ranks in Top 10 for economic development
For the fifth year in a row, the Tennessee Valley Authority has been named by Site Selection magazine as one of the top 10 North American utilities for economic development achievement. -
Bank robbers remain at large in city, county
Athens Police are still searching for a white man who robbed TVA Credit Union on East Hobbs Street in Athens on July 9.
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Woman burned in fire at Elmwood Apartments
A woman who was burned over 95 percent of her body after a fire in her unit at Elmwood Apartments was taken to Athens-Limestone Hospital by ambulance at around 10:45 p.m.
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Trinity reunion parade will be at 10 a.m. Saturday
The Trinity High School Grand Reunion parade will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Athens.
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Keeping the bees
Limestone County Beekeepers Association received a grant from the Alabama Mountains, Rivers and Valleys district of the RC&D Council.
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Trinity High School had many distinguished graduates
Local resident Lt. Col. James L. Walker gathered biographies of some of these graduates as the school celebrates its annual Grand Reunion today and Saturday in Athens.
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Part of Clinton Street in Athens to be closed at least 2 more weeks
Clinton Street in Athens, between Lee and Forrest streets, will be closed for at least two more weeks while Athens Utilities replaces sewer lines that are up to 75 years old, an official said.
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