 Located on Interstate 65 at Exit 291 |
Town of Colony Meet
Colony's Elected Officials! (Click images at left to enlarge in new window.) |
|||||||||
|
|
Welcome to the Town of Colony!
Located on Interstate 65 at the county's southernmost border, Colony is a
growing town with lots of potential, according to municipal officials. Incorporated in 1981, the town currently has a population of 385 citizens. Named as a Tree City, USA by the national Arbor Day Foundation in 1998, the town is filled with natural beauty. In keeping with its close ties to nature, the town is currently in the planning stages of developing an arboretum where children and adults alike may learn more about trees and forestry. "Colony is a beautiful, friendly town," said Mayor Earlene Johnson. "And it's a growing town with lots of potential as far as location. We're growing gradually, but I think gradual growth is good. If you ask most of us, we'd like to see it happen immediately ... overnight, like magic. But, you have more appreciation for it if it's gradual rather than if it's all handed to you immediately." However gradual it may be, Colony is definitely growing, both in population and in the services and amenities that town officials have worked to develop for its citizens. Colony's community center, built in 1976, boasts a large indoor basketball court that was recently renovated and is now like new. Just behind the community center and across the street from the town hall and education complex is Vivian B. Allen Park, where a concrete walking trail loops around the recently completed baseball field and concession stand. The future site of the arboretum, which will someday feature a large pond with a bridge, benches, walking trails and an outdoor classroom, is located here as well. "It will be a place not only for the citizens of Colony, but for people from other places to come and look and enjoy learning about trees," said Johnson. "We're really looking forward to it." The aforementioned Colony Education Complex, built in 1996, includes a branch of the Cullman County Public Library System, an auditorium, a kitchen, nursery and daycare facilities, space for the Head Start pre-school program and rooms for after school tutoring. The building was erected with grant monies secured in part by former Alabama Congressman Tom Bevill, for whom the library is named, and was furnished through the generosity of many Cullman businesses and industries. "If it hadn't been for the businesses and the people of Cullman, we wouldn't have this," said Johnson, who noted that the complex will soon be hosting a free summer food program in addition to the services already provided there. Also in the planning stages is a project to provide more fully for Colony's potential growth in coming years. "The most important issue at this time is housing," Johnson said. "We have people who would like to live here, and we're in the process of thinking about constructing some form of single family dwellings. We're a rural community, and we'd like to stay away from community-type housing. Right now, we're talking to grant writers and seeing what's available. We're trying to get all the help we can get." Johnson also said that plans are underway to add a community storm shelter with a weather warning siren to the Colony Education Complex. "This year, in addition to pursuing the housing issue, which is the biggest thing, we're applying for a grant to add a storm shelter to the education complex," Johnson said. "We're concerned about the safety of our kids and others in the community." Johnson said the town has grown considerably since her childhood, where, long before the town's incorporation, the roads were unpaved dirt and nearly impassable in inclement weather. She credits hard work on the part of the town officials past and present, the continued assistance of local and state officials, and the community spirit of Cullman County with the positive changes to her town over the years. "John Purifoy, our first mayor; Mayors Elvin Ward, Vernon Ward, and Karl Fields ... after each one of their administrations, we've seen growth," Johnson said. "It's nothing I or the council did alone. Each one has done their part to help make Colony a better place." For more information on Colony, contact the Town of Colony at 65 Byars Road, Hanceville, AL 35077 or call (256) 287-1192. You may also contact the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce at 211 Second Avenue NE, Cullman, AL 35055 or at (256) 734-0454; or contact the Cullman County Economic Development Office at 611 First Avenue SW, Cullman, AL 35055 or at (256) 775-4696.
|
|||||||||
