By Staff
Brewton Mayor Ted Jennings believes the Alabama Communities of Excellence program - to which Brewton was formally accepted just last year - has only begun to show the fruits of its labor in the city.
ACE committees - which cover such topics as quality of life, education and industry, among others - have been meeting regularly to come up with projects that will improve our community.
Many of those committees have already seen tangible improvements as they foster new ideas and also tackle longtime projects that the city has been working toward.
I've only been in Brewton for about a year, but I can see the momentum gathering speed in our community.
In the past few months, we've seen major changes proposed for two downtown parks; new businesses and restaurants opening up; at least two new housing developments proposed in the city limits; and developers have finally decided to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the city. That last one can certainly cause headaches for some people, but consider how much our sales tax revenues will improve as Wal-Mart grows its business. Those sales tax dollars will help everyone in our community.
And that can help all of the projects that are under way right now.
Jennings said there have always been people in Brewton who want to help foster new ideas, but it seems as if there are more than ever now.
All the ideas and visions in the world won't go anywhere without the people to drive them.
The old saying goes that two heads are better than one, but I've seen plenty of committees that never amount to much other than pie-in-the-sky ideas. It's nice to know that Brewton has so many groups of people who will take those ideas and bring them to fruition.
If you're interested in joining, there is always room on the ACE committees. Just think; you'll be helping build a community of excellence.
Kerry Whipple Bean is publisher of The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 251-867-4876 or by e-mail at kerry.bean@brewtonstandard.com.