Cities Civil and Municipal July 2024 Public Sector

Jacksonville, Alabama – Calhoun County

July 29, 2024

Jacksonville, Alabama

A Stunning City View

Where Education, Commerce, and Heritage Converge

Situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Jacksonville, Alabama, is known for its scenic beauty, close-knit community, and vibrant recreational offerings. Jacksonville’s allure lies in its welcoming ambiance, enriched by significant landmarks and a friendly community.

“With our historic square, churches, antebellum homes, and safe neighborhoods, Jacksonville has a lot of small-town charm to it,” describes Mayor Johnny L. Smith. “But we’re close enough to Birmingham and Atlanta that our folks can take part in the larger activities when they want to.”

Education: The Heartbeat of the Community

Another part of Jacksonville’s appeal is its strong educational system. The mayor boasts, “I often have people tell me they moved to Jacksonville because of our school system. Our Jacksonville City Schools do a great job for us. And being home to Jacksonville State University provides our folks with not just good educational opportunities, but a lot of cultural and athletic activities, as well.

JSU, as the largest employer in the area, offers a wide range of programs and serves as a hub for the community. “Jacksonville State surely doesn’t exist without the city, nor would the city be what it is today without the university,” portrays JSU President, Don Killingsworth. “The collaboration and partnership that I’ve been able to experience in my four and a half years as President, has been the best that it’s been in decades. We rely on each other. It’s not only the public safety components that are necessary. It’s our students, faculty, and staff driving retail business.”

The university itself is experiencing major growth, marked by record-breaking enrollment. “We’re just around 10,000 students and I anticipate we will be higher than that next year to break another record,” reports Killingsworth. In addition, JSU’s athletics continue to shine, bringing further recognition to the university and the city. “We’ve seen this university grow, as well as the city and the school system, in partnership with each other,” he adds. “We rely heavily on our partners not only in Jacksonville but the surrounding 15 counties. We have a large footprint, but we cannot do it without our existing partners right here in our backyard.”

Recently, the university has invested over $300 million in infrastructure improvements, with three new buildings set to open soon, including a dining facility, a freshman residence hall, and a football complex. The upcoming Randy Owen Center for Performing Arts will see an investment of $100 million, bringing 100,000 square feet of entertainment space to the city.

“We’re trying to move this campus forward with infrastructure improvements,” Killingsworth remarks. “We want to give students a great collegial experience when they come to school here.”

Jacksonville City Schools is also an important partner, as Superintendent Dr. Michael Barber illustrates, “We just had a Town and Gown event where officials from the city, along with JSU and the school system sat down and planned out the next quarter of the events going on, figuring out how we can work together and make things as seamless as possible.” He points out the recent completion of a multimillion-dollar track and stadium facility, noting that it has not only enhanced sporting events for the school district but also serves as an economic generator, drawing teams and visitors to the community.

Economic Growth and Development

While education is a significant economic driver, Jacksonville is also expanding its economic base. Noting that the city is “more of a bedroom community,” Mayor Smith says Jacksonville is home to several employers, including Bear & Son Cutlery, KOAM, Parker Hannifin, and Carmine Industries. “A large part of the employment for us is folks working in retail,” he acknowledges.

“Our sales tax is a big part of revenue for our budget. So, we spend a lot of time trying to attract retail to town and over the last few years have done a good job of that.” The thriving retail sector is seeing a surplus of new establishments, including Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Rustic on Main, Lickin Good Donuts, and Whataburger. The city is also about to welcome a new hotel, Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott. Smith says, “That’s a real big plus for us. We need a new hotel for all the activities that Jax State brings, plus activities with the city and the school.

In other developments, Jacksonville has built a new 12,500-square-foot city hall and a new building for Jacksonville City Utilities. Along with these, Smith mentions that negotiations are underway for the city to lease property from JSU for a new fire station. “It’ll be a city of Jacksonville fire station, but on the JSU campus. That is going to be a plus not only for our citizens here but also for the students,” he maintains.

Recreation and Lifestyle

Jacksonville’s residents have access to a wide range of recreational activities thanks to excellent facilities including the Jacksonville Community Center, as well as proximity to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. “Our Community Center has a gym, full-service workout room, meeting rooms, walking track, and on that same campus is a pool, playground equipment, and a lighted Soccer Complex with a nine-hole disc golf course. There are a lot of things for folks to do,” touts Mayor Smith.

Another gem of the community is the Chief Ladiga Trail. “That’s a hard surface trail that was designed to cater to both casual and serious walkers, joggers, bicyclists or skateboarders, those folks that want to get out and move around,” he describes. “The city owns 8.1 miles of that trail. It’s part of a 34-mile trail that connects to the Georgia Silver Comet at the Alabama-Georgia line. You can get on your bicycle in Jacksonville and ride to the suburbs of Atlanta. It’s about a 92-mile ride. That attracts a lot of people to our town too.”

From left: Jacksonville High School principal Russ Waits, Mayor Johnny Smith

A Vision for the Future

Over the past few years, Jacksonville has spent $1.8 million on street resurfacing and continues to replace cast iron gas lines, targeting at least a mile each year. “We will continue to do that because it’s a safety issue, as well as being able to provide the gas to the industries and retail businesses that come in,” says Smith, adding that there are plans to invest an additional $1.3 million in refurbishments this coming year.

Recently, the city drilled a new well and is conducting necessary tests before bringing it into service. “One of the things we’ve been working on is finding a new water source,” he stated.

“We are in good shape as far as the water supply is now, but if we continue to grow in population and industry, we want to make sure that that’s continuous through the years.”

In terms of residential development, while high interest rates have slowed new housing construction, Smith reports that the last two years have been good in terms of residential development. “When I say it was a good year for us, that’s about 20 residential homes,” he admits. “If we get 20 we’re pretty excited about that.”

Another potential project is the redevelopment of the former cotton mill. Smith recounts, “It is a large building, about 55,000 square feet, that’s been sitting empty for a while. We have someone interested who is designing one and two-bedroom apartments for people aged 60 and above. It will be independent living, but residents still need to be able to function. However, there will be a dining hall to ensure meals are always available. I hope we can make that happen.”

The mayor is also optimistic about the potential for mixed-use developments in the downtown, bringing further residential and retail offerings to Jacksonville. “One of the real issues we’ve had with that is parking, he relays. “We may have to make some changes to city ordinances, but we do have a couple of people interested in converting a building that they own on the square that has a business downstairs, and hope to use the upstairs for housing.”

Looking Ahead

Detailing his priorities for the next few years, Mayor Smith says that continued work on removing cast iron gas mains, the building of the new fire station, and a focus on bringing the new water source online, are all top of mind. Further to those, he adds, “We have some quality of life things that we’d like to get done in the next couple of years.” These include a splash pad, outdoor pickleball courts, and the addition of a pavilion at a popular recreation area in the city.

This focus on ongoing infrastructure improvements, along with top-notch amenities for residents, showcases Jacksonville’s commitment to maintaining a vibrant and progressive city for the future.