COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 34 Hot on the trail of expansion The Islander PAGE 3 INSIDE JULY 19, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ Location for supermarket Gulf Shores considers super controversial airport By JOHN MULLEN Islander contributor improvements, ORANGE BEACH – Location, location, loca- Child pornography tion. And a bad one at that. child care production case Everybody seems to want Rouse’s to open a heading to grand new store in Orange Beach. Just not in the south- east corner of Canal Road and Alabama 161. programs jury “Pass the word on that we would love to have Bay Minette resi- them in a different spot,” Planning Commission By CRYSTAL COLE dent Jennifer Lynne Chairman Robert Stuart told Rouse’s represen- [email protected] Weekley’s production tative, Phillip Burton. “Bring it. We want your of child pornography sushi, we want your boudin, we want it all.” A grant from the Federal Aviation case will be heading The unlikely building of a Rouse’s at the pro- Administration could help improve posed location provided the liveliest banter dur- technology and cut costs at the Gulf to a Baldwin County ing a busy July 10 meeting. Shores airport. grand jury, after Almost secondarily, the agenda included a new Airport Authority Manager Scott Weekley waived her 26-story Phoenix building by Brett Robinson. It is PHOTO SUBMITTED Fuller told the council during its July right to a preliminary planned for an empty lot between Tidewater con- A rendering of Phoenix Orange Beach II discussed 10 work session that the FAA grant hearing July 13. For dominiums and DoubleTree by Hilton, formerly during this month’s planning commission meeting. was for $341,805 with no matching more, see page 4. the Island House Hotel. funds required by the city. Also presented were a rezoning request for the favorable recommendation for the rezoning and “The Airport Authority is putting former Reynolds concrete site with an eye toward was presented to council on Tuesday after press up $18,989 in matching funds and the a mixed-use development, final plat approval for time. state of Alabama is also putting up an 88-townhome project in East Orange Beach Spyglass also received a favorable 9-0 recom- $19,000,” Fuller said. called Spyglass and a 216-unit micro efficiency mendation, was in the final approval stage and Fuller explained what the grant apartment complex behind Baldwin EMC off the doesn’t have to go before the council again. would allow the airport to do. Foley Beach Express. Greenways Apartments received a 9-0 negative “Basically, what this project is The Reynolds site, directly east of the Orange going to do is replace about two miles Beach Event Center at The Wharf, received a 9-0 SEE SUPERMARKET, PAGE 2 of lights that we have to inspect and maintain daily at the airport, and the system we’re replacing is about 18 years old,” Fuller said. “It will provide us a new generator to supply power Orange Beach considers employee health care costs to the entire airfield in the event of Local art gallery a power outage and also put in pilot hosts driftwood By CRYSTAL COLE options. The current individual out-of-pocket max control lighting. For the first time in [email protected] is $400 but would rise to $3,000 under Option 1 and artist 20 years, we’ll be able to start turning $6,850 under Option 2. For family out-of-pocket those lights off at night and a pilot can Health care costs for City of Orange Beach Gulf Coast Arts Al- max, the current plan’s amount of $400 per indi- just call them up on the radio.” employees was a major concern during the July liance will be host- vidual would be raised to $6,000 for Option 1 and Fuller said the move would save 11 city council meeting as council members dis- ing an exhibition $13,700 for Option 2. the airport about 50 percent in utility cussed their options in the face of rising costs for featuring the wood Councilman Jeff Boyd raised the issue that costs. the city. sculptures of member employees that suffer catastrophic injuries or Mayor Robert Craft said he thought Under the city’s current plan, individual deduct- illnesses could be on the hook for a great deal of Claudia Hodges from it was a good move for the airport. ibles are $300 and family deductibles are $900. expenses. “It sounds like a good deal,” Craft August 7 through With the city’s new proposed Option 1, indi- “That’s devastating to an employee of this city said. August 26. For more vidual deductibles would rise to $750 and family and his family that has to make decisions,” Boyd The council also considered