Dynamic Therapeutics, LLC opens in Daphne, PAGE 18 Amberjack breaks state record PAGE 19 Elberta celebrates National Night Out The Courier PAGE 7 INSIDE AUGUST 28, 2019 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ Medical expansions planned in Daphne By BY GUY BUSBY [email protected] DAPHNE – Medical service expansions are Traffic moves over the Interstate 10 Bayway on Monday. The highway was is carrying more than twice is planned for Alabama’s planned capacity of 35,000 on a daily basis. largest city without a First day at Fairhope hospital following ac- Intermediate tion by the Daphne City Mobile MPO tables Council. The council voted unanimously Aug. 19 to create a Medical Clinic bridge funding approval Board and appoint the first three members of the board. By GUY BUSBY The board will be able [email protected] to issue bonds to finance medical improvements MOBILE – Citing local in Daphne at no obliga- concerns over the economic tion to the city, Mark impact of tolls, local Metropol- Nix, CEO of Infirmary Daphne closing itan Planning Organizations Health Systems, said at recycling center are waiting on supporting the City Council meet- funding for the Interstate 10 ing. City officials plan to close bridge over the Mobile River “The purpose of a the recycling drop-off facil- and expanded Bayway project. medical clinic board ity on Public Works Road as The Eastern Shore Metro- is to allow us with no a way to deal with increas- politan Planning Organiza- obligation to the city, ing costs for recycling. tion will vote Wednesday on a no financial obligation proposal to remove the bridge PHOTO BY GUY BUSBY or encumbrance on the and Bayway from its list of Alabama State Auditor Jim Ziegler addresses the Mobile Metropolitan city, to be able to issue projects approved for federal Planning Organization on Wednesday. The Eastern Shore MPO will meet public financed debt in DEATHS PAGE 8, 19 funding. this Wednesday to vote on funding for the Interstate 10 bridge and order to build medical The Mobile Metropoli- highway over the Mobile River and Mobile Bay. facilities in the city of Regina Marie Bengtson tan Planning Organization Daphne,” Nix said. Margaret Lynn McCrary Betbeze removed the project from holds a hearing on the toll in within the MPO planning Infirmary Health Jimmie Edmond Calloway its annual Transportation October. area. The MPO is responsible System built a free- Carolyn V. Dugger Improvement Program list The MPO is a liaison be- for approving a Transporta- standing emergency Howard Fountain Wednesday. The MPO voted tween the Federal Highway tion Improvement Program department at the inter- Carol V. Hines unanimously to approve the Administration, Federal Tran- for its area. The TIP includes section of Alabama 181 Linda M. Hughes rest of the 104-page list, but sit Administration, Alabama endorsing the federal fund- and US 90. Nix said the Virginia C. Julavits table action on the bridge pro- Department of Transporta- posal until after Gov. Kay Ivey tion, and local municipalities SEE BRIDGE, PAGE 2 SEE EXPANSION, PAGE 2 Carolyn Rose Loftin Zadia Elizabeth Pace James H. Vinson Katie Pauline Whitehead Frederick Blake Wilkie Tax meetings set in Spanish Fort and Fairhope INDEX By GUY BUSBY for schools in Spanish Fort and Spanish Fort BALDWIN LIVING, 3-7 [email protected] Fairhope. Spanish Fort voters and Fairhope will decide on an increase for 10 voters will de- CLASSIFIED, 20-21 SPANISH FORT – Fairhope years. In Fairhope, the proposal cide in Septem- HEALTH, 9-10 and Spanish Fort residents will is for a 30-year tax. ber whether have a chance in September A discussion is set for Sept. to increase LEGALS, 24-30 to discuss the proposed school 4 in Spanish Fort on the refer- property taxes to provide ad- taxes that will be on referendum endum in that community. The MEDICAL DIRECTORY, 11 ditional fund- ballots in both districts Sept. 17. meeting will be at 6 p.m. at Span- OPINION, 23 ing for local The proposals call for taxes to ish Fort City Hall. schools. OUT & ABOUT, XX be increased by three mills on On Sept. 5, Fairhope residents property in the two districts that will OUTDOORS, 19 PHOTO BY GUY consist of the attendance zones meet SEE TAX, PAGE 2 BUSBY PUZZLES, 22 SPORTS, 12-14 Gulf WHAT Coast YOU IN Media STORE VOLUME 126 • ISSUE 5 IS NOW 1 SECTION • 32 PAGES ONLINE! • Freshest Quality All Departments • Hand Selected by Our Personal Shoppers • Delivery or FREE Same Day Curbside Pickup • Beer & Wine NOW Online! Order & Pay In Store! GREERS.COM/SHOP 2 • The Courier • August 28, 2019 • Gulf