By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie addressed the Council Tuesday night, referencing a recent presentation by Autauga County Schools Supt. Lyman Woodfin, and what a partnership with the city could look like going forward to benefit education.
During Woodfin’s presentation two weeks ago to the council, he asked for a financial partnership to allow for future growth, building repair and construction.
“The City of Prattville has a unique opportunity to evaluate exciting potential educational projects for the future,” he said. “Supt. Woodfin came to the last council meeting and described several options for growth and needs here in the City of Prattville for public education.”
Gillespie said this potential brings about the need to enter into a transportation infrastructure planning phase of potential education development in the Old Ridge Road area. “After reviewing the options and discussing it with Superintendent Woodin, I would submit to you we need to allocate funds for the development for a comprehensive plan for education location opportunities for the City of Prattville. The Transportation Infrastructure Planning phase will be a component of a larger examination of the potential for a new Prattville High School. “
This could include Phase 1 which could involve a comprehensive evaluation of transportation, traffic counts, traffic patterns, roadway capabilities, capacities, identification of upgrades to road networks, traffic signal needs, utility relocation, or upgrades or alternate routes to accommodate both the CACC expansion and the potential of Prattville looking at building a new high school to partner in education opportunities for students.
It would also require preliminary engineering for a new high school.
“I believe education opportunities for our citizens is a pathway to the future. I am ready to partner with Supt. Woodfin in this comprehensive plan for Prattville’s future education. Councilors, I will await your direction for the next step to take for this partnership on this comprehensive plan for preliminary engineering and evaluation on these opportunities. In the meantime, I will be working with Supt. Woodfin on the cost for such a plan.”
In questions to the mayor, Councilman John Chambers said the study would be in his district. “Right now, personally, I see the infrastructure as an issue as it sits right now before anything is built out there. So, I definitely would appreciate the support of everybody getting on board with this. Because everything right now…all those neighborhoods…everything dumps on to Old Ridge Road. There is one way to get to the interstate and that is Old Ridge Road. There continues to be some building out there and that is just going to increase it, obviously. I would say this is something I would like to see happen if we do partner, and I would love to partner with the Board of Education and find some solutions. I am an education guy. I graduated from Prattville, went through the school system, and so did my kids. My mother was a teacher and a school counselor for over 35 years for the Autauga County Board of Education. I would love to partner. And if it turns out the school is the answer then I would definitely think we need this study so we know moving forward, prior to, that we would have a good plan in place and hopefully a good partnership in place. So that it would be safe for everybody, including the kids, that would be going back and forth to the high school and CACC.”
Gillespie said that at this time, the cost of the study is unknown. “Once we get the nod to move forward, we will be glad to come back. One recommendation I would have as I mentioned at the last council meeting, is to utilize some of our education funding to carry on this study. Because it is going to have to be a very in-depth study on traffic patterns and all the needs in that area.”
Councilman Michael Whaley said the conversation originated at the last council meeting.
“Here we are, again, with a request that we agree or approve to move forward. I guess procedurally, what do we need to do? I don’t want to wait two weeks and say, ‘Hey, we need to move forward with this.’ I feel like there are going to be some decisions we need to make on partnering and to what extent with education to move education forward. With that in mind, we need to know up front what kind of infrastructure needs we are going to have to undertake for that to happen,” he said. “We need to know that before. So, procedurally, how do we go about getting that authorization for pricing to be determined without coming back in two weeks and saying we need to move forward.”
Council President Lora Lee Boone said the council having a resolution or ordinance would be necessary to authorize the mayor and proper departments to do anything.”
Boone said paperwork needs to be done first. There will be costs to consider, and the need for a specific group in which to enter a contract. Once the executive office prepares the paperwork and creates a resolution with a possible fee schedule, that is when the council can vote to approve or not.
Councilman Whaley said that he hopes by the next meeting the council can see some type of request for a resolution or ordinance, and then support the decision to move forward with that study.
Mayor Gillespie said he will work with staff to come back with a recommendation on the study, as well as a cost estimate. “I feel like I have some marching orders,” he said.
