Parents and grandparents can look forward to many magical hours in Andalusia’s new Heritage Park, thanks to the Andalusia City Council’s Tuesday decision to add a carousel to the downtown venue.
The carousel, which is 38 feet in diameter, is being custom designed for Andalusia. It will feature 32 standard horses, two ADA accessible chariots and a detachable wheelchair ramp.
In addition, there will be 10 reindeer that can be changed out with horses at Christmas, as well as six other animals that can be mixed in – a lion, tiger, elephant, giraffe, zebra and ostrich. Lighting and sound systems also are included, and the city also is purchasing a cover to protect the carousel in the event of a storm.
The Council on Tuesday accepted a low bid of $569,000 from Barrango MFG for the carousel, which includes installation and training. This bid was $274,000 less than the next lowest bid. Funds for the carousel were included in the city’s 2022 bond issue.
As spokesman for Barrango said it will take six to nine months to build the carousel, which means it should be in place in the new park in late 2026.
Mayor Earl Johnson said the city has not worked out all of the details of when the carousel will be available for use, but he expects rides to be free or a nominal expense, with rentals available for special events. The procedures will not be unlike those used in the city’s other park facilities, he said.
In unrelated business, the council:
• Had the first reading of an ordinance to allow Sunday alcohol sales in the city limits beginning at noon. Passage of an ordinance requires two readings before a vote is taken, unless there is unanimous consent to pass it immediately.
• Approved a 6 percent cost of living pay adjustment for city employees.
• Postponed until Jan. 20 a planned hearing on Econo Lodge’s business license, based on the assurance from attorneys for Dixitkumar Patel that he would move off the premises until a criminal case against him is resolved.
• Reappointed Beth Woodard and Jimmy Black to the City of Andalusia Industrial Development Board and Elizabeth Benet to the Andalusia Public Library Board.
• Renewed its contract with Emerald Coast Utilities Authority for processing the city’s recycling materials.
• Accepted a bid from Andalusia Ford for four new police vehicles.
Robinson Memorial Park will soon have brand new playground equipment, thanks in part to a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant.
The grant was awarded last year. On Tuesday, the Andalusia City Council accepted Struthers Reaction, LLC’s low bid for the new equipment, which will be placed just north of the current playground in the historic park. The playground designers said it is designed for ages 2 through 12.
The city will absorb a portion of the $585,650 in costs for the new equipment, which is expected to be delivered in early 2026.
Earl V. Johnson took the oath of office for an unprecedented sixth term as mayor of Andalusia on Monday.
Judge Ben Bowden, recently appointed to the Alabama Court of Civil Appears, administered the oath.
Justice Bill Lewis of the Alabama Supreme Court administered the oath to members of the Andalusia City Council. Councilman Terry Powell and Councilman Kennith Mount also were sworn in for sixth terms, while Councilman Joe Nix and Councilman Presley Boswell took the oath for a second time, and Councilman Jeremy Craig was sworn in for the first time.
Guest speaker retired District Judge Frank “Trippy” McGuire reminded the new administration that Andalusia’s future rides on its shoulders and lauded previous administrations for carrying out a vision, even when the vision was. Unpopular.
“Patrick henry said we have no way of judging the future but by the past, McGuire said.
“Judging from recent past, Andalusia’s future looks bright indeed,” he said. “While many other small towns have languished, or are dying or stagnant, Andalusia has been shining brightly.”
McGuire referred to the public opposition to turning the court square into a park; to the renovations of East Three Notch School as city hall; and to the acquisition of Springdale Estate.
“Now, it is the most popular venue for weddings and wedding receptions in Covington County,” he said, adding that the acquisition gave rise to July Jamz, and became the home of Christmas in Candyland, which brings in thousands of people from miles around, putting Andalusia on the map.
“If that doesn’t make you proud, nothing will,” McGuire said.
Quoting Teddy Roosevelt, he said it is not the criticism that counts, but the vision.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; …who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Andalusia is where it is today because of the vision of its leaders, he said.
“That statement is a credit to you, Mayor Johnson, and the council and other councils you’ve had in the past.”
