Hartselle library changes hours of operation Page A-8
Tigers soccer wins Morgan tournament Page B1
Hometown newspaper of Kenneth Doxx- since 1933
Hartselle Enquirer
By Rebekah Yancey rebekah.yancey @hartselleenquirer.com
In a bid to pave the way for the next two decades of growth and development, the City of Hartselle is gearing up to revamp its Comprehensive Plan, marking a significant stride since the adoption of the last plan in 2012. The endeavor is a collaborative effort with the North Central Alabama Regional Council of Government (NARCOG) Planning and Economic Development
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2024
VOLUME 91, NO. 9
Department. Spearheading this initiative is Joey Hester, Director of Planning, and Shelby Selman, planner, who are inviting residents to actively contribute their insights and ideas. The new Comprehensive Plan aims to build on the accomplishments of past projects and envisage a future that aligns with the city’s ever-evolving needs and opportunities, according to Hester. “It’s a 20-year roadmap for our elected officials to use while making decisions on future developments based on what the community wants Hartselle to look like
in the future,” he said. Hester stated that municipalities are generally advised to revise their comprehensive plans every five years. It is essential for them to regularly update these plans to retain their designation as an Alabama Community of Excellence (ACE). The City of Hartselle earned this designation in 2012. Hartselle residents are
encouraged to be part of the process of updating the Comprehensive Plan by sharing their thoughts on the city’s present status and their vision for its future. A community planning meeting will be held March 19 at the Sparkman Civic Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Hester said the event will be structured with no formal presentation and will be
a come-and-go event. Free popcorn and soda will be provided for attendees. “This event will give us an opportunity to report back to the community on previous survey results and what planning has been done up to this point,” Hester added. “Sort of “Here’s what we’ve heard, this is what we’ve learned and how we’re going to use the data.” Mayor Randy Garrison established a steering committee to head up this initiative from a wide variety of Hartselle residents, selecting representatives from the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce, the Hartselle
City Planning Commission and educators. Residents can peruse maps, reports and details of meetings related to the Comprehensive Plan online at https://planhartselle. m y. c a n v a . s i t e / h e l p hartselle-plan. Garrison said the new Comprehensive Plan will be approved later this year. Committee members, city officials and representatives from NARCOG will be present at the meeting March 19 and are open to answering questions and providing further information about the ongoing planning efforts.
By Rebekah Yancey rebekah.yancey @hartselleenquirer.com
Don’t miss Profile 2024 – inside today. This special publication features 20 young professionals under 40 in Hartselle and Morgan County. These young professionals were nominated by their peers in the community. Read their stories inside today. Extra copies can be purchased at the newspaper office at 206 Cedar St., Hartselle.
Decatur Morgan Hospital getting Safe Haven Baby Box By Erica Smith For the Enquirer A Safe Haven Baby Box — where families can safely leave a baby without being prosecuted — will be installed at Decatur Morgan Hospital, and a contribution approved by the Morgan County Commission on Tuesday will help. “We in Morgan County recognize the sanctity of life,” said Morgan County District 2 Commissioner Randy Vest. The Safe Haven Baby Boxes are temperature-controlled and can be installed in locations that are staffed 24 hours a day, such as emergency rooms or fire stations. When a baby is placed inside, an alarm will sound allowing hospital staff or firefighters to immediately retrieve the baby. “The Fire Department and the hospital got together and chose that the best location would be at the hospital,” Vest said. A newborn was discovered dead in a dumpster behind a Decatur convenience store in October. Vest said the box will hopefully put an end to that type of situation. “One thing that we don’t want to read about again is a baby being found in a dumpster,” he said. Families may anonymously leave the baby in the box
Obituaries • Charlotte Pitt Wiley • Warner Jerome Crow • Leldon P. Chasteen
within 45 days of its birth without being prosecuted under state legislation passed last year. At Tuesday’s Morgan County Commission meeting, the commission approved an expenditure of $3,000 to go toward the box. “The box itself has been taken care of but they needed a little additional money as far as installation and I know that we would like to support that,” Vest said. In a letter to the County Commission, state Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur said multiple entities are contributing money for the box. “It is supported by the Legislative Delegation, the city of Decatur, Morgan County, the hospital and fire department,” she wrote. The Moulton City Council has been discussing installing a box at the Moulton Fire Department. According to Moulton Fire Chief Brian Phillips, the box costs about $15,000 and installation costs $5,000. “But if we can save even one life it will be worth it,” Phillips told the council last week. The Madison Fire Department became the first in the state to receive an infant in a Safe Haven Baby Box on Jan. 21, less than two weeks after the box was installed.
