Foley plans new Public Works campus
FOLEY – A new facility to house Foley’s Public Works Department will provide a central, safe location for city services over the upcoming decades. The new campus is planned in a two-block area near the intersection of North Poplar Street and East Section Avenue. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said help meet the demands for services as Foley continues to grow. “It will consist of sanitation and the Public Works Department, and it will meet our needs for the next 30 or 40 years,” Hellmich said in a recent interview. “That project is going to [...]
Second-grade turtle time
Second-graders at Foley Elementary School and Florence Mathis Elementary School had a chance to discuss sea turtles with author Linda Spangrud. She talked with children about the need to not disturb sea turtles when they come on to local beaches to lay their eggs and the need to protect turtle nests until the eggs hatch. Holes dug on the beach, trash and lights that can disorient baby turtles trying to find their way to the Gulf at night are among the hazards facing hatchlings. Spangrud gave copies of her book “Miss Sandra and [...]
Balloon fest takes off for 2023
FOLEY – The 2023 Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival took is underway with events continuing through Saturday. About 55 hot-air balloons from around the country will be filling the skies around the Foley area during in the annual event, which is based at the OWA Park and Resort in Foley. Many pilots kicked off the celebration with balloon glows on the OWA grounds Thursday evening and exhibition flights Friday morning. On Friday, several crews took their balloons to Elberta Elementary where three craft were inflated while tethered to the ground. Children laughed [...]
Foley Public Library celebrates centennial
FOLEY – An effort by a group of Foley women to collect 500 books to create a public library has grown into a community center with more than 88,000 items 100 years later. The Foley Public Library celebrated its centennial Wednesday This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Foley Public Library. Library supporters and other residents came by the library to talk to staff members and look over displays from the facility’s 100-year history. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the library has grown as Foley has grown. He said the [...]
New Kids’ Park to be named for Foley teacher
FOLEY – The new Foley Kids Park should be ready to open before Memorial Day with new activities and a new name. The Foley City Council voted Monday, May 1, to name the new park for Sara Thompson, an elementary school teacher who led the way in getting the original park built more than 20 years ago, Mayor Ralph Hellmich said. “She was instrumental, she and her second-grade class in coming up with the idea and bringing it forward and getting the community to support it and to build it in the first [...]
ADEM’s annual burn ban
May 1 marks the first day of the no burn season! Every year, ADEM issues a burn ban for several Alabama counties, including Baldwin County. The purpose is to combat the formation of ground level ozone and the generation of fine particulate matter during warm weather months. When present at ground level, ozone is a respiratory irritant. ADEM strives to maintain good air quality in our great state. The federal Clean Air Act supports ADEM's programs to ensure that all the citizens and visitors to our area have clean air to breathe. The [...]
Mural project kicks off Cat Alley art project
FOLEY – With the main mural that will be part of the Cat Alley display completed, work is now shifting to preparing the walkway as a public art space for downtown Foley. The alley extends from West Laurel Avenue to Jessamine Street to the west of North McKenzie Street. Project supporters plan to develop the site as a public art space and event location. On Friday, April 28, the CATalyst event kicked off the Cat Alley effort to promote public art in downtown. During the afternoon, the internationally known artist ARCY created an [...]
Foley agenda includes library centennial celebration
FOLEY – Foley is commemorating the city library’s 100th anniversary this week with a City Council proclamation Monday, May 1, and a celebration at the library Wednesday, May 3. On Monday, the City Council is scheduled to vote to declare May 3 as Public Library Day. On May 3,1923, the members of the Foley Community Welfare Club, which later became the Foley Women’s Club, began work to create a library as the group’s first project, according to a library history. Today, the library includes more than 88,000 items to be checked out, computer [...]
Baldwin’s biggest Goodwin center planned in Foley
FOLEY – A Goodwill store, community center and training facility is planned in Foley, which will be the agency’s largest facility in Baldwin County. The Foley Planning Commission voted Wednesday, April 19, to approve a site plan review for the new store. The facility will be located on an 8.4-acre site on the south side of East Azalea Avenue near the intersection of South Cypress Street. The center will include a 50,000-square foot multipurpose building that will include a retail store, bargain store, community resource center and warehouse. Frank Harkins, chief executive officer [...]
Replica of historic Foley hotel created for railroad exhibit
FOLEY – A replica of a historic Foley landmark will be joining the city’s model railroad exhibit at the Depot Museum. For the last several months, members of Foley’s Caboose Club have been designing and building a scale replica of the Foley Hotel building to be used in the museum’s model railroad exhibit. The model is sized to fit the O scale model train display in the museum. The hotel, which today is often referred to as the Stacey Drugstore building, opened in 1927. The model depicts the hotel in 1933, the year [...]