BAILEYTON, Ala. – The Baileyton Town Council at its meeting this week heard from Parkside Basketball Coach Danny Weaver about the school’s efforts to raise money to redo the gymnasium floor. The school hosts basketball games, volleyball games and tournaments.
“Our school is so nice on the inside and all the stuff they’ve done there, but a lot of people don’t get to see that. They just see our gym and kind of base our school off our gym,” Weaver said to the council.
The coach said the school is selling ads to place around the gym floor to raise money.
“Several businesses have decided that they might be able to do that,” said Weaver, “but any donation maybe to the school or athletic program, we would take that.”
He said the cost of the new gym floor is estimated to be $16,000.
The council agreed to help the athletic program’s efforts with a donation, but did not specify an amount during the meeting.
Mayor Johnny Dyar said, “I think we can do something.”
The Town of Baileyton will participate in a countywide effort to make sure everyone is counted in the 2020 Census. Baileyton will host a community event with free food, door prizes and other fun activities for families. Volunteers will be available April 4 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the town park to assist people with filling out their census forms. Those who bring proof of completing their census form or complete it at the event will be entered into the prize drawings.
Baileyton T-ball, baseball and softball signups will continue until this Friday.
Town Clerk Patricia Gilbert reported, “We do have enough for four T-ball teams and possibly enough for two 7-8-year-old boys’ (teams).”
She said very few girls had signed up for softball.
The council also discussed 17 acres of hayfields acquired in 2018. The Town accepted bids to lease the property for one year but felt the length of the lease should be extended. The council agreed that future bids will be for a two-year lease.
Councilman Greg Griffin explained, “If you put it up every year, nobody is going to fertilize it. They won’t take care of it if you don’t make it a longer period of time than one year. We are going to expect them to fertilize it and take care of it, then we need to give them the benefit of their fertilizer.”
The land will be bid in November 2020.
Efforts to add Wi-Fi to the town park and to bring internet coverage to all areas of Baileyton continue to be difficult tasks.
Gilbert explained, “The guy who submitted the grant proposal to the State for internet, ATT has protested it and they say he has infringed on their coverage area.”
Gilbert said she has letters from some residents stating they are unable to obtain internet or it’s unreliable, causing much frustration. The council gave Gilbert approval to call the State and report discrepancies between what areas ATT claims to cover and residents’ claims they are unable to obtain or have reliable coverage.
Another issue that has come to light is a strange surge in electricity occuring at the town’s park. The council said the Cullman Electric Cooperative recently discovered that every four days, the concession stand power is surging during ball season. The lights at the park are on 4% and the park is at 8%.
Dyar said, “Somebody, when they opened up the park, they hooked the concession stand up with the ballpark. What they want us to do is run electricity from the old fire station to the concession stand and cut it loose from the ballpark and get it back to 8% instead of 4%.”
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