11/15/09
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9 comments
Hartselle business park, new high school seen changing I- 65
HARTSELLE — Build a high school near Interstate 65 and the traffic and children will come. And, when they come, commercial businesses will follow. That’s what happened in Scottsboro when the city constructed a new high school on Alabama 72. It’s also what Hartselle leaders think will happen between Priceville and Falkville on I-65. “The potential for growth with a new high school in the area is unlimited,” Hartselle Mayor Dwight Tankersley said. The proposed high school, however, is just one part of a larger plan county and city leaders expect to change the most significant untapped stretch of I-65 in Morgan County. Less than a mile away, the Morgan County Industrial Park and Economic Development Cooperative District broke ground on the 166-acre Morgan Center Business Park. Morgan County Economic Development Authority President Jeremy Nails said the park and proposed high school site are in the center of the county and North Alabama. He said the I-65 area will be the center of activity and hub of Morgan County. “As a county we have not taken advantage of the interstate,” Nails said. “Priceville and Falkville are growing and what we want to do is expand and bring in more interest.” Nails said the view of buildings in the new park will be as aesthetically pleasing as a new high school would be. He said the park board plans to construct no metal buildings that will be visible from I-65. “The buildings will be first class,” Nails said. As for the high school, Tankersley said it’s too early to talk about how it will look. He said the city has to successfully negotiate the purchase of 58 acres from former Hartselle High principal and coach J.P. Cain. “Mr. Cain has been very supportive and wants to do what he can to help facilitate a new high school,” the mayor said. Although the school system already owns land on Bethel Road, putting the high school at I-65 is the right thing to do, Tankersley said. He said the two projects are a perfect marriage because of the kind of businesses leaders plan to recruit for the business park. Unlike Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park, the new park will focus on the aerospace, biotech and defense industries in Huntsville. “We’re sending a message to industry that education matters in this county,” Tankersley said. Hollie Pegg of the Alabama Development Office said prospects have already looked at the site. She expects the park to grow rapidly because of its location near I-65. Highway accessibility, Pegg said during the park’s groundbreaking, is the No. 1 priority for new businesses. Nails said the park has already generated interest from industries wanting to set up business in six to 12 months. With hopes of having the park ready for development in a year, the cooperative board will be signing contracts for infrastructure such as sewer, water and gas in a couple of weeks.
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You folks are forgetting something.........the old money in Hartselle DO NOT WANT THE TOWN TO GROW.
We want Hartselle to grow. but we do not need our taxes to go up, Why can"t they just add on to what they got if they need more room, Why build a new school when they can do this?
The reasoning for building the new high school is b/c hartselle received approx 22.5 mil. from Gov. Riley for use of building a new high school. The current facility is fading fast and is costing $$$ to repair the existing structure. Also as the city grows ever so slightly over the past 5-10 years, that means more students and in turn means more room for study as well as parking is needed. However there is no room for addition at the current residence. Therefore a new high school is and has been desperatly needed for years. If you are so upset with the taxes going up 1 cent then maybe you need to reconsider how you spent some of your income, b/c 1 cent is not going to kill anybody. If you drive to decatur, madison, or cullman to shop, you are spending roughly $5 in gas already to go the distance so its gonna be the same.
Amen David. My kids graduated from there 8 years ago and needed repair then, I can only imagine what it must need now.
Glad my kids don't go to Hartselle. Wouldn't wont them to travel on Hwy 36 on dead mans curve. Their is a reason its called that.
Don't you realize they are still going to use the old high school. They are only looking at adding space for 300 more students. If you are going to build it because we need the space then build it bigger than that. If the old building is so bad WHY are they going to keep using it. The money should be used for REPAIRS. No one has answered WHERE the money will come from to run the new building that will be added to the system. "THEY" are SAVING jobs by not allowing subs for non certified staff. Just OVERWORKING the staff that is there working 1-2 or 3 short. Yet we can support a adding a new building which will have to have MORE staff added. I have no problem with the one cent tax but SOMEONE is not telling the whole truth. Seems to me the system is not as BROKE as they want us to believe. Of course their are some at central with paper pushing jobs that should go to the house.
They can add on to the school by adding up, more stories, that would save money, also repairs, would be cheaper than building a new school, thay cold take the money and do that, it would save money
Adding more "stories"? Really?
This obviously isn't the answer. It wouldn't be feasible much less safe to add on stories to a school that is as old as Hartselle High School.
"Repairs" may be the easiest, cheapest answer for the short-term, but in the long-term building a new high school will be the most frugal answer.
I thought Hartselle has always prided itself on having the best school system in the state. What has happened? If this were a ballfield, everyone would support it.