Abbeville, Alabama | City of Dogwoods | A Quarterly Newsletter

Abbeville, Alabama | City of Dogwoods | A Quarterly Newsletter | December 2011
Christmas brings with it hope, joy,
kindness, love and a spirit of giving
instead of receiving. Wouldn’t it be
great if you could live in a place
where these attributes were seen
for twelve months instead of only
one? We do. My life in Abbeville
entails all of these gifts.
There is not a single day in Abbeville that someone doesn’t brighten
my day with a smile, a kind word,
or anticipation of great things to
come. It’s certainly not rare for a
neighbor to ask if my family is well
out of genuine concern or if they
might be of help to me somehow.
The kindness and love shown in
this small town is second to none.
Instead of informing in this newsletter, this month I would like to
offer gratitude. Many of you have
influenced my life and have personally offered me and my family
hope, joy, kindness, and love.
These gifts do not come only once,
but throughout the year and have
become a true source of strength
and determination for me. This is
my favorite time of year and Abbeville is my favorite place in the
world.
Merry Christmas Abbeville and
remember the best gifts can’t be
bought. Continue to share these
gifts with each other just as you
have shared them with me and we
can make it Christmas in Abbeville
year round.
Ryan Blalock
Mayor
Page 2
BEYOND THE SHELVES—Have you been to the to Abbeville Memorial Library lately?
September 27, 2011 was Snapshot Day: One Day in the Life of Alabama Public Libraries. It was a day that we collected information and comments
from our patrons along with photographs of patrons utilizing the library. (Photos used with written permission of patrons or guardians of minor
patrons.)
Abbeville Memorial Library is participating in BROADBANDUSA: CONNECTING AMERICA’S COMMUNITIES funded by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program administered by Auburn University in partnership with Alabama Public Library Service and Tuskegee University.
Tilly Shaw and D.J. Fuller the are
signing in to use the new iMacs.
Alex Williams and Lashonda Enlers using new large screen iMac computers.
Isaiah and Jeremiah Givens ready to check out books.
Mr. Boatwright enjoying a good book.
The library has been awarded $2,000 in LSTA grant funds from APLS to increase their audio book and large print collection for 2012. Many
people find that books with larger print cause less eye strain and make reading more pleasurable. Audio books are great for people have little time
to read because they can pop it into their CD player and listen to it while they are on the go. For people with vision problems, the audio book CD’s
allow them to continue to enjoy books without having to read the printed page. Abbeville Memorial Library is dedicated to meeting the needs of
our patrons as much as our budget and funding allows and will continue to seek out ways to provide our community with the best materials and
services that we can afford. Here is a sampling of our current audio book and large print book collections for patrons to checkout and enjoy:
Audio Books
Large Print Books
Lookin’ for Love...
Page 3
As the song goes, “looking’ for love in all the right places” is sometimes hard to do. Exactly where is the right
place to look for love? How about the Old Pioneer City Cemetery in Abbeville? Even Huggin Molly is known
to wander around and look for love (or at least someone to hug). There are many, many love stores laid to
rest in the old burial grounds and the cemetery committee has decided to bring some of them to light in a
new form for February, the month of love.
There are all forms of love; i.e., love of country, love of family, love of life, and man, many more wonderful
love stores. A great number of these can be told from the graves of the old city cemetery and they will be
brought to life in February as these “spirits” come to life at a dinner theater I Abbeville. This will be a great
way to help with the fund raising for restoration of the old cemetery, enjoy a delightful supper and be entertained with the “Spirits of Love” from the old burial grounds as these love stories are presented by a “telling
presentation” in live theater form from the costumed specters of the past.
The cemetery committee would also like for all to visit the old cemetery (during daylights hours, there are no
lights in the graveyard) as it is really showing its good looks. Phase II of the restoration of the old burial
grounds is complete and plans for the commencement of phase III should begin in a the new year. Everyone
is invited to come see how successful phase I and phase II have been in getting the old burial grounds back to striking good looks and deserved
tribute to is dwellers. Phase III will be kicked off in the month of love (February) as the cemetery committee begins its fund-raising efforts with the
introduction of the dinner theatre highlighting some of the love stories that have been buried in the cemetery.
Please watch for announcements of the time, location, menu and price of the “Spirits of Love” dinner theater to be offered in Abbeville as the Old
