Mar. 30—Key positions of leadership changed hands in Hanceville over the past year: In January, longtime former Hanceville City Council member Jimmy Sawyer was appointed the city’s new mayor, followed in February by the appointment of Kenneth Cornelius to fill Sawyer’s vacated council seat.

Along with last year’s appointment of Josh Howell as the city’s new chief of police, that’s a lot of change in a short amount of time. But as Sawyer recently shared with The Times, there’s an optimism and forward-looking consensus among the council’s current makeup about where the city is heading.

“One of the things I think all of us have really been proud of, over the past year, is the new park that we’ve been working on over by our fire station,” said Sawyer. “It was built on about 10 acres of land that was donated to the city by Lillie Tucker, and once we finish up a few last-minute things we will probably hold a formal ribbon-cutting sometime soon.”

Located just west of U.S. Highway 31 past the corner of Collins Street and Fire Station Drive, the new park features a wooded walking trail anchored by a newly-built picnic and event pavilion alongside freestanding restroom facilities. “It’s a really nice venue that can be used any kind of outdoor activity, and it’s one of the things we’re really proud of,” said Sawyer.

Roads will be a big focus for Hanceville in the coming months, with a pair of major in-town projects set to commence before the end of this year. Fresh off completion of the latest phase of drainage and landscaping work along Highway 31 near Wallace State Community College, the city will be eyeing a separate Highway 31 project just a short drive to the south.

Teaming with the Alabama Department of Transportation this summer, the city will begin work to install a new turn lane to ease congestion at the highway’s busy intersection with Alabama Highway 91. Even closer to downtown, motorists along Commercial Street this summer won’t miss the activity around the Hanceville Civic Center, where the city plans to begin a major bridge replacement project just as soon as the current school year ends.

Other upcoming Hanceville projects have just received federal funding, via a recent update from the office of U.S, Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville). The Hanceville Water and Sewer Board will receive more than $1.1 million to replace water supply lines along Highway 31 and, farther east, along County Road 601; while Wallace State will receive $1.5 million to establish a new Advanced Technology Center for Electric and Autonomous Vehicles.

“We can’t say enough about Wallace State and the great relationship we have always had with [college president] Dr. [Vicki] Karolewics,” said Sawyer. “In a small community like ours, the college is a tremendous asset — and not only for Hanceville, but for all of Cullman County.”

The city continues to attract new investment interest from businesses, as well as reinvestment from those that have long called Hanceville home. Last year, the nationally recognized Hanceville Nursing and Rehab Center opened the doors to The Suites, the center’s newest expansion featuring 36 private rooms for rehabilitation and recovery.

“Hanceville Nursing and Rehab is just top-notch in their field, and we’re really appreciative that they continue to base their service in our community,” said Sawyer. “We’ve also got some good things developing with other retail businesses, which we look forward to sharing in more detail in the near future.”

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.