Michael Cavanaugh knows pizza. He also knows Hartselle. After more than three decades of dedicated service, Cavanaugh is hanging up his apron as the manager of the local Pizza Hut — a decision he calls bittersweet. Cavanaugh has become a fixture in the community, hosting countless celebrations — from family dinners to birthday parties to homecoming and prom gatherings — and becoming a familiar face for patrons young and old. Cavanaugh’s last day at Pizza Hut was Feb. 15. Billy McAbee dines at the establishment every day. His son, Corbett McAbee, is a big fan of the personal pan pizzas. “My son enjoys a personal pan cheese pizza, light on the sauce, every day, 365 days a year. He worships the ground Mike Cavanaugh walks on,” Billy McAbee said. “On Thanksgiving Day, I got a text (from Cavanaugh) that said ‘Hey, your pizza is in your mailbox. Get it before it gets cold,’” Billy McAbee said. “He opened his business when it was closed — I know it takes 30 minutes to heat up the oven — to make one pizza. How many people do you know who would do that?” Cavanaugh frequently supplied pizza to the Hartselle Police Department and other organizations. Tania Burgess, with Hartselle Police, said he has been a great supporter of first responders in Hartselle through the years. “Michael Cavanaugh has been delivering delicious pizzas to the community for as long as I can remember,” Burgess said. “I remember several years ago, all of Hartselle had shut down due to snow-covered roads, but wouldn’t you know it, Michael somehow made his way to ‘The Hut’ and was turning out pizzas for those who could make it to the drive-thru window. I will always be grateful for Michael’s years of dedication and service to our community. He will be missed more than he’ll ever know.” Cavanaugh’s wife Michelle invited the community to the restaurant to say goodbye during his final week on the job. “You wouldn’t believe the response,” Michael Cavanaugh said. “People coming in that last week, talking to me, wishing me well, telling me how I had impacted their lives — some of them who were not in the greatest situation when they worked here and now, they’re straight and on the right path.” Cavanaugh described one such former employee who came by. “He said, ‘It took me years to come face you because I was not nice to you back then. The situation I was in, I probably would not have got out of it
For full obituaries, see page A-2
• Patricia McCormick Maxwell • Andrea Penn Lemley • Elizabeth Couey Maxwell • Rhonda East Thompson • Linda Joyce Wray Carter
By Bayne Hughes For the Enquirer A Priceville 16-year-old is in a juvenile detention center after being accused of breaking into Priceville Elementary School and later driving a school bus.
ENQUIRER PHOTO/REBEKAH YANCEY
Michael Cavanaugh recently retired from Pizza Hut. He worked as the manager of the Hartselle restaurant for 34 years. if it hadn’t been for you. I heard you were leaving, and I have needed to say this for a long time,’” Cavanaugh recalled. “That really had an impact on me. “You go through life sometimes wondering if you’re really making a difference or doing any good for people, and then something like that happens.” Cavanaugh has big plans for retirement. Cruises to St. Barts and Alaska have been booked for this year and next, but the 63-year-old said he mainly wants to do the things he hasn’t had time to do while busy working 80-hour weeks.
Cavanaugh said the most important thing he received from his three decades at Pizza Hut is the friendships. “I’ve formed a lot of long-term relationships through the years,” he said. “Some of my customers who came through the drive-thru as children in car seats now bring their own children. That to me is exciting to have relationships with the good people in the community that have turned into generations of friends.” “I still eat pizza after all these years,” Cavanaugh added, “just not as much. I lost 4 pounds my first week of retirement.”
Priceville Police on Monday on said the male juvenile was captured on surveillance cameras wandering inside the school after hours on Feb. 16. The video showed him attempting to enter locked classrooms with a screwdriver. The investigation determined the
same teenager returned to the Alabama 67 campus on Feb. 18 and entered a school bus. The juvenile drove the bus around the parking lot. Priceville officer Reggie Gibbs, Morgan County school resource officers and Morgan County Schools officials investigated the incident.