Coast Media to the economic impact of the The Infir- BRIDGE toll, he has also been told that mary Health CONTINUED FROM 1 the bridge plan would not allow System improvements on the Causeway plans to ex- ing for projects included in the for 55 years. pand medi- program. “On conversation with cal services near the sys- Both Mobile and the East- ALDOT, and other people that tem’s free- have been involved in the con- ern Shore MPO, which in- standing cludes Spanish Fort, Daphne, tract, there is a clause in there emergency Fairhope, Loxley and unin- that I’m hearing about that department corporated areas of Baldwin for 55 years, there can be no built in Mal- County on the Eastern Shore, improvement to the Causeway bis. have funding for the bridge and as a connector road that would bayway projects in their TIP. make a competing effort on the PHOTO BY GUY Baldwin County and most of the Bayway,” McMillan said. “That BUSBY cities in the Eastern Shore MPO bothers me to tie up for 55 years have passed resolutions oppos- we can make no transportation ing any toll for the bridge. improvements. That’s a prob- Kevin Harrison, transpor- lem.” tation director for the South The Mobile decision will does not have a hospital. fered in the area. Alabama Regional Planning allow Ivey more time to try to EXPANSION It now has a free-standing “We are right on the cusp Commission, said that in order study the issue without killing CONTINUED FROM 1 emergency room and we of issuing a new initiation for a highway project to receive the project Mobile Mayor Sandy want to continue to add and of construction of a new fa- federal funds, it must be in- Stimpson, chairman of the Mo- develop additional medical cility to the west,” Nix said. cluded in the TIP lists for the bile MPO, said after the vote. system has purchased two facilities there.” “We have made a $26-mil- two MPOs. “This is allowing them more parcels to the west of that Nix said Infirmary Health lion investment in the The Eastern Shore MPO will time and during that period of site, one 17 acres and one 21 System is a non-profit en- free-standing emergency meet Wednesday in Fairhope. time she will be able to deter- acres and plans to expand tity. “Everything we make department. The next build- Daphne Mayor Dane Haygood, mine what the reality is and services. The 17-acre par- gets reinvested in the com- ing will be a 75,000-square MPO chairman, said he will in- what can we do because right cel has been annexed into munity and in many ways foot building, at a $31-mil- troduce a resolution removing now, I know she knows how ev- Daphne and hospital of- the community owns the lion investment, so we the bridge and bayway funding erybody is this part of the state ficials are working to bring corporation,” he said. continue to try to employ from the Baldwin County TIP. feels,” Stimpson said. the 21-acre site into the city Since the emergency people that are in Baldwin “The toll has both an eco- The decision to table the deci- as well. department opened in County and extend our ser- nomic impact on our citizenry sion brought cheers from audi- “We want to bring all of 2017, patients have come to vices.” in our urbanized area, but also ence members who had come to those into the city and con- the facility not only from The council also voted to on our rural areas,” Haygood oppose the toll. tinue to develop a medical Daphne, but other areas of appoint Hugh Andrew Wil- said after the Mobile meeting. “This is exactly what we campus,” Nix said. “Daphne Baldwin County as well, liams, Kay P. McHenry and Haygood said removing the wanted,” State Auditor Jim is the largest populated city Nix said. He said the system T. Shannon Millette Jr. to project from the TIP might Ziegler said. “We have 52,000 in the state of Alabama that plans to expand services of- the new board. change the timetable for the people who are opposed to this. work, but would not kill the The governor and ALDOT have bridge effort. not listened to the people down “That might be up for debate, here, but they’ll have to listen but I believe the answer is no. now.” TAX ings and talked to them and “It’s so important to our That’s I believe we could revisit Ziegler is an organizers of a CONTINUED FROM 1 we’ve got one more com- community. It can do so it and bring it back at another social media group dedicated to ing up and then we direct much for our city.” point in time. It may be a ques- stopping the proposed toll that mail’s going out, a post McMillan said Saraland tion for ALDOT in terms of how has 52,000 followers.