News
In the News: Russellville gets approval for additional storm shelter
Posted on June 23, 2017
Originally published in the Times Daily.
After a devastating 2011 EF5 tornado ripped through Franklin County, city officials decided to do all they could to provide storm shelters for residents.
“We were able to use FEMA grants to get money to build the storm shelters,” said District 2 City Councilman William Nale. “Our goal was to make sure everyone had a safe place to go, if at all possible.”
Council members discussed building a 500-capacity shelter at the old National Guard Armory on Sockwell Street. But the decision was made to develop smaller shelters throughout the city.
So far, the city has built six storm shelters. Recently, council members were informed the city received approval to build a seventh at the Lee Sportsplex on Lawrence Avenue and Alabama 24.
According to Franklin County Emergency Management Director Jody Hitt, the other shelters are located on Ash Avenue, near the Russellville Recreation Center; the 500 block of Gaines Avenue at the old junior high school; Fire Station No. 2 on U.S. 43; Westside Apartments; Dillard Hollow Road, just off of West Lawrence Street; and the old National Guard Armory.
Tiffany Boyd, acting director of Governmental Service for the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments, said the city had to wait approval from the National Parks Service.
“Since the park was developed through a Land, Water and Conservation Grant, the National Park Service had approve building the storm shelter on the site,” she said.
Boyd said the shelter will be 48-by-10 feet with two bathrooms, and it will be handicapped accessible. It should be able to hold around 90 people.
Nale said the new shelter will be similar to others already in operation.
“Getting this approval is all we’ve been waiting on,” Mayor David Grissom said. “We’ve been wanting to get this shelter built for a long time.”
Boyd said the next step will be putting the project out for bids, then selecting the contractor. She said she hopes the storm shelter can be completed and ready for occupancy by early spring.
Nale said the seven storm shelters are spread out in different areas, so that everyone should have access to them.
Grissom said the storm shelters are like insurance policies.
“It would be nice if we never have to open and use them,” the mayor said. “But in the event we need them, they will be there for our residents.”