Wednesday's regular meeting of the Andalusia Town Council was highlighted by an announcement from Department of Leisure Services Director Dwight Mikel regarding the future of the Evan Barnes Golf Course located on the campus of LBW Junior College.

Mikel announced that Scott Crum had been appointed to the post of Golf Course Manager as the city continues preparations of taking over the course effective Oct. 1.

Mikel said the city has recently completed the interview process, with four individuals having been interviewed, and advertised for the position over a four-state area. Mikel added that all four candidates were excellent ones.

Mikel said Crum will actually begin working for the city on August 12.

Also regarding the golf course, the council approved an allocation of $20,000 from contingency funds to help in the transition of the golf course.

"We are looking at several pieces of equipment that we are going to have to operate the course," said Mikel. "Some of (the equipment) we have deemed to purchase is new equipment under a release purchase program. There are, however, some pieces of equipment that are currently on the course that belong (to the former course manager). It has been deemed best that we negotiate a price, which we have done."

Mikel said it is also important that the course is taken into the dormant winter months, with the greens, tees and fairways in healthy condition. The allocation from the city will address that concern.

Sammy Glover, who headed a committee which planned the Robert Horry Day ceremony at Andalusia Elementary School last week, addressed the council about the success of the event. Horry, an Andalusia native and a standout basketball player with the National Basketball Association's (NBA's) Los Angeles Lakers, was honored

last Wednesday before over 1,000 people.

"(Horry) asked me to extend to the council, (Mayor Earl Johnson) and the entire city government his appreciation for last Wednesday," said Glover. "He was overwhelmed with emotions and he was truly moved by the community,

and the expression of love that was shown to him was something he did not expect, and he did not expect the number of people to turn out and all of the acknowledgments that he was given."

Glover said he would like to thank the mayor and the council for sponsoring the ceremony and all those who worked behind the scenes of the event.

He also said Horry expressed his excitement about coming back to Andalusia next year, when a park on North Cotton Street will be named in his honor.

Glover said the NBA requested and has received a tape of last Wednesday's ceremony, which will be placed in the NBA archives.

"(The NBA) does not remember an event of that significance being put on for an NBA player," said Glover. "I think this is something that the citizens of Andalusia and the City of Andalusia can be proud of."

Johnson thanked Glover for all of the work that he and the planning committee did regarding the event/

"I don't believe (the ceremony) could have come off any better than it did," said Johnson. "It looked like everything was planned, and that was because of the hard work of the committee and every person on the committed contributed," said Johnson. "The city employees did a wonderful job (with the ceremony) and I was very proud of our city and I was overwhelmed with the turnout. We had a tremendous turnout and we have five television stations in Andalusia to cover that event. I dare say that

in the history of Andalusia, there has never been five television stations to cover any event. Even the "Voodoo Mayor" (former Florala Mayor H.T. Mathis) did not draw five stations. I look forward to another to another Robert Horry Day."

Johnson also addressed several items of note during Wednesday's council session.

He said he is pleased with the recent work on Three Notch Street, noting that most of the utility poles had been removed and that hopefully within the next week to 10 days this part of the project will be completed. He added that the overall project should hopefully be completed by the first of the year, at least in terms of parking lots.

"I want to publicly thank all of the city employees for their work on that project, and they put in a lot of long, hard hours," said Johnson.

He said he has heard many questions about where the money is coming from for various projects, and noted the sidewalk improvement project was made possible by grant money. He reported that the city will continue to make progress on other projects such as drainage projects.

The West Nile virus has been a major topic of concern recently, and Johnson said the city is doing all it possibly can to alleviate those concerns.

"In the eyes of some folks, it is the city's responsibility to exterminate all the mosquitoes inside the city limits of Andalusia, well it can't be done," said Johnson. "We are doing everything that we have the resources to do. We are spraying for mosquitoes every night somewhere in Andalusia, and we are checking the ditches that we have any jurisdiction over and draining any water we have any authority to. We do not have the authority to go on people's property to check for standing water, even if we wanted to do so. We surely do not have the manpower and resources to do that. If everybody would check their own property, it would go a long way toward solving the mosquito problem."

In other business discussed at Wednesday's meeting, the Andalusia council:

Announced a bid opening for a Community Enhancement Project for an Adult Activity Center will be on August 15 at 2 p.m.

Approved the minutes from the July 16 meeting.

There will be an additional story from Wednesday's Andalusia council session in the Friday, August 9 edition of the Star-News.