COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 17 Crazy Donuts now open PAGE 8 Alligator registration The Islander PAGE 22 INSIDE JUNE 27, 2018 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ Gulf Shores eyes more State Park improvements By CRYSTAL COLE entrance work at the State and resurfacing this road, it and a five-foot bike path.” [email protected] Park Lodge and Conference gives us an opportunity to The work involves consider- Center. basically have a continuous ate work at the entrances of The City of Gulf Shores is City Administrator Steve sidewalk, pedestrian way, the new Lodge. Griffin said looking to make even more Griffin said the Alabama bike way through the State there were concerns from improvements to the already Department of Transporta- Park all the way to our busi- ALDOT on the adequacy of improving Gulf State Park. tion (ALDOT) had already nesses,” Griffin said. “With their entrances at the signal. At its most recent work ses- committed to resurfacing the State Park opening the “We wanted to do it in a way Shrimp Festival poster sion meeting, the City Council Beach Boulevard from the Or- Lodge and Conference Center that protected the left turn discussed a Volkert Associ- ange Beach corporate limits in November, we wanted to lane into that main entrance artist announced ates Proposal to provide pro- through the State Park up to prepared striping plans that as well as a deceleration lane The Annual National fessional services for Beach West Lagoon Avenue in Gulf would ensure an eight-foot going east,” Griffin said. “We Shrimp Festival has been Boulevard striping plan Shores. pedestrian way for our side- hosting the Poster Contest through the State Park and “With ALDOT coming in walks through the State Park SEE PARK, PAGE 2 since 1981. Artists must incorporate the festival themes of art, food, music, the festival location of Gulf Canal Road Shores and Orange Beach Embassy Suites to anchor $85 million as well as the year and transfer OK’d name of the festival. This mixed-use development in Gulf Shores year’s winner has been an- by Orange nounced. To read more, see Beach page 2. By CRYSTAL COLE [email protected] The City of Orange New historical Beach now has a marker unveiled little more control over Canal Road. Mayor Tony Kennon, local At its most recent writer and historian Mar- City Council meeting, garet Childress-Long, city a resolution was ap- staff, residents and mem- proved authorizing bers of the Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon City Council gathered in to execute an agree- front of Orange Beach City ment with the Alabama Hall on Tuesday, June 19 Department of Trans- to unveil the community’s CRYSTAL COLE / STAFF PHOTO portation (ALDOT) for the transfer of Canal newest historical marker. Gulf Shores city officials pose with official renderings of the Embassy Suites announced at Gulf Place last week. To read more about the cer- Road from Highway 161 to Perdido Gate emony and the community- STAFF REPORTS Subdivision. ALDOT changing land donation has agreed to trans- made by John M. Snook Plans for a new luxury hotel fer Canal Road, east and his wife Marjorie, jump and mixed-use development of SR161, to the City to page 19. have been unveiled in Gulf of Orange Beach in Shores. exchange for $625,000. Mayor Robert Craft an- Kennon said this sum nounced last week that the is enough to cover city has reached an agreement maintenance costs of DEATHS PAGE 21 in principle with DD Partners, the road for more than LLC, a development team led 15 years, and the total Louise S. Andrews by Birmingham-based devel- is based on the cost to Larry Odom oper Ron Durham and Mari- resurface the entire Stephen Donald Palmer M.D. etta, Georgia-based developer portion tranfered. Ron Day, to construct a new “That’ll give us the $85 million mixed-use develop- opportunity to make ment on a 1.93-acre parcel at any changes we want INDEX the corner of West Beach Bou- SUBMITTED PHOTO to make to it,” Kennon levard and West 1st Street. Place beachfront. Additional mitted to a ‘make it happen’ said. “We were able BALDWIN LIVING, 6 The 398,000-square foot hotel amenities will include mentality,” Craft said. “We set to come up with $1.8 CLASSIFIED, 27 project will be anchored by nearly 12,000-square feet of out to create a pedestrian- and million from the RE- HEALTH, 23 a 229-room Embassy Suites conference space including bike-friendly beachfront. We STORE Act to pay for hotel and will include a fine a 7,800-square foot ballroom, wanted to attract new devel- (a roundabout on the LEGALS, 29 dining restaurant, street front full-service spa, indoor pool opment that would boost our road) so the City will OPINION, 3 retail and a 23,000-square foot and fitness center. shoulder seasons and stimu- not have to fund it. We outdoor rooftop area featur- “This is the type of transfor- late local businesses. This won’t be able to start OUT & ABOUT, 9 ing a pool, bar, lounge and mative project we envisioned project will be the catalyst to that project until the PUZZLES, 4 event terrace overlooking for the beach area when we the recently renovated Gulf adopted Vision 2025 and com- SEE EMBASSY, PAGE 19 SEE CANAL, PAGE 2 SPORTS, 10 TV LISTINGS, 13 Gulf WHAT Coast YOU IN Media STORE VOLUME 42 • ISSUE 27 IS NOW 1 SECTION • 36 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 Islander • June 27, 2018 • Gulf Coast Media Shrimp Festival announces poster winner SUBMITTED Chamber received 32 entries from all over the The Annual National country. The entries are Shrimp Festival pres- judged by a sub-commit- ents artist Loran Chavez tee made of members of of Fairhope as the 2018 the Chamber staff, the Poster Contest Winner. retail committee, the The Annual National fine arts committee and Shrimp Festival has the festival chairman. Shrimp Festival Committee votes on the winning poster. been hosting the Poster They select they top five Contest since 1981. Art- posters from the whole. also the winner of the for festival attendees. ists must incorporate Then the entire Shrimp 2013 42nd Annual Na- “The poster rep- the festival themes of Festival Committee vote tional Shrimp Festival resents the Shrimp SUBMITTED PHOTO art, food, music, the on the winner. poster contest. Chavez Festival as a whole,” Artist Loran Chavez with her winning poster. festival location of Gulf The 2018 47th Annual was presented with a said Festival Chairman Shores and Orange Poster winner is Loran prize of $1000 and will be Spencer Cade. “It incor- ficial year and serves as Annual National Shrimp Beach as well as the year Chavez from Fairhope. present Sat, Oct. 14 dur- porates its main themes the unique piece for that Festival on Oct. 11-14. and name of the festival. Chavez is no stranger ing the Annual National of music, art and food. year.” For all other years, you This year, the Coastal to the Annual National Shrimp Festival to sign It has become an impor- You can get your can shop at myshrimp- Alabama Business Shrimp Festival; she was posters and souvenirs tant brand for each of- poster print during the fest.com. PARK ALDOT will provide vious for those of us that items will be auc- and video recording at address minor defi- 50 percent of the fund- live here that it wouldn’t tioned through gov- an hourly rate of $175 ciencies noted in the CONTINUED FROM 1 ing for the construc- work,” Craft said. “We deals.com beginning were also included city’s bi-annual bridge tion costs (estimated at concluded that this Monday, July 9, and should they be needed. inspections. Every don’t see a good situa- $400,000 -$500,000) and would not work the way ending Monday, July The City advertised two years the city is tion with traffic merg- 100 percent of the resur- they had it designed and 23. Surplus items are and received four bids required to perform ing into the State Park facing and restriping the only way to get that typically auctioned bi- to perform annual bridge inspections on Lodge and Conference costs for the Beach Bou- fixed was for us to fix it.” annually, every spring storm drain and cul- city-owned bridges facility, as well as the levard improvements. and fall or on an as- vert cleaning services. and box culverts. State Park Pier.” Mayor Robert Craft Also discussed during needed basis. Staff recommends Several minor defi- The proposal from said it was evident the work session were: • Award storm drain awarding the contract ciencies were noted at Volkert in the not to ex- meeting with ALDOT’s • A resolution declar- and culvert clean- to Pipe Services of various locations that ceed amount of $58,815 design team that they ing certain personal ing contract to Pipe South Alabama who will be corrected by will provide survey, en- didn’t fully understand property owned by the Services of South Ala- had the lowest con- the implementation of vironmental permitting, the traffic problems af- City of Gulf Shores bama on an as-needed forming bid. the plans and specifi- ALDOT permitting, en- flicting Gulf Shores and surplus and unneeded; basis but in an amount • Neel-Shafer Proposal cation that Neel-Sha- gineering, traffic signal Orange Beach.