Pioneer City Cemetery kicks off its Phase III restoration fundraising project for this historic burial ground as we continue to preserve and restore it.
REMINDER!
When your garbage collection day falls on a holiday,
your garbage will be
picked up the following
day.
For example:
Labor Day
Monday, Sept. 5th
(No garbage pickup)
Garbage pickup will be on
Tuesday 9/6
Abbeville Commemorative
Collector Red ornament
with Abbeville Logo
now on sale at City Hall
$12.00 per bulb and/or
$3.00 for keepsake stand.
Limited supply.
Makes great Christmas gifts!
Page 4
Recreation
Participation in Youth Sports
has steadily been on the rise for
the past twenty years. Millions of
children across the country take
part in one or more sports
throughout the year. It is not
uncommon for children to start
participating in sports as early as
four to five years of age.
Based on this information and
based on the amount of time that
children spend participating in
sports, it is critically important
that they are provided with an
experience that offers them many
benefits.
This responsibility falls on the
shoulders of the coaches and
parents that often volunteer their
time to work with these young
athletes. When an athlete participates in a sport, they will experience many benefits. Some of
these will be short-term and eas-
ily recognized. While others will
not be as easy to recognize, but
will last with the athlete much
longer and will help shape their
overall development.
The ten benefits below are most
commonly associated with sports
participation. It is important to
note that in order for these benefits to be recognized and appreciated by the athlete, they must be
included and emphasized in all
practice and game plans.
By participating in sports, the
young athlete will:
1. Develop and become proficient at the various sports skills.
2. Develop skills needed to socialize with their peers as well as
adults.
3. Develop independence and
confidence.
4. Develop a sense of achievement, which helps develop a
positive self-image.
5. Develop leadership skills and
qualities.
6. Learn how to cooperate and
compete.
7. Develop agility, coordination,
endurance, flexibility, speed and
strength.
8. Develop the ability to make
decisions and accept responsibilities.
9. Learn to understand and express emotions, imagination, and
appreciation for what the body
can do.
10. Develop an interest in continuing sports participation as an
adult.
Source: http://www.ultimateyouth-basketball-guide.com/
youth-sports.html
Danny Creel
Parks & Recreation Director
Street & Sanitation
I would like to take this time to
thank all of you for working with
us this past summer. We could
not have done it without your
cooperation and support.
I would like to address the issue
of trash pickup, i.e., limbs, construction debris, household furniture, appliances, TV's and computers. We have to dump at the
county landfill, which is owned
and managed by the county
under the laws of the State of
Alabama. Household trash such
as food, plastic, paper items,
computers, TV's, cannot be
taken to the landfill. These items
must be set out with your regular
trash for pickup on your regular
trash day.
Sometimes piles of trash are not
picked up because we don't
have manpower to separate
these piles. We have a list of
items that can and cannot be
picked up posted on our city web
at (www.cityofabbeville.org).
Also, if you contact me I will be
more than happy to get you a
copy.
I
know
some residents are
wondering
why some
big piles of
limbs and
leaves are
not being
picked up
or are taking a long
time to be
picked up.
Our knuckle
boom truck
has been down for almost a
month. I’m glad to report it is
back, and we are attempting to
get caught back up.
When leaves are wet, we cannot
pick them up with the leaf truck
because the suction on the truck
will not pick them up. Please,
whenever
possible,
bag
your
leaves and
put
them
beside the
road—not in
the
road.
L o o s e
leaves in the
gutter cause
the storm
drains to get
clogged up
and precipitate flooding
in that area.
All loose household trash must
be in a 30 gallon trash can or
plastic bag. If you have any
questions, feel free to contact me
b y
e m a i l
a t
[email protected] or
call city hall 585-6444 during
business hours.
Also remember that when you
hire someone to cut down or trim
trees, bushes, cut the yard, rake
the leaves, etc. it is the contractors responsibility to haul your
debris away. You must also ensure they have a license to do
business within the city limits.
This helps you to know they are
abiding by the law and have registered with the city.
On September 6, 2011 we began
our fall and winter schedule,
Monday through Friday 7:00am
to 4:00pm. Thanks in advance for
your continued patience and
cooperation.
Robert E. Wright
Sanitation/Street Superintendent
Page 5
Training Your Dog
Lesson One
Each quarter we will be sharing
some tips to train your dog to be
more obedient and deal with difficult behavior. Of course first we
need to know, why dogs act the
they way they do. This can be
different for each breed, so it is
good to do your research on the
type of dog you have or the one