In his own comments, Mayor Johnson said, “I am so very proud of all that we as a community have accomplished in the past 21 years, but I think we have only scratched the surface of what we have the potential to become. I look forward to working with the council and the community over the next four years to continue to grow our community and improve the quality of life for those who live here.”
Iin the organizational meeting that followed the oaths of office, the mayor and council also:
• Set its regular time and place of meeting as 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the Andalusia City Hall Auditorium. The Council will use Robert’s Rules of Order to organize its meetings.
• Named Councilman Terry Powell mayor pro tempore.
• Reappointed John Thompson city clerk and treasurer, and city administrator.
• Reappointed Councilman Powell to the Utilities Board of the City of Andalusia
• Reappointed Councilman Kennith Mount to the board of Southeast Gas.
• Reappointed Councilman Joe Nix to the Planning Commission of the City of Andalusia.
• Reappointed Mark Christensen as city attorney.
• Reappointed William Alverson as city judge.
• Reappointed current department heads and assistant department heads.
• Named CCB Community Bank as the depository of municipal funds.
In unrelated business, the council also approved Resolution No. 2025-38, authorizing the application of a grant for $2 million in highway funds. The city’s portion of the grant, if approved, would be no more than $280,000. The grant would find highway improvements on the west bypass for new retail developments.
The City of Andalusia will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 11, in honor of Veterans Day.
There will be a Veterans Day parade at 10 a.m. on East Three Notch Street, followed by a special Veterans Day program at the Veterans Memorial behind City Hall.
We also are hosting the Global War on Terror Wall of Remembrance this week.
Tuesday's garbage route will be picked up on Wednesday, along with Wednesday's route. Please have hobos out early.
The City of Andalusia and the Covington Veterans Foundation are partnering to host the Global War on Terror Wall of Remembrance during Veterans Day week, and have several special events planned.
The Wall of Remembrance strives to honor and remember the sacrifices made by military personnel and civilians during the Global War on Terror, from 1983 to the present day. The memorial’s mission is to ensure that their stories are remembered, and their memories, especially those linked to September 11, 2001, live on forever.
The memorial, which is 120-feet long and 7 feet high, features a timeline of all major events in the Global War on Terrorism dated from the 1983 bombings in Beirut to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2022. On the opposite side, it lists the names of military personnel and civilians who died during the events of that 39-year time period.
The wall will be escorted into Andalusia at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 10. The escort will be staged from the property near the animal shelter on Devereaux Hill.
It will be erected near the Covington Veterans Memorial behind Andalusia City Hall, and will remain open until Friday afternoon, Nov. 15.
The current traveling memorial was established in May of 2016. It is based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and is escorted by U.S. Marine Brian Romans and the Romans Warrior Foundation. The Foundation assists veterans, Gold and Blue Star families, first responders and their families.
During this time, the Covington Veterans Foundation also will have a museum-quality exhibit related to the Global War on Terror inside Andalusia City Hall Auditorium. The exhibit will be open during business hours Monday through Friday, November 10- 15, and immediately following the veterans day parade and program.
The exhibit includes stories of local veterans who served during this period.
Other planned activities include:
• Celebration of Heroes – CVF will present this patriotic tribute to veterans at 2 p.m. on Sunday., Nov. 9, in the Andalusia High School auditorium. The focus will be on veterans of the Global War on Terror, with Mike Edwards, a distinguished military veteran and security expert with a career spanning elite U.S. Army units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and the Regimental Reconnaissance Company. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart, and is the founder of Project Exodus Relief.
The Lower Alabama Community Chorus, Andalusia Elementary School Show Choir, Andalusia Ballet, and Scott Rogers and Phillip McClung also will perform. Admission is free.
• Veterans Day Parade – The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Veterans Day Parade at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The parade rolls from First Baptist Church.
• Veterans Day program – The City of Andalusia will host its annual Veterans Day program following the parade. Lt. Col. Rip Coleman (Ret.) will be the guest speaker. Coleman served in a variety of units around the world during his military career, and he was directly involved during combat operations in Iraq and Somalia. All are invited to a reception inside City Hall after the program.