Hawthorne Glen Residents Oppose Fairhope Plan to Build Electric Substation in Their Subdivision
Residents of Fairhope's Hawthorne Glen subdivision objected to a plan to build an electric substation inside their neighborhood, and the matter was tabled until June 10.
FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Residents of Fairhope’s Hawthorne Glen subdivision spoke against a plan to build an electric substation inside their neighborhood at a recent city meeting. The matter was tabled until a June 10 meeting.
Site change
The subdivision received less than a week’s notice that earlier plans, discussed over the previous three years, to build the substation next to the ABC store had been dropped in favor of a site within the subdivision, which is zoned for single-family homes. The city bought property inside the subdivision for the project.
Officials cite cost savings
Mayor Sherry Sullivan and Council President Jack Burrell addressed residents at the meeting, telling those in attendance that elected officials are charged with being conservative with tax dollars.
“Filling in the retention pond behind the ABC store was costing us about $1 million in dirt, so by paying $250,000 for this land, we saved about three-quarters of a million,” Burrell said. “We thought we were being good stewards of the people’s money.”
Utility director role
Sullivan also serves as the city’s utility director, a role that carries a $25,000 salary in addition to her pay as mayor. Former Mayor Karin Wilson declined the dual role and instead hired a utility engineer, who was later dismissed.
The city previously bought farmland near the Fairhope airport for recreation at a cost of $2.65 million and leased it to a farmer for $9,000 a year because the city did not have funds to develop it.