you are thinking about bringing
home.
Since we have just adopted a
puppy from the kennel this is a
current concern. Our adopted
puppy has turned out to be an
Australian Cattle Dog mix which is
interesting because we thought
he was a Bulldog mix. But when
he started herding me away from
the entrance to our home I realized we had a herder and knew
nothing about this breed.
So do your research in your local
library, talk to veterinarians and
their staff, go to the internet and
ask other people who have this
breed. These are all good
sources of information.
But, the one thing we will cover
this quarter is something that
almost all dogs do and that is
bark. Yes, there is a dog that
does not bark, but yodels. That is
the Basenji.
Why do dogs bark? Well they love
to bark. It is a natural thing for
your dog to do, just like it is normal for us humans to speak. They
bark to express their needs.
Some are bred to bark such as
terriers and hounds. They bark to
stake out their territory, alert family members of impending danger,
bark at other animals, expressing
dominance, if they are lonely,
trapped, separated from you their
pack. They bark when they are
bored, stressed, playing, excited
and even just for fun.
Well, it is 2:30 in the morning and
our new puppy was barking and I
thought he was never going to
bark. He was so quiet. Of course
we told him to hush, because we
wanted to go back to sleep. But,
this did not work, so we get up to
see what he was barking at. He
was barking at a dog that had
been after our cats. He was protecting his family or pack. We
praised him and went back to bed
knowing he was after all going to
be an excellent watch dog.
your cell or have a friend keep
calling you. When the phone rings
just sit there, do not say or do a
thing. Repeat this process over a
few days. Your dog may continue
to bark for a while, but will give up
before long. This can also be used
for doorbell barkers. Many times
our reaction to noises and situations are the reason for our dogs’
actions.
Another training tip is to teach your
dog the “Quiet” command. As your
What do you do when your dog’s dog is barking simply use this command and at the same time wave a
barking
tasty treat in
becomes
front of his
excessive?
nose. After he
We
must
is quiet for a
clearly comfew seconds
municate
you can rewhat is acward him with
ceptable
this
treat.
behavior
Eventually
and what is
you will only
not. Yelling
need to say
and screamquiet, without
ing at your
the need for a
dog
only
treat. A clear
gives them
and consisthe attention
tent message
they
are
is the key.
barking for
Remember to
and adds to
only praise or
their excitereward
the
ment. If your
good behavior
dog barks to
come inside, to be let out of their you are encouraging.
crate, to demand food or treats
and you react, you are encourag- Does your dog bark when you
leave? Leave the house as you
ing your dog to bark again.
normally would, but hide someThe key to improving your dog’s where nearby. When your dog
behavior and controlling excessive starts to bark use the negative
barking is “basic obedience train- association technique, such as
ing”. This training will cause your spraying him with water, throwing a
dog to look at you as their leader can full of coins or rocks in his
and will become more eager to direction. But, try to keep out of
please you in any situation. Proper sight while doing this. Go hide
obedience training is a tool to again and if he is quiet, reward his
building a strong bond with your good behavior with praise or treats.
This process may need to be redog.
peated until excessive barking
Let’s start with some basics to habit is broken.
control excessive barking. If your
dog barks every time the phone If your dog barks to get attention,
rings, ring your home number from try ignoring him. I realize this can
be frustrating and difficult on the
ears for a while, but once he
realizes this is getting him nowhere, he will stop. Remember
the behavior that is not rewarded
and reinforced will become less
prevalent.
Oh, and how about the dog that
barks at the door or window?
Postal workers, delivery drivers,
meter readers, street and sanitation workers and anyone that
walks near our homes can be
barked at and harassed throughout the day. Your dog perceives
this as an intruder or threat to
their territory. Of course he
barks, they leave and he is
pleased that he has averted this
“threat”, which reinforces his
behavior and the barking happens again and again. This can
be a very difficult problem to
extinguish. If possible block your
dog’s view of the areas where
people pass by. Also, once your
dog is properly obedience
trained you can communicate
that this is unacceptable behavior. After all, your dog is just
doing his job of alerting and
protecting you. We have to let
them know the difference between friend and foe.
I realize this is a lot of information, but try putting these techniques to the test. It will certainly
be worth the time and effort to
teach your dog good behavior.
Well, let’s get busy, and happy
training. Stay tuned for the
March 2012 issue of “Abbeville
Matters” where we will cover
