June 8 – HOLLY POND – The well-known monument to the late Holly Pond Mayor Dane Estes may soon get a facelift after the city council began looking for statue cleaning services on Monday, June 3.
Estes, who served as the city’s mayor for many years before his death in 2001, was immortalized by the completion of the bronze statue, which serves as the centerpiece of Memorial Park, just behind Holly Pond City Hall, in 2006. Since then, it has acquired a noticeable patina, and Councilman Paul Brown brought the idea of reviving the monument to the council’s attention at its most recent monthly meeting Monday.
Brown told the council he was given the number of a person who could perform the service by a local resident and the council gave permission for Mayor Carla Hart to be contacted for an estimate. Hart told The Times by phone on Friday, June 7, that after leaving several messages, she learned the person had moved to Georgia and would not be able to clean the monument.
Hart said she plans to continue the search and will contact the company that built and installed the statue, as well as other cleanup services.
This search coincides with the city’s ongoing plans to build public restrooms in the park. Hart said Monday that she has been working on drafting the project’s specifications and should be ready to release the project for bids soon.
The city also announced that the summer reading program is underway at the Guy Hunt Library and will take place every Tuesday at 10 a.m. throughout the month of June. Programs include:
– June 11: Fortner Farms with animals.
– June 18: Katie’s gourds and more.
– June 25: The Agriplex in North Alabama.
In other matters:
— Approved revisions to the Recycling and Scrap Facilities Regulation. Councilwoman Julie Ray provided the lone dissenting vote.
– Approved a $500 donation to the Good Samaritan Health Clinic.
— Submitted the discussion to install LED lighting on the city softball field until the bathrooms at Memorial Park were under construction.
— Submitted the discussion to replace the air conditioning unit in the city’s concession stand.
