Pictured L-R: Police Chief Kenny Culpepper, IT Systems Technician Christina Thomas, Assistant IT Director Jacob Smith, IT Systems Technician Allen Handley, Street Sign Shop Foreman Greg Powe, Police Assistant Chief Craig Montgomery, Street Foreman Wesley Bennefield, Council President Pro-Tem Jenny Folsom, Mayor Woody Jacobs, Street Foremen Michael Leon Freeman and Tim Kritner, Street Labor Foremen Supervisor Chris Howard, Street Labor Foreman Dexter Perkins, Street Superintendent Scotty Talley, Council President Garlan Gudger, Street Assistant Superintendent Mike Jenkins, Director of Building, Planning, & Zoning Rick Fulmer, City Councilmembers Andy Page and Johnny Cook, Police Lt. J.P. White (Nick Griffin for The Tribune)
CULLMAN – The ribbon was officially cut on the City of Cullman Street Department’s brand-new facility Tuesday morning at 69 Mitchell Road NE, and no one was more excited than the men and women of the department. On hand for the ribbon-cutting were Mayor Woody Jacobs, Council President Garlan Gudger, City Council President Pro-Tem Jenny Folsom, City Councilmembers Johnny Cook and Andy Page, Street Department Superintendent Scotty Talley and Assistant Superintendent Mike Jenkins, Police Chief Kenny Culpepper and Assistant Chief Craig Montgomery, Director of Building, Planning, and Zoning Rick Fulmer, and other employees from various city departments.
Gudger got the event started by breaking down the responsibilities of the street department.
“The street department provides all services related to the construction, drainage, maintenance and repair of city streets and sidewalks,” Gudger said. “You may be surprised to learn that this department also oversees making, installing and maintaining street signs and signs for municipal facilities and other departments, drainage projects in the city of Cullman, concrete sidewalks and street projects in the City of Cullman, striping of city streets, transportation of heavy equipment, holiday decorations at City Hall and repairing or replacing damaged streets, sidewalks or signs.”
Gudger talked about the new facility and some of its features that will help the street department run more efficiently.
“Scotty Talley, myself and the council are excited today to show off the new 9,000-square-foot street department office complex that allows us to streamline our processes. The additional space gives us a new tool room three times larger than the room at the old facility. This allows us to keep our small parts and equipment in one building and prevents us from traveling to multiple locations for parts, materials and supplies. We have a larger storage yard offering the convenience to store pipe and gravel in a single location. No more driving from site to site to gather materials needed for the first job of the morning. Streamlining that process means we spend more time meeting needs and less time traveling.”
He continued, “It has a new, enlarged sign shop increasing the capacity and the size of the signs. Increased volume allows us to produce signs for other city departments in a timely manner at a reduced cost. We have a generator large enough to power the two main buildings to ensure our ability to continue operating during power outages and sever weather. The city has purchased new equipment as well. Including new backhoes and a new salt brine tank for keeping roads and bridges safe for travel in icy conditions and six new employees have been added to the staff.”
Talley spoke briefly about the new facility but made it clear how excited he and his staff are to have it.
“We’re very fortunate. I know all the employees are proud of it and I’m proud of it so we all feel very fortunate for what y’all have given us to work with,” Talley said. “We’re all thankful for it.”
Jacobs said he is excited to see the project pay off and solve a problem for both the Street Department and the community.
“We’re happy to get a facility that’s large enough to keep them all in one spot. Beforehand, the offices were all kind of in one place, but we had equipment and parts in different locations. Now when they come in the morning, the crews will be able to get together and get what they need, leave to go on the job and be able to stay on the job instead of having to leave and run here and there so that’s more efficient,” Jacobs said. “We’ve got plenty of room to keep all their trucks so that we can keep up with them, know where they are and keep them serviced. We’ve got room for storing materials for roads so if we have a problem its already here, we don’t have to wait and go get something so it’s all just better for the department and better for the citizens.”
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