additional obedience training for
our beloved dogs, which by the
way are a part of our community,
too.
Vicki Bedsole
Deputy City Clerk
Pioneer Cemetery
Committee
The Pioneer Cemetery Committee headed by Chairman Lucky
Armstrong would like to extend an
invitation to anyone interested in
history and/or preserving our State
Designated Historical Cemetery to
join our committee.
The Committee will be offering to
the public an all new drama portraying stories of our historical
characters who are currently entombed in the Pioneer Cemetery. If
you have any acting skills and
would like to play a part, please
call or come to our next committee
meeting. We also need help with
costumes, props, advertising,
sales, knowledge of local history,
etc. If you are willing to serve, we
have a spot for you.
For additional information please
feel free to contact Lucky Armstrong at 585.5836.
Grounds & Beautification
problems inflicted on lawns with
lots of foot traffic. Compaction
compresses the spaces in the soil
The key to a lush healthy spring
lawn is proper preparation for the where oxygen can be available to
the roots. A punch core aerator is
winter. Because grass goes dormant during the winter, any prepa- best for this job. That is the type of
ration for a healthy spring must be aerator that is used on golf
made in the fall. The following tips courses.
will ensure that you
De-thatching your lawn
have a healthy lawn
for the winter is another
for spring.
thing you can do. A thin
layer of thatch is actually
It is beneficial that
beneficial to lawns. A
grass has a good,
layer beyond ½ inch thick
healthy root system
going into the fall and winter. The is not beneficial, and can promote
diseases. Thatch is not composed
purpose of fertilizing a lawn to
prepare it for winter is to fertilize at grass clippings, but is rather dead
the right time for the lawn to build stems that build up between the
soil and top of the grass. Aerating
its root system up for the winter.
Using a fertilizer high in potassium is the best way to control thatch
issue in a lawn. Each of these
is best. Depending upon where
tasks will help you winterize your
you live, the best time to fertilize
lawn for healthy growth in the
would be in September or Octospring. Have a happy and safe
ber.
holiday season and I will see you
in the spring.
Aerating your lawn in the fall is a
smart thing to do. The summer is
Billy Wayne Bedsole,
both a time for growth and harm.
Compaction is one of the worst
Director Grounds & Beautification
How to Winterize Your Lawn
On the Beat
We would like to wish everyone a
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year. Remember this time of
the year we have more thefts than
any other time. Make sure when
you are shopping to leave your
bags hidden. Do not leave
your purse in your vehicle, if you do, cover it
with a jacket or some
type item where it
cannot be seen
from the outside of
your vehicle.
At home place your Christmas tree in a safe location, when
you leave your residence close
your curtains to keep someone
from seeing your presents from
the outside.
We received our new Tahoe on 11
-21-2011 from Billy Lawrence
Chevrolet-GMC in Abbeville. The
Page 6
DID YOU KNOW ?
The City web
site contains
a lot of useful
information
for our residents.
Did
you know the
community
calendar lists
events, meetings, holidays,
etc?
If you have an event you
would like placed on the
calendar, please contact
City Hall, with the details
and we will be glad to get
the word out! See us at:
www.cityofabbeville.org.
You can also visit us on
Facebook—City of Abbeville
Business About Town
Tahoe was paid for by the Abbeville Police Department with
money seized from a drug dealer
The Start Team secured a new
vehicle, an armor plated Humvee. The Humvee was
secured from Government surplus at
no cost to the City.
We will be working
extra traffic details
during the holidays for
speeding and drinking
drivers. To our citizens
with the big speakers and extra
loud music, we are still receiving
complaints, officers have been
instructed to write citations,$250
per citation.
We wish you a safe and happy
Holiday.
Mike Jones, Chief of Police
Well, another year has flown by
and now it will soon be time to
renew those Privilege Licenses
again in January. I will be mailing
out reminders towards the end of
December. If you do not receive
your reminder notice, please call
me at City Hall so that I may verify
your mailing address and contact
information. It is very important that
we keep this information current
with The City of Abbeville.
tions you may have. I can tell you
what the city’s requirements are as
well as any Health Department
regulations that may apply to your
situation. We are looking forward to
all new businesses that will be
opening in our area, as well as
continuing to support the ones we
have now. We have a wonderful
variety of businesses in our quaint
little town. I look forward to another
prosperous year!
If you are thinking of opening a
new business, please feel free to
call and talk to me about any ques-
Melissa Cheek
Payroll & Licensing Clerk
Page 7
SENIOR LIVING
Abbeville Senior Center Busy
with Annual Fund Raisers



