“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.”- Benjamin Franklin
Our Founding Fathers understood the task of creating a flourishing environment that provides entertainment, solace and community for its residents. Growth begets change; change begets progress.
This year was a huge one for Cullman. Notable changes include accomplishments by Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism, including Skate Depot and a renovation of Depot Park, as well as Cullman’s Strawberry Festival growing into the Alabama Strawberry Festival.
Cullman Regional completed a four-story, 30-bed expansion as part of a $30 million project. The project added 13 new beds for critical care, 12 new medical/surgical beds and five additional multiuse beds, making Cullman Regional a 175-bed hospital. Growing populations mean growing health care needs; the hospital also welcomed 20 new physicians to its health care team to assist the growing needs of the community. This was done alongside the highly anticipated four-lane expansion of Alabama Highway 157.
Cullman City Schools saw increased enrollment in 2023 and completed a two-year undertaking of expanding the current Cullman City Primary School to house all second graders from the district. CCPS now houses Headstart, Pre-K and K-2. West Elementary School and East Elementary School each house students in third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Cullman Middle School broke ground on a new middle school expansion that will equip CMS to house all sixth through eighth graders from the district; completion of the CMS project is expected to extend into 2024.
Wallace State Community College completed a 30,000-square-foot Center for Welding Technology and Innovation; it is the largest Welding training center in the Southeast. WSCC stated, “The Welding center has seven robotic welding stations; nine virtual welding simulators; 81 welding booths; 20 grinding booths; a fabrication area with two welders, a plasma CNC table and pipe welding equipment; and three state-of-the-art classrooms with built-in cameras, microphones and speakers to allow hosting online classes.”
Cullman’s population is always increasing, according to census.gov. In 2021 Cullman’s population was 18,635; that number is estimated to be around 19,505 in 2023. How can Cullman’s infrastructure grow as rapidly as the city? Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer and Governmental Affairs & Community Development Jamie Troutman had a few answers for Cullman residents.
“Cullman and Cullman County are experiencing tremendous growth. It is occurring in the residential, industrial, commercial, medical and professional sectors. I see no immediate slowdown,” Greer declared. “Drive through the community and you will see new housing developments, apartments under construction, new retail, remodeling of retail and other signs of a prosperous community. There are no boarded up storefronts; all the signs support a vibrating, growing community.”
Troutman explained some of the recent and upcoming repairs and improvements in the city of Cullman, saying, “The City will continue pursuing grants to update water and sewer lines. The streetscape projects downtown have not only added curb appeal, but the underground utilities have received badly needed updating, and we will continue pursuing potential funding for the widening of the St. Bernard Bridge on the US. Highway 278/Alabama Highway 69.”
Troutman continued, “Depot Park will be completed, which will provide an expanded area for festivals, as Cullman has become known as the City of Festivals. These festivals give locals something fun to do and bring in thousands from neighboring areas. These people spend money in our community which in turn strengthens our economy, services and quality of life.”
As many residents may feel the brunt of Cullman’s growing pains, Greer and Troutman hope that eventually, the city will come together as a whole and embrace the changes and tweaks to their much-loved town. After all, the wheel keeps turning, and Cullman must keep up with demand. Higher populations lead to higher revenue for the City, revenue needed to enhance Cullman’s appeal and support its residents.
Said Greer, “Most people support growth—maybe not in their particular neighborhood, but they still want their favorite shopping or dining spot here. Or they want more jobs that offer better compensation and advancement opportunities. It is important for community leaders to focus on meeting needs and enhancing quality.” Adding that Cullman’s leadership has spearheaded the fight to keep Cullman comfortable and enjoyable, he said, “Progressive leadership has supported infrastructure improvements that ensure we have adequate water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, telecommunications and solid waste disposal services. Duck River added a water supply capable of sustaining the current agriculture, residential, industrial and retail demand while also allowing for continued growth. The City/County joint purchase of the landfill assures we control our waste disposal for 75 to 100 years. Inadequate infrastructure restricts growth.”
Troutman said she hopes residents see how growing revenue positively impacts the community, saying, “Everything depends on tax revenue. Taxes generated by the businesses and industries in Cullman provide funding for roads, water, sewer, schools, police, fire and education. If a community does not continue to grow or ‘keep up,’ it will die. Young families are moving to Cullman and more high schoolers are saying they want to move back to their hometown after college than ever before. That is because we have things to do, good schools and an above-average quality of life.”
Growth isn’t always convenient, but it is always necessary. New businesses create new jobs; new jobs create more money going into the economy; more money going into the economy means more businesses want to flourish in that area.
Said Greer, “For years job creation was one of the most important needs in our community. Today that focus has shifted more toward quality of life enhancements that help attract individuals and families. Cullman routinely has the second or third-lowest unemployment rate in Alabama. Attracting workers is important to our future. Elements in that plan must include more shopping and dining opportunities, quality health care, good schools (secondary and post-secondary), entertainment and exceptional park and recreation facilities and programs.”
For the City of Cullman, 2024 continued growth and expansion are expected, with several new retail and restaurant opportunities. New apartment complexes are popping up to assist with the demand for housing, allowing new families and individuals to be exposed to the small-town charm of Cullman. Those people will find employment, shop at locally owned stores, pay local taxes and become a part of the community.
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