GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope City Council on Monday night announced the cancellation of the City’s annual Christmas Parade and Christmas in the Park events. Mayor Jerry Bartlett said the decision was made due to COVID-19 and the increasing numbers of cases in the county.
“We’re just going to back up and punt,” he said, “and maybe do a lot (sic) bigger and better next year.”
The council also announced its 2020 School Fund Grant recipients. The council last September announced the grant program, which is in addition to the yearly donations the City gives the four Good Hope Schools each year. The City distributes an additional $15,000 from alcohol revenues for school projects through a grant application process.
Councilmen Taft Dillashaw and Terry Shabel, along with Good Hope school principals and Cullman County School Board member Kerry Neighbors sat on this year’s School Fund Grant board, which decided how the $15,000 in grants were awarded.
This year’s recipients are (with faculty members’ last names):
Good Hope High School
- Witcher- $5,133 for a baseball batting/pitching facility
Good Hope Middle School
- Robinson- $1,063 for special education: wobble chairs and fidget bands
- Hood- $500 for library books
- Baker- $950 for special education: two iPads and Audible subscription
- Hyatt- $2,000 for career prep various materials
Good Hope Elementary
- Johnston- $500 for classroom transformation kit
- Self- $500 for tabletop grow lights
- Brock-$1,892 for Croc Walk- long balance beam
Good Hope Primary School
- Owens- $750 for age-appropriate books
- McKenney- $1,000 to purchase read-aloud books for classroom
- Wallace- $712 for flexible seating
Dillashaw explained the baseball facility to the council, saying, “It’s for the high school, middle school and JV baseball and softball. It’s going to be built at a central location.”
The 40 X 80 building will provide the baseball and softball teams an indoor facility to practice hitting and pitching, said Dillashaw, who added, “We are about the only school around that doesn’t have an indoor place to hit. Baseball, when it starts, it is brutal. It is cold.”
Living Water Services President Grady Parsons addressed the council and praised the work done by City workers on recent repairs to the city’s manholes.
He said, “They have done a remarkable job with this.”
City workers have been busy clearing around the manholes, repairing cracks and sealing the joints as well as clearing large areas to provide access to the city’s sewer lines.
Bartlett showed a time-lapse video of the work being done.
Said Parsons, “If you look at the number of manholes they have worked on, you are into six figures if you contract this work out. You are way over $100,000. Y’all have a good crew.”
Work also continues on the new two-lane bridge along Doss Road.
Said Rep. Corey Harbison, “This is probably going to be an overkill for Doss Road at this time, but it ought to be a bridge that will withstand any development or anything that may happen through there of any kind.”
The council and Harbison went into executive session to discuss an economic development project. Upon returning, they announced a special meeting will take place Monday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. at city hall.
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