On November 23, 2011, the
Senior Center had our drawing for the beautiful handmade afghan that was donated to the center.
The Senior Center members
had an Indoor Yard Sale,
which was held on December
2, 2011 from 9:00am till
1:00pm. Come join us during
your lunch break for some
great deals. This money will
go to support activities and
supplies for Abbeville Senior
Center.
Remember that you become
eligible for membership at
the Center on your 60th birthday. If you are 60 or older
and have a younger spouse,
both of you qualify to join.
Have you ever wondered what
steps to take to find out if you
qualify for a low cost or possibly
free cell phone? Here is some
information that you may find
useful.
LIFELINE: AFFORDABLE TELEPHONE SERVICE FOR
INCOME-ELIGIBLE
CONSUMERS
The Lifeline program provides
discounts on monthly phone service charges, and Link Up provides a discount on the cost of
commencing phone service for
qualifying low-income households.
Lifeline and Link Up are supported
by the federal Universal Service
Fund (USF).
Lifeline provides discounts on one
basic monthly phone service (wire
line or wireless) for qualified subscribers. These discounts can be
up to $10.00 per month, depending on the state. Federal rules
prohibit qualifying low-income
consumers from receiving more
than ONE Lifeline service at the
same time. That is, qualifying lowincome consumers may receive a
Lifeline discount on either a
home or wireless phone service
but may not receive a Lifeline
discount on both services at the
same time. Lifeline also includes
Toll Limitation Service, which
enables a subscriber to limit the
amount of long distance calls that
can be made.
 The Lifeline program is
available to qualifying consumers
in every state, territory, commonwealth, and on Tribal lands. You
must be eligible to enroll. Eligibility criteria vary by state. For
states that rely solely on the federal Lifeline program eligibility
criteria, subscribers must either
have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty
Guidelines or participate in one
of the following assistance programs:
 Food Stamps,  Medicaid  Supplemental Security Income (SSI),  Federal Public Housing
Assistance (Section 8),  Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (LIHEAP),  Temporary Assistance to
Needy Families (TANF), or The National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program
135% of the Federal Poverty
# in Household
135% FPG
1
14,702
2
19,859
3
25,016
4
30,173
Guidelines for 2011 is as follows:
Visit the USAC website or call
1.888.641.8722. You may also
contact your local phone service
provider, state public service
commission or the FCC at
1.888.225.5322.
Abbeville Senior Centre would
like to wish you and your family
Happy Holidays and a wonderful
New Year!
God Bless,
Amanda Gamble
Senior Center Director
Now is the Time to Winterize!
As winter approaches, now
would be a good time, while the
weather is still mild, to take a few
steps to winterize your water
pipes. By doing this now, it may
save you money by not having to
pay for repairing a busted water
line caused from freezing temperatures and time out in the
frigid weather repairing the
busted pipe. Check for any leaking faucets and pipes first. If you
find any, be sure to fix them now
before you insulate your pipes.
Once all pipes have been
checked for leaks and any repairs are complete, you can purchase pipe insulation at our local
hardware stores for a nominal
price to secure around any pipes
that are exposed to the elements.
You can also use old towels and
blankets to wrap the pipes with
and secure it with
duct tape. In
addition, if the
temperature is
below freezing
some people may
choose to leave
the faucet on. If
you choose to do
this, make sure
you turn it on
enough to leave a
constant stream
of water coming
out. These few steps are very
inexpensive and very effective.
On another note, more and more
customers are coming in to pay
their bills without their statement
in hand, which
was mailed, to
them. Please
remember to
bring in your
statement when
paying your bill
each month. This
not only cuts
down on mistakes
and saves time, it
also cuts down on
our cost by minimizing the number of statements we have to
purchase. When we are able to
keep our cost of operating down,
we are able to keep our operating costs in check.
Also remember you may pay
your bill online by logging onto
our website at
www.CityofAbbeville.org and
clicking on the NexBill Pay link.
As a reminder our office will be
closed for Christmas holidays on
December 23rd and 26th. We will
also be closed for New Year’s
holiday on January 2, 2012.
Aggie Bradley
Water & Sewer Department
Abbeville...First in the nation (and not just alphabetically!)
City of Abbeville
101 E. Washington St.
P O Box 427
Abbeville AL 36310
Phone: 334.585.6444
Fax: 334.585.6982
E-mail:
[email protected]
We are on the web at
www.cityofabbeville.org
and on Facebook at
City of Abbeville
Page 8
Community Calendar

