Civil Municipal Magazine Aug 2023

212 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 8 going out of Southside toward Rainbow City. “I believe that’s going to open up the city for a lot more economic development,” she adds. “We’re seeing a lot of economic development: small, but we are seeing it.” As well, with improvements to Southside’s police and fire departments, the city will be ready when that economic ship comes in, sailing up the Coosa. Hutchins reveals that he is a transplant. He didn’t grow up in Southside, but he got there as fast as he could. “It doesn’t feel like a community of 9,500 people,” he observes. “When you’re out in the community, you feel like you know everybody. You forget how many people live here. Even though we are the fastest-growing community in Etowah County, I would like to keep that small-town feel.” Hutchins is confident Southside can simultaneously grow in a positive way yet retain that Southern coziness and folksiness that its residents love so much. Snyder shares his assessment. “Everybody waves at everybody,” she notes, “and to me it’s a beautiful, diverse landscape and a river-oriented community. We just need that active town center to go with these recreational opportunities. I believe it’s one of the loveliest places on the banks of the Coosa River. “We’re changing the face of Southside,” she adds. “We want that small-town feel. But we feel as if we have moved into the 21st century.” A recent successful project at Southside Landing has been movie night, with such family films as Finding Nemo being shown outdoors. This is the work of parks and rec director Michael Weldon, and Hutchins extols Weldon for his efforts. “He does a very good job picking out movies,” says Hutchins, also citing food trucks and craft vendors at these and other such local events, “It’s a place for the community to come together.” Snyder cites the hoped-for replacement of a one-lane bridge over the Coosa River. The City has applied for grant funds, she reveals, and it’s working closely with the Alabama Department of Transportation. Within the next three to five years, she adds, she hopes to see a two-lane bridge over this particular stretch of the Coosa, thus solving a bottleneck problem PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Goodwin Mills & Cawood www.gmcnetwork.com n Parks & Rec Southside, AL cityofsouthside.com/departments/parks- recreation