Geraldine city government doing the hard work

Geraldine city government doing the hard work

Featured image: The Geraldine City Council recently completed a new wheelchair ramp at the senior center.


By Tyler Pruett

tyler@southerntorch.com

GERALDINE, Ala.— If you visit Geraldine, you might notice that several new projects have been completed and that everything is very well maintained. Making improvements can take hard work in a small town, and Geraldine’s city government personally shares the load.

When I stopped by town hall to talk to Mayor Chuck Ables, the city clerk informed me that he currently was out of the office. While a Mayor’s absence from city hall usually can be explained by attending functions or attending to personal matters, I found Ables at the Geraldine Town Park. While not his everyday duty as mayor, he was cutting the grass and preparing the baseball fields for play.

“One of our maintenance men that maintains the fields had his father’s funeral yesterday,” Ables explained. “We all pitch in when we can.”

Geraldine City government doing the hard work
The entrance to Geraldine’s Town Park from Roy Porter Street.

Looking around at the well maintained park, it’s apparent that Ables along with the city council had been doing plenty of their fair share. What was most surprising to learn, was that the park around me had been virtually destroyed during the April 27, 2011 tornadoes. Almost five years later, few would guess that the park had to be rebuilt.

“The April 2011 tornadoes devastated our town park,” Ables said. “Since, we’ve spent $15000 on rebuilding the baseball and softball fields. We’ve also implemented our ‘Donate a Tree Project’ in which individuals or businesses can plant a tree to replace one that was lost in the tornado.”

Since implementing the program, Geraldine has planted 135 trees in the park, likely exceeding the approximately 100 lost in the tornado. The town has also built a new pavilion, which can be rented out to large parties or organizations.

But Mayor Ables doesn’t take all the credit for the work, “Our city council members just finished a new ramp at the senior center, and regularly contribute.”

Geraldine City government doing the hard work
Geraldine’s Mayor Chuck Ables pitches in to prepare the baseball fields for play.

When asked about what projects are in store for the future, Ables said, “We’re about to send out bids on a sidewalk from Highway 75 to the school, or about a tenth of a mile. We received a grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation to complete the project.”

Geraldine currently has no city sewer system, and is in the process of applying for a United States Department of Agriculture loan to build their first treatment plant.

“It’ll really help bring in new business. Restaurants want to connect to a sewer system,” Ables stated on the planned improvement.

Whatever the outcome of future building projects, it’s certain that Geraldine’s mayor and city council will be involved not just in an administrative role, but actively doing the hard work it takes to improve their city.