information and to deductibles would rise to $1,500. Under proposed said. whether to approve an assembly per- see samples of her Option 2, individual deductibles would increase to Boyd proposed the city continue its current plan mit for a weekly farmers’ market to be work, jump to page 34. $1,500 and family deductibles would rise to $3,000. for one more year and evaluate its options. held in the Waterway Village district. The individual out-of-pocket maximums would Merida Hines-Tyler approached the also see an increase under the newly proposed SEE HEALTH CARE, PAGE 2 city to produce the weekly market, which would run from July 23 until Dec. 31 every Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. “rain or shine.” DEATHS PAGE 19 Additionally, the council discussed Fire Marshall a potential memorandum of un- Linda C. Anne derstanding between the city and James Franklin Forte Gulf Shores Elementary School to continue the after-school child care Robert William Harmon visits OBUMC program. LaDean Kirkconnell According to staff, in the last four Leona Mae Phillips years, both Gulf Shores Elementary Julian Tedder Project Dolphin Pride 21st CCLC and Rev. DuWayne Vernon PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ORANGE BEACH the City of Gulf Shores operated an Winters FIRE DEPARTMENT after school care program. Fire Marshal Craig Stephenson visited Or- In 2013, Gulf Shores Elementary ange Beach United Methodist Church child was awarded a 21st CCLC grant and care program this week. During his visit he the attendance in the program tripled. shared fire safety ideas and showed them the fire truck and equipment. SEE AIRPORT, PAGE 2 INDEX Gulf BALDWIN LIVING, 5-6 OUT & ABOUT, 24 Coast CLASSIFIED, 8-9 PUZZLES, 7 Media HEALTH, 21-23 SPORTS, 12-14 VOLUME 41 • ISSUE 30 LEGALS, 26-32 TV LISTINGS, 15-18 1 SECTION • 36 PAGES OPINION, 10-11 2 • The Islander • July 19, 2017 • Gulf Coast Media ing sparse applause. “This on Canal Road. Or, number really needs us. We don’t how else to say it.” say there can only be 20 SUPERMARKET is exponentially worse. 3, I make a U-turn on 161. have dedicated egress now. inhabitable floors, but Brett CONTINUED FROM 1 There is no way I would be “There is no way to get However, we don’t have PHOENIX ORANGE BEACH Robinson wants to have 24. able to approve this.” me from that parking lot businesses along this road.” II The company also seeks a recommendation because Lannie Smith is the city’s back to my condo on the The request was tabled The preliminary and waiver on the incremental commissioners believe Building Official and also beach without cutting until the Aug. 14 commis- final planned unit develop- setback rule. Code calls for more parking is needed. sits on the planning com- through the police depart- sion meeting while Burton ment on the latest Brett buildings taller than 100 feet It’s likely to be presented to mission. He had similar ment and that’s just not ac- and his company, Burton Robinson project received a to be narrower by two feet council for a public hearing strong objections. ceptable.” Property Group, try to find 9-0 favorable recommenda- for every 10 feet above 100 at the Aug. 15 meeting. “Rouse’s has name recog- Police Chief Joe Fierro answers to the thorny traf- tion from the commission. feet. It’s sometimes called But discussions of in- nition,” Smith said. “They expressed worries a big fic issues. Stuart’s final It will now go before the the wedding cake look. gress and egress dominated are a destination type store. supermarket in his depart- words were hardly encour- City Council for a public Brett Robinson received a as talk swirled about the So you’re going to draw peo- ment’s front yard might aging. hearing, likely on Aug. 15. waiver on the incremental proposed site for the iconic ple from the beach, you’re cut into response times. “You need to go back to By right, a 201-unit build- setback rule for Phoenix Louisiana grocery chain. going to draw people from The department’s parking your client and tell them ing could be constructed Orange Beach I which is Solutions were scarce for the neighborhoods.” lot is already used daily by that this is the worse pos- on the sight, but Brett- under construction next to just the right way to cram a Smith asked how would trucks, people pulling boat sible location to put a Robinson instead opted for the Hampton Inn. Phoenix major supermarket nearly people get to Rouse’s and trailers and other vehicles, Rouse’s,” Stuart said. “And 120 units. Broker John Brett Gulf Shores, a new 80-unit on top of the Justice Center back to the beach.