Fifth anniversary of veterans home same as first – fulfilling a vision

It’s mid-morning at the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home, and a flurry of activity surrounds all who walk down the grand corridor leading to the “town center.” That’s what it’s called – town center. After all, this is a community, just as it was intended five years ago when it opened its doors for the first time.

Men and women sit side by side playing Bingo. A couple of men gather in the sports lounge to swap a story or two. Others sit in front of the fireplace as if they are in their own living room, reading a newspaper. Nearby in the barber shop, a haircut is being delivered. And across the way, residents are getting an early start on lunch in the café.

It’s not much different than most communities, only this one is only for veterans. It’s the state-of-the-art, model for the country veterans home that started as a vision and evolved into a reality most states could only dream of.

When it opened Nov. 1, 2011, unparalleled fanfare followed. And rightly so. This Pell City-based facility has few rivals across the country. “We still see ourselves as a model for the rest of the country,” said Director Hiliary Hardwick.

“We have had multiple states in to tour our home. Federal planners have featured our home for future veterans homes to be built,” she said. “We are still considered that state-of-the-art facility for the whole country, not just the state, but the whole country.”

HMR of Alabama partners with the Alabama Department of Veteran Affairs to operate the facility, and the partnership has been a good one. “We are honored and delighted for the opportunity to serve the veterans and their families at Col. Robert L Howard State Veterans Home,” HMR Director Derrick Williams said. “Over the past five years it’s been an incredible journey to see a plot of land transform into a fully functioning facility. Most noteworthy is the sustained support from the community. Today our veterans receive superior services in a world class facility.  We look forward for the continued opportunity to serve the veterans in this community. 

When Rear Admiral Clyde Marsh, serving as State Commissioner and Director of the Alabama Department of Veteran Affairs, saw the planning and construction, he knew he wanted it to be a place worthy of the veterans who gave so much in service to their country.

Today, “when you walk through those doors, you appreciate where you are,” Hardwick said. “We wanted to create a true, homelike environment.” Take a look around, and that’s exactly what you see. “It is warm and inviting, not just for the veterans but for their friends and families.”

Each veteran in the 254-capacity facility has their own private room. Throughout, there are plenty of areas to socialize, and they are as comfortable and inviting as a favorite chair at home. “It is a place you come to live, engage, socialize. It has a good atmosphere and a good quality of life,” she said. “We know it’s home, so we want to provide as much as homelike and routine as we can.

“First impression is really a good one when you walk through those doors,” Hardwick said. Some might call it the Wow! factor. These veterans simply call it what it is — home.

And five years later, that’s still the case.

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Graham Hadley
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2041 Comprehensive Plan Update

Comprehensive Plan 2041 pic 1500x

 

. 2040 Comprehensive Plan 

 

 

by David Atchison/The Daily Home

Pell City begins process of revising its Comprehensive Plan

Comprehensive Plan Meeting Photo

PELL CITY – Officials have begun the process of rewriting the Comprehensive Plan, a shared vision for the future of the municipality.

“It went well,” City Manager Brian Muenger said of the first steps in the process.

City employees as well as residents who volunteer on various city boards gathered at the new Municipal Complex on Tuesday to kick off efforts to revise the plan. Muenger said the 15-year-old plan does not accurately reflect the city’s plans for the future.

 

“Our needs have changed in the last 15 years,” he said.

He also noted that when the plan was written, Pell City only had 9,000 residents. Today, it has more than 14,000.

“It’s a 25-year comprehensive plan, but it needs updating at least every five years, and it needs to be fully revised every 10 years,” Muenger said.

He said the process to revise the municipality’s plan will take about 18 months, and the process must have public involvement. The plan focuses on six distinct areas – economic development, recreation, education, the historic downtown district, housing and public safety.

Muenger said the city will encourage residents interested in shaping the city’s future direction to volunteer to serve on a committee or subcommittee that will focus on one of the six planning areas.

He said the municipality will make applications to serve on committees available on the city’s website within the next two weeks.

“We want a diverse group of people to serve on each committee,” Muenger said. “We are looking at a full overhaul of the current Comp(rehensive) Plan.”

The council recently hired Epiphany Collaboration, LLC., to help guide the city through revising the plan. Katherine Ennis, with Epiphany Collaboration, LLC., said company officials hope to make the city’s plan more user friendly and easier to read.

She said the revised plan will have long-range goals.

“It’s a 20-year plan, but we want to know what you want to concentrate on for the next five years,” Ennis told those who were in attendance at the Leadership Retreat, which was Tuesday.

She said the process will include public hearings to encourage public involvement.

“This is a very public process,” Ennis said. “It has to involve your community.”