City Council Meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in City
Hall. Please join us and become an active participant in how your city government operates.
To be on the agenda, contact the City Clerk no later than the Wednesday prior to the meeting at 585.6444.

The Abbeville Chamber of Commerce meets the first Thursday of each month at the Great
Southern Conference Center on Kirkland Street at noon. Please contact the Chamber at
585.2273 for your lunch reservation.

The Abbeville Historic Preservation Commission meets on the second Tuesday of each
month at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall.

The Water Works and Sewer Board of Abbeville meets the fourth Monday at 5:00 p.m. in
City Hall.

Planning Commission meets the fourth Thursday of each month in City Hall at 6:00 p.m.

December 23rd & 26th—Christmas—Holiday for City Employees (Garbage pickup on 27th)

January 2nd—New Year’s Holiday—(Garbage pickup will be on January 3rd.)

January 16th—Martin Luther King Birthday—City Employees Holiday

April 21st—Yatta Abba Day—start planning to attend!
From the Mayor, Council, Staff and
employees of the City of Abbeville, we
Increasing Our Knowledge…
wish you and yours a blessed Holiday
Season and a Happy New Year!
Our Mayor, City Council and employees are constantly working
toward improving their skills. The following is a list of education
activities they have attended over the last few months:


Chief Mike Jones has completed training in Cultural Sensitivity and
Risk & Protection Factors for Your Community
Lt. Noel Vanlandingham, Sgt. Eric Duhaime, and Dawn Jones attended the 2011 Law Enforcement Summit.