5 JAN 07: WATER WORKED UP
Phenix City's Mayor denied Thursday there's a secret deal to merge three East Alabama water departments. Of course it's not secret - because people reportedly have been calling talk shows to complain about it.
But Mayor Jeff Hardin admitted talks have been underway, to combine the Phenix City Water Works with Russell County's and Fort Mitchell's systems. Isn't this amazing? First Phenix City allows Sunday alcohol sales - and now it may openly endorse mixed drinks.
The Phenix City Mayor says combining the city's water works with Russell County and Fort Mitchell would bring the city $22 million. Half the money would pay off old debts on the city water treatment plant. And imagine how many nightclubs could be patrolled with that other 11 million.
While the combining of water systems would bring in millions of dollars, Phenix City would have only one-third control of a combined water board. That's a sore point for some Phenix City residents - who apparently are concerned people in a Fort Mitchell mobile home park might attempt a coup.
Some people in Phenix City have long and painful memories of their water department. They remember several years ago, when a five-million dollar deal was made with Columbus Water Works. To hear some of them talk, Phenix City might as well have been renamed "West Columbus" right then and there.
I've seen one letter from an upset Phenix City resident, who claims the proposed combining of water departments is a "sale to an authority." The Mayor says the city would keep one-third control - but I suppose two-thirds of a sale constitutes a majority.
The letter from Milo Jenkins complains money from 1998 water improvement bonds was used to provide utilities to "PRIVATELY owned subdivisions." So should Phenix City only provide water to public housing complexes -- with the rest of the residents buying 12-packs of Dasani?
Milo Jenkins seems sure the formation of a joint water authority in the Phenix City area will mean higher water bills, and even higher taxes. I'm not sure if that's necessarily so. Bulk buying power seems to keep prices low at Wal-Mart....
But Phenix City Mayor Jeff Hardin said Thursday the impact on customer bills of a water authority is "under evaluation." At least he's saying that now. I don't recall that being said, when the city garbage contract was changed a few weeks ago.
A showdown on this issue probably will come next Thursday, when Phenix City holds a public hearing on the proposed consolidation. If Milo Jenkins is successful in making citizens angry, the turnout will be only fitting. A water controversy could attract an overflow crowd.
BLOG UPDATE: The second big inauguration of the week occurred Thursday, this time in Alabama. Unlike Tuesday's event at the Government Center, this one attracted extended live TV coverage - so take that, Mayor Wetherington! Nick Saban is the REAL man in charge around here....
Nick Saban held his first news conference as University of Alabama football coach, and declared his heart is in college coaching. But then again, he's bounced in the last ten years from Michigan State to Louisiana State to the Miami Dolphins - so maybe it's time Saban tied down his heart with bungee cords.
Nick Saban told reporters in Tuscaloosa he wants to have a "big, physical, aggressive football team." He could have stayed in the N.F.L. for that - coaching a Cincinnati Bengals team which had eight players arrested this season.
Nick Saban says to be successful at Alabama, he'll "need a lot of positive energy." There you go, Red Bull - your invitation to be the Crimson Tide's official drink.
Nick Saban claimed he'd need to evaluate candidates for a coaching staff. Yet only four hours after his news conference, Kevin Steele of Florida State reportedly was hired as Alabama's defensive coordinator. For a guy who said he didn't want the job last week, he may have missed his calling to be an evangelist.
ESPN Radio raised a couple of good points Thursday about the hiring of Nick Saban. For one thing, isn't he doing to the Miami Dolphins the same thing Dennis Franchione did when he fled Alabama for Texas A&M? The only difference is that Franchione lied to the Columbus Quarterback Club about being sick -- while Saban lied to an entire city.
(ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd actually called him "Snake Saban." Someone should tell the new coach about "12's Steakhouse" - run by the original Snake, Ken Stabler.)
For another thing, couldn't Nick Saban have another change of heart in a few years and leave Alabama? If he can't beat Jim Mora on the N.F.L. field, he might try to beat him out for the head coaching job at the University of Washington.
BIG PREDICTION: CBS will make Louisiana State-Alabama its national TV game on November 3. It'll be Nick Saban's old school against his new one - and the winner should be given first choice of the top high school players across Mississippi.
With the next Alabama-Auburn game only 46 weeks away, we take a break from the hype to consider other Thursday news:
+ The evening news showed off a new high school building at Brookstone School. It has one computer for every two students, state-of-the-art maps for
illustrating history -- and don't forget the most important thing. It was built with NO one-cent sales tax.
+ Columbus resident James Waggoner gave his 300th blood donation to the American Red Cross. Do the math on that, and you'll find he's given more than 35 gallons of blood. I think that almost matches what they use in a full season of "C.S.I."
+ Singer Ruben Studdard announced the start of a "Scale Back Alabama" weight loss program. Studdard says he's lost 100 pounds since last summer - which means he's only 105 pounds away from matching that number he used to wear on "American Idol."
+ WRBL's 11:00 p.m. news included a Mega Millions lottery drawing. Trouble was, the drawing occurred Tuesday night - and we already know nobody matched all the numbers. Did someone ask for a rerun, to plot some kind of strategy for tonight?
+ Columbus State University split a basketball doubleheader at Augusta State. The men lost 81-75, as C.S.U. coach Doug Branson picked up his first-ever technical foul -- but he failed in his attempt to take home the referee's whistle, as a memento.
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