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The Covington County Commission approved sharing the cost of a feasibility study for a public pool with the City of Andalusia at a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The total cost of the feasibility study is $25,500 with the county’s portion set at $12,750. Chairman Greg White said that Dist. 2 commissioner Michael Smith has been in conversations with city officials and local citizens for several months.

“Everyone involved in this project has expressed interest in a pool facility or an enhanced, improved pool facility. There has begun to be a lot of participation in swimming teams and leagues. It is a significant investment if it is to be made. It was determined the best way forward is to have a feasibility study to discover costs and usage. We have been asked by the City of Andalusia to consider sharing the cost of the feasibility study,” White said.

Smith said he was informed that there are approximately 160 to 170 children throughout the county who participate in swimming.

“The City of Andalusia has taken the lead on this to see what kind of impact it would have for the county. I think it’s a good idea just to see what the outcome is,” Smith said.

Dist. 3 commissioner Lynne Holmes said she felt there were several unanswered questions regarding the proposed project.

“It would have been fantastic, in my opinion, if the commission and the city council had come together and discussed some of this. I understand sometimes that can’t happen for various reasons and I’m certainly not opposed to this pool situation. There are many children involved, and this will give us time to look at available resources to know if we will be able to help in the future,” Holmes said.

In other action, Communications Director Kyle Adams presented the commission with a proposal for the approval of website and social archiving software through CivicPlus. The social archiving software will allow the county to comply with Alabama’s Public Records Law by capturing digital data from the county’s website, which is over 12 years old, and social media accounts.

“We are in need of updating the county’s website for several reasons. The first reason is that things are not easy to find, and the second is that we must become ADA-compliant by 2026. The current website we use does not offer the ADA-compliance feature, so we will have to look for another vendor,” Adams said.

According to Adams, CivicPlus operates in several locations throughout Alabama such as Troy, Daleville, Shelby County, and additional areