COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 38 GERMAN SUB SIGHTED Spy captured in Mobile Bay The Courier PAGE 14 INDEX APRIL 12, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ Baldwin blood drive Record high donors recorded during event Page 4 Scholarships Spanish Fort Elementary wins regional Can Do Good competition awarded SUBMITTED as the winner of the 2016-17 Can Vice President Lee Walters pre- The third through fifth grade Original Oyster House Do Good Competition for the sented the school with a check for gifted students and student coun- to hand out awards to Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, kindergarten through fifth grade $1,000, in addition to a check to cil at SFES teamed up to tackle high school seniors Inc. (GMC), recognized Spanish division at a check presentation Prodisee Pantry to match SFES’ Page 37 Fort Elementary School (SFES) on Friday, April 7. GMC Regional donation. SEE ELEMENTARY, PAGE 2 Council approves new Daphne church celebrates 150th public works director year of worship Position has been vacant since late February By CLIFF McCOLLUM to use an outside engineer to approve, E. Shore Federated [email protected] and that figure is very, very large every year.” Women’s Club During last week’s special called Wilson said outside engineering costs Dr. Robert Tegenkamp meeting, the Fairhope City Council would likely not be totally eliminated, speaks at last week’s voted unanimously to temporarily lift but she did expect to see a savings of at meeting the city’s hiring freeze to allow for the least $25,000 with that change. Page 39 hiring of a new public works director. Councilman Jay Robinson said he All council members were in agree- had concerns about creating another ment the position needed to be filled higher paying position, given the recent as soon as possible, as the position had approval of several new city jobs with DEATHS PAGE 22 been vacant since the firing of former salaries that went into the six-figure Little Bethel Baptist Church a director Jennifer Fidler in late Febru- range. Claude D. Boone ary. “We will have created, by extending light for the community Donald O. Darrough Jr. Mayor Karin Wilson said the ad- this pay grade, three of the highest paid BY CLIFF McCOLLUM Jeffrey Mark Day ditional pay increase being sought for positions in municipal government in [email protected] Alexis Marie Gorham the position was necessary in order to Baldwin County,” Robinson said. “I Albert Leon Murrell attract a candidate with an engineering don’t think this should be taken lightly. Mary Lucinda Murrell background, which she said the city That’s a big thing that worries me.” Claps, stomps and the sound of joyful praise spilled out into the streets of downtown Daphne Sara W. Piper needs for the candidate in that position. Robinson said he worried such high “Bringing that expertise to the table salary hires might be sending the Sunday afternoon as the Little Bethel Baptist Janice Angeline Church marked its 150th anniversary celebration. Wilkinson with stormwater runoff is something wrong message to potential employees. that additional money will more than Churchgoers from across the county came to Graham Wyatt Younce “To me, working for the city of pay its way,” Wilson said. “Without Fairhope is a benefit,” Robinson said. the chapel to help mark the occasion, and the Elsie E. Zywicki having an engineer on staff in Public Works, anything over $20,000 we have SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2 SEE CHURCH, PAGE 2 INDEX Gulf BALDWIN LIVING, 5-7 OUT & ABOUT, 26 Coast CLASSIFIED, 10-11 PUZZLES, 12 Media HEALTH, 24-27 SPORTS, 15-17 VOLUME 123 • ISSUE 37 LEGALS, 28-34 TV LISTINGS, 18-21 1 SECTION • 40 PAGES OPINION, 13-14 2• The Courier • April 12, 2017 • Gulf Coast Media South Carolina. All of the the Iron Bowl. The “Can three schools that received sional architecture and More than 12,000 canned ELEMENTARY items were donated to the Do Good Bowl” featured the most votes during the engineering staff and goods and non-perishable CONTINUED FROM 1 Prodisee Pantry to benefit a football stadium filled online voting portion of judged based on overall food items were donated to families in the local com- with Alabama and Au- the Can Do Good Competi- theme, aesthetics, struc- food banks and charitable their Can Do Good project munity, including students burn fans, represented by tion, advancing them to tural soundness, level of organizations throughout and raised more than 3,280 who may attend SFES. orange and red cans, and the finals. With 571 votes, difficulty and creativity. the Southeast through canned goods and non-per- When choosing a design a football field of green they also received the Because of superior excel- the regional Can Do Good ishable items—the most for their Can Do Good cans, complete with a Can greatest number of any lence demonstrated in all competition this year. For collected by any team in structure, the gifted stu- Do Good symbol on the 50- team in the competition. five categories, SFES was more information about the regional competition, dents found inspiration yard line. The finalists’ structures selected as the winner for Can Do Good, visit www. including schools from from one of the South’s Spanish Fort Elemen- were reviewed by mem- the kindergarten through gmcnetwork.com/design- Alabama, Georgia and most storied traditions: tary was among the top bers of GMC’s profes- fifth grade division. buildeat. PHOTOS BY CLIFF MCCOLLUM Spanish Fort Elementary students were excited to win the regional Can Do Good competition spon- sored by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood. In addition to donating 3,280 canned goods, the school received a $1,000 check from the engineering firm for the do-good efforts. as long as we have,” Heard song. CHURCH said. “It’s a testament to Haygood said it was tell- CONTINUED FROM 1 this community and the ing that the church was people who have built this one of the oldest structures good word. church over the years that in the city of Daphne. Little Bethel was it continues to thrive and “Daphne as a town has founded on April 15, 1867, be as strong as it is. But, we only been around for 90 on two acres of land do- really give thanks to God years, and this church has nated by Major Lewis for his continued blessings been here for 150 years,” Starke to four of his for- on us for many, many gen- Haygood said. “It’s a won- mer slaves: Nimrod Lovett, erations now.” derful part of our city’s Stamford Starlin (now Reverend Donald Parker, history that has continued Sterling), Narcis Elwa and the pastor at Little Bethel to be a beacon for this city, Benjamin Franklin. Baptist, asked that God and I hope for many more The land holds the small continue to bless and great things for the church chapel and a cemetery with watch over the church for and its congregation.” graves dating back to those 150 more years. Heard said the church days. Before the church “We’ve been so blessed has plans in the future to was built, parishioners over these many years to expand to create a fellow- met and worshipped in the be a place where people ship hall that will allow shade of the large oak trees can worship together,” more space for classes and on the property. Parker said. “And I hope events for young people in Deacon Walter Heard, He continues to bless us for the community. who has been attending 150 years more.” “We want to find a way the church for almost four The church held a ribbon to reach out and make years, said it’s a wonderful cutting outside before the sure we’re bringing more legacy that current church celebration ceremony, with folks in, reaching out and members can celebrate a Parker and Daphne Mayor showing the love of God sesquicentennial anniver- Dane Haygood cutting to all our people,” Heard sary like this. the ribbon before church said. “There aren’t a lot of members marched into the With the songs of praise churches that have made it sanctuary singing a praise and joy that emanated from the chapel Sunday and the amens of those in attendance, Little Bethel The Courier Baptist Church looks to be on track to last several 901 N. McKenzie St., Foley, AL 36535-3546 more generations, as the congregation lifts up God PHONE: (251) 928-2321 | FAX: (251) 943-3441 and helping those who [email protected] need. Cliff McCollum Classifi ed Advertising PHOTOS BY CLIFF MCCOLLUM Managing Editor Jessica Vaughn cliff @gulfcoastmedia.com [email protected] this is the position we need Tony Whitehead Legal Advertising JIM RILLO COUNCIL with this experience. It’s a Sports Editor April Wallace CONTINUED FROM 1 lot more than what we had [email protected] [email protected] LANDSCAPING CO. in for Public Works before. Allison Marlow “I don’t know that we’re Retail Advertising We’re looking at just this, Senior Features Editor “Complete Landscaping Service” paying someone more Frank Kustura O and it’s based on how much [email protected] ❖❖❖❖LandscapeLandscape Preparation and and Installation Installation than they’re getting from experience they have.” [email protected] somewhere else. I think we O Maintenance O Landscape Design Robinson said he had no Parks Rogers ❖❖❖❖ Maintenance ❖❖❖❖ Landscape Design ❖❖❖❖ Retaining Walls are the benchmark, not us qualms about the position Publisher ❖❖❖❖ DrainageO Retaining Systems Walls❖❖❖❖ DrivewaysDrivewaysDrivewaysDrivewaysO Drainage❖❖❖❖ SoddingSoddingSoddingSodding Systems❖❖❖❖ PlantingPlantingPlantingPlanting begging them to come be a needing to be filled but that [email protected] part of this.