COMMUNITY CALENDAR INSIDE
OPINION: PAGE 5 Inside the Statehouse with Steve Flowers
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LOCAL FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS, PAGE 2.
The Tallassee Tribune DEDICATED TO THE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF THE GREATER TALLASSEE AREA
TALLASSEE, AL 36078
50¢
June 28, 2017
TALLASSEETRIBUNE.COM
VOL. 118, NO. 26
City plans to purchase screen system
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
If it will fit, people will flush it. This is a problem the Tallassee Water and Sewer Board is trying to stop. According to Mayor Johnny Hammock, who oversees the city water
Alabama Power responds to report ranking it last
utilities, debris from the sewer system is clogging up the water pumps at the city lagoon. It has become too costly to continue to replace or repair these pumps, so the city plans to purchase a screen system that will stop debris from entering the pumps. These screens are designed to catch
debris before it can enter the pump and cause large problems. An effective screen system will cost the city between $50,000 and $100,000. According to Hammock, these screens will pay for themselves. “We are spending so much money on debris that is going through the sewer
system and clogging up the pumps,” Hammock said. “It can be baby wipes, diapers, rags, shoes, mop heads, jail uniforms….you name it. “The city of Tallassee has already spent about $26,000 since January on
WEDDED BLISS
FiOS Internet coming to Tallassee By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A local power company provider ranked at the bottom of an energy efficiency report card grading regions of the U.S. on their performance in saving energy and cutting operating costs through programs and customer incentives. Overall the entire southeast ranked last in the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy’s first 2017 Utility Energy Efficiency Scorecard. “Our first-ever scorecard of U.S. utilities, released (June 13), reveals striking regional differences and identifies the best — and worst — performers on energy efficiency,” an ACEEE report states. In the findings, Alabama Power consistently received among the lowest rankings in its three categories and 16 subcategories and overall it placed last among the bottom 10 performers for energy efficiency. The report states its focus was on the 51 largest utilities providers per volume of retail sales. Covering 31 states, the companies were said to account for over 50 percent of all energy See POWER • Page 11
See SYSTEM • Page 2
Carmen Rodgers / The Tribune
Dick and Anita Wade recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary at the Syrup Mill at Mason Farms in Kent. Anita was born in Tallassee in 1930 and Dick was born in Kent in 1927. The couple wed in 1947 after Dick returned home form serving in WWII. Mayor Johnny Hammock attended the anniversary party where he declared June 21 as Dick and Anita Wade Day in Tallassee.
Couple celebrates 70 years of marriage By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
Dick and Anita Wade recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary at the Syrup Mill at Mason Farms in Kent. Anita was born in Tallassee in 1930 and Dick was born in Kent in 1927. The two wed after Dick returned form serving in WWII. The two are members of Highland Gardens Baptist Church in Montgomery, First Baptist Church in
Eclectic and First Baptist Church in Tallassee. Tallassee Mayor Johnny Hammock joined the celebration and presented the couple with a proclamation declaring June 21 “Dick and Anita Wade Day” in the city of Tallassee. While the two were married in 1947, this love story begins long before that, when the two were just friends. “I first met him when I was 12 and he was See ANNIVERSARY • Page 3
ITS has been contracted to provide Fiber Internet (FiOS) access to Tallassee City Schools. Founded by Tomi Selby in Wetumpka, ITS is a full-service provider of technology solutions integrating voice, video, and data to make organizations more profitable and productive. ITS is doing more than connecting Tallassee City Schools to FiOS. The company plans on running FiOS connections throughout the city. ITS helps schools construct the right infrastructure and implement technologies to create 21st century learning environments. Other key markets for ITS include financial, banking and healthcare. Tallassee Community Hospital could soon be serviced with FiOS, as well. Currently, the internet provider only services commercially, not residentially. “We won’t build into neighborhood, but we will spread the fiber throughout the city,” said Mark Meany with Information Transport Solutions. See INTERNET • Page 3
Crowds pop in for Frios grand opening By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
There was a large showing of support at the Frios ribbon-cutting ceremony held Friday to mark its grand opening. Children and adults alike waited in line to get their hands on a handmade gourmet popsicle. The timing of this grand opening could not have been better. With summer months ahead, the high temperatures are sure to keep owner Troy Stubbs busy at the new popsicle shop as people try to beat the heat. “It’s an honor to be here in Tallassee,” Stubbs said. “We are residents of Elmore County. We do have a couple of other stores in the River Region. This will be third location
and well have a fourth location in Montgomery later this summer.” While Tallassee wasn’t the first location for Stubbs to open a Frios, this new location does have one distinct feature. “Each store gets better and we are really excited about this one,” Stubbs said. “We are the first Frios location to have a drive-through. That’s really exciting for those rainy days when you want a popsicle, but you don’t want to get out of your vehicle.” Frios Gourmet Pops are made in Gadsden and the ingredients that go into them are local and all natural. “The fruits that are in the popsicles Submitted / The Tribune come from local farms in Alabama,” Bailee Schone, a Frios pop star, serves up a fresh frozen popsicle to Tallassee’s own council Stubbs said. “The dairy that we use member, Sarah Hill, following Friday’s ribbon- cutting ceremony. The Tallassee Frios is the first See FRIOS • Page 2 of it’s kind with a drive-through, making Hill the first-ever Frios drive through customer.
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