The Andalusia City Council this week approved a franchise agreement that will give local residents another option for telecommunications services in the future.
Jake Cowen, senior vice president of Telepak Networks, Inc., doing business as C-Spire, said his company received a federal grant to build a 677-mile, high-capacity fiber optic network, which will travel through 27 counties in Alabama, including Andalusia and Covington County. The local agreement gives C Spire a non-exclusive right to construct and operate a telecommunications system in the rights-of-way and a non-exclusive franchise to provide services to subscribers in the city.
In Andalusia, he said, the company will deploy a high-capacity cabinet of electronics which will enable them to serve fiber to residential areas.
“In Andalusia, we will have three routes out, so subscribers will benefit from multiple redundancies. In other words, you could have up to two fiber paths cut, and we could still maintain network service,” Cowen said.
Cowen said the federal grant requires the company to complete the fiber optic network by July of 2027, and the company will move into market expansion in Phase 2. However, businesses located where the company has run fiber on state rights-of-ways should have access to service by the end of 2026.
The grant also requires the company to allow competitors access to the network.
Mayor Pro-tem Terry Powell, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, said, “The city is hoping by having an additional internet provider, it will make other providers make their service more dependable, which is a complaint we hear. This will make it even better for businesses and individuals, who will have more choices.”
“This is good news for Andalusia residents,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “For a number of years, local residents have reached out to us expressing a desire for additional internet and cable options in our community. If the council approves this agreement, another option will soon exist.”
If approved, the agreement is good for 25 years, and requires C Spire to pay the City a franchise fee of 3 percent of the monthly service charge revenue from telecommunications services to subscribers in the city. If C Spire provides video services to subscribers in the city, the company also will be required to pay a percentage of gross sales to the city. The fees are due quarterly. The agreement also includes language that addresses fees for bundled services.
The City of Andalusia will be closed on Mon., Feb. 16, 2026, in observance of Presidents' Day.
Monday's garbage routes will be collected on Tuesday morning, along with Tuesday's routes.
Please have garbage at the curb early.
Deirdra Trawick Belton will become the first African-American female to serve on the Andalusia Board of Education when she is sworn in at the board's next meeting.
The Andalusia City Council appointed her Tuesday to fill the unexpired term of District 1 board member Sammy Glover, who stepped down earlier this month.
"I love children, I love the community and I love the school," Belton, who is the owner of Deelightful Kids Child Care and Learning Center.
Before returning to her hometown and opening her child care center, Belton served as a director of the first community child care center for the Killeen City (Texas) School District. She also worked as lead Pre-K teacher for the U.S. Military Child Development Program in Worms, Germany.
Belton is a graduate of Andalusia High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in human services after studying at Alabama A&M University and the University of Phoenix. She is a member of the Andalusia Public Library Board, the Oleander II Social and Civic Club, the Pilot Club, NAACP and the Order of Eastern Star. She also is active in her church, where she is president of the Church Missionary Ministry and works with church organizations.
Glover said he couldn't have a better replacement.
"After learning more about her, I'm really glad she didn't decide to run against me," he said. "Her background working with kids is an advantage."
Glover said he decided to step down because it was time.
"We needed to turn the decision-making over to someone younger," he said. "Ideas about education have changed, and she fits the bill for the time."
In unrelated business, the Council also approved a short-term lease agreement with Blue Bird Coffee of Andalusia to use the commercial kitchen at Springdale when it is not in use as a venue. City administrator John Thompson said the company, owned by Greg White and Casey Teel, has grown its custom cheesecake business and needed access to a kitchen until it can work out a better solution.
The Council also heard from local resident Shirley Flowers, who expressed opposition to the recently approved ordinance allowing Sunday alcohol sales, and a presentation from Marck Devich on the use of cameras for traffic management.
Mayor Earl Johnson on Thursday inducted the longest-serving CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative into the Andalusia Leadership Hall of Fame.
“PowerSouth, and our community, are better places, thanks to the contributions of Gary Smith,” the mayor said.
Smith is a native of Corinth, Mississippi, who earned bachelor’s and juris doctorate degrees from the University of North Alabama and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He moved to Andalusia in 1989 to join what was then the Alabama Electric Cooperative, or AEC, and was named CEO in January of 2000.
“Gary began his career as an attorney, but has emerged as a leader in business and energy in Alabama and across the Southeast,” Johnson said.
The mayor cited Smith’s extensive involvement as a board member for energy, business and education organizations.
He currently chairs the boards of Southern Independent Bank and the South Alabama Regional Airport, and he is a past chairman of the Business Council of Alabama and the BCA Progress PAC. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of North Alabama; the Alabama Port Authority board; the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives board; the Florida Electric Cooperative board; the Alabama Fiber Network board; and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Board.
Gary and Debbi have three daughters, three sons-in-law and eight grandchildren, all of whom reside in Birmingham. He is also the proud companion of Yadi, his yellow lab.
“All of these things say a lot about who Gary Smith is, but perhaps more important is his love for and generosity toward the quality of life of this community,” Johnson said. “Under his leadership, PowerSouth has generously paid its civic dues, both literally and figurately. PowerSouth has taken an active role in economic development and assisted with projects in Andalusia and throughout the PowerSouth service area that have made local economies stronger.
“It is currently my honor to serve as chairman of the PowerSouth Board of Trustees,” Johnson said. “In that role, I also have the unwelcome responsibility of finding his replacement, as Gary plans to retire this year, and spend a lot more time with his family and Yadi.”
Smith said that when he moved his family to Andalusia, the community embraced them.
“This was and is a wonderful community in which to raise a family,” he said. “Part of my push in has been to make places like Andalusia become places where my daughters want to live. As a builder of a company, we have tried to provide jobs for people in our community who want to come back to our community.”
During his tenure, PowerSouth’s annual sales have grown from $365 million to $1 billion, and its capacity for power generation has doubled.
“I’m proud of what we built,” he said. “I encourage each of you, as you build your businesses, look for opportunities to help others grow.”
Previous inductees in the Leadership Hall of Fame include John G. Scherf Sr.; Henry Opp; Charles Dixon and Solon Dixon; Seth Hammett; Ed Short; Earl Johnson; Larry Avery; Dr. James D. “Jim” Krudop; and Taylor Parts founders James Marion Taylor, Marion Dobie “Buck” Taylor, Riley Rousseau Taylor Sr., and James Marion Taylor II.
The City of Andalusia will be closed on Mon., Jan. 19, in observance of the MLK holiday. Monday's garbage routes will be picked up on Tuesday, along with Tuesday's routes.