DECATUR, Ala. — Decatur held its annual state of the city address - but Mayor Tab Bowling was not there. FOX54 reached out to mayor bowling's office and he confirmed he did not attend. The reason why? It's because he said he knew ahead of this address - that a video would be shown of Decatur City Council President Jacob Ladner giving an opening statement. Here's what Ladner shared in that video:
"Good morning. I’m Jacob Ladner, and I serve as City Council President here in Decatur. I regret that I couldn’t join you all today due to a prior commitment. When thinking about the current state of our City, the reality is it has been a very difficult 6 months following the tragic death of Steve Perkins. It has been difficult for our citizens, our Police Department, and the family and friends of Mr. Perkins. The last few years at this event, we’ve shared with you all the positive things happening in our community. From residential growth, to Parks and Recreation projects, the continued expansion of the Alabama Center for the Arts… the list goes on and on, and I know you’ll hear more about those things today. That type of progress and momentum has made leading during this time relatively easy. So how do we lead when times are challenging, like they are right now? The past can’t be undone, the future might seem uncertain. We can only control how we respond to the present. This reminds me of a book, which is now a short movie, that I have watched with my kids called “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.” There is a point where the boy and the horse are in the woods, it’s dark and rainy… and the boy says to the horse “I can’t see a way through.” The horse asks the boy “Can you see your next step?”, and the boy answers, “Yes”. The horse replies “Then just take that.” The point is that when times are uncertain, we just have to do the next right thing to keep moving forward. And that is what we are going to do as a City. We are going to continue moving forward. I ran for City Council in 2020 because I thought things were stagnant at best. We are now 3 ½ years into a 5 year term and Decatur is on a positive trajectory. Today, we are better than we were in 2020, and in 2025, we will be better than we are today. Yes, we are going through a difficult time. But if something doesn’t challenge you, it will not change you."
The Chamber also thanking City Council President Pro Tempore Carlton McMasters and Councilman Kyle Pike for stepping in to share the state of the city. "I don't think we can sit here today and give a state of the city address without addressing the Steve Perkins tragedy. We consistently hear from the community. There's a lot of hurt, there's anger and there's confusion," explained Pike.
City Council Member Kyle Pike continued that despite the odds he's optimistic. "I firmly believe we will be better after this. We'll be a stronger, more united community." City Council President Pro Tempore Carlton McMasters is on the same page. "To what Kyle said, we're going to get through this and come out better."
That better is beginning with a project visible as soon as you make your way across the bridge. "Many of you have heard or seen the sixth avenue project. I think we've discussed it at the state of the city in the past. It's a great project. I've been a huge supporter of it, you know, now if you come over the bridge into Decatur, you kind of feel like you're driving. You know, you don't feel like you're driving through a town. And oftentimes if people get into downtown, you see how beautiful it is. And I think we need to expand that out to sixth avenue. I would I believe that the public investment will lead to further private investment. So it's a great project. If you haven't seen it, you can find it online, but we're in the final permitting stage of that."
For Councilman Pike, quality of life is key, and the river city could also expect to see some new downtown developments opening soon. "We've got a 230 space parking deck that should be opening in the next month sometime in may. I believe that was part of the deal to get the Fairfield here. It'll have a retail component as well. I think over 4000 square feet of retail, which is really important to do that on the front end."
Another project contributing to the growth downtown is the new ACA dorms for students. "Those are 68 units. I can't remember the exact number of students they'll have, but it's a mixture of, you know, one bedroom, two bedroom units." Pike and McMasters both say the city can also expect more parks and recreation opportunities in the future.