News
In the News: City leaders explain local government to students
Originally published by Times Daily.
The mayor and members of the City Council fielded questions this week about the inner workings of city government, but the questions came from a younger demographic than they are used to addressing.
City leaders talked to fifth-graders at Russellville Elementary School about what it takes to provide essential city services and how city governments receive funds in order to operate.
Fifth-grade teacher Carol Fretwell said the students have been learning about the different levels of government, and they thought it would be good for the students to hear about government from their own local officials.
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In the News: Russellville passes $8.9M budget
Originally published by the Times Daily.
The City Council, for the first time in several years, approved a budget before the start of the new fiscal year.
The council approved the $8,914,505 budget during a special meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Councilman William Nale applauded City Hall staff and department heads for their work.
“I’ve been a city employee and I’ve been on the council several years, and I can’t remember the last time the budget was passed on time,” Nale said.
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In the News: City announces improved ISO rating
Originally published in the Franklin County Times.
“It just doesn’t get much better than this,” said Mayor David Grissom. “This is huge for the people we serve.”
The assertion comes with the announcement that Russellville has achieved a jump in ISO rating – from a Class 4 to a Class 2. The rating indicates the city’s ability to respond to a fire emergency and represents the combined capabilities of the fire department (constituting 50 percent of the score), the water department (40 percent) and the communications department (10 percent).
“Had any of the three not given their all, we wouldn’t be here today,” Grissom said. “It’s just a testament to our leadership in the departments and to our employees.”
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In the News: Russellville receives lower ISO rating
Originally published in the Times Daily.
City officials said the new fire rating they received this week has the potential to lower fire insurance premiums for many homeowners and businesses.
Fire Chief Joe Mansell said they received word Thursday the department’s Public Protection Classification (PPC), as determined by the Insurance Service Organization (ISO), went from a 4 to a 2.
He said the department needed to score at least an 80 to make it to a 2. Its overall score was 81.64.
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In the News: Russellville Fire Dept. receives lowest ISO ranking in twenty years
Originally published by WAFF.
The Russellville Fire Department received its lowest Insurance Service Organization (ISO) rating in more than two decades.
In the News: Russellville Mayor Spends Afternoon With Firefighters
Originally published by WHNT.
Russellville firefighters do everything they can to keep their neighbors safe. In order for this to happen they have constant training.
This week, the firefighters had a special training drill with extra help.
Russellville Mayor David Grissom and his council members joined the firefighters. They suited up in turnout gear to get a first-hand look at what firefighters do. The training took place at Station 1 in Russellville.
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In the News: City leaders discuss redevelopment plan
Originally published by the Times Daily.
The City Council has approved an agreement to contract with the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments (NACOLG) to create a redevelopment plan for the downtown area.
Mayor David Grissom said establishing a plan is the first step in what he called a five-step process of taking the downtown area as it is and improving it so it is a functioning business and entertainment district once again.
“Getting the downtown area back on its feet and back to what it used to be years ago was something I had in mind when I first took office and something I really started focusing on about a year ago,” Grissom said. “I’ve talked with city leaders in places like Florence, Sheffield and Cullman that have undergone similar downtown transformations and we are basing what we want to do after what these towns have done.”
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In the News: Russellville Airport runway to be restriped, resealed with FAA grant
Originally published by WHNT.
With plenty of other projects underway to redevelop downtown Russellville, city leaders said now is the best time to upgrade the Russellville Municipal Airport.
“The airport’s really great for economic development,” Mayor David Grissom explained. “We use that as one of our economic development tools. ”
Grissom applied for a grant through the Federal Aviation Administration, and got approved for the money. It will go toward addressing maintenance issues.
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In the News: Buildings to be demolished in Russellville, redevelopment to start downtown
Originally published by WHNT.
Russellville city leaders are hopping on board to make their downtown area an anchor for new businesses.
Phase one of a redevelopment plan is tearing down buildings that have become a public nuisance. On Monday, city council members voted to demolish 215 and 217 Lawrence Street West. The buildings were damaged by a fire years ago, according to license and building inspector Bill Fuller.
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In the News: Local women raising awareness for ovarian cancer
Originally published in the Times Daily.
When Mary Ann Clement went to her doctor on Aug. 29, 2013, for what she believed was a routine bladder infection, she never expected the word “cancer” to come up during their discussion.
A mother and grandmother, Clement was the picture of health. She runs a daycare from her home, walks two miles a day and frequently works out. She never had a person in her family die from cancer.
“I was just certain the doctor was wrong,” she said. “I knew there was no way that I had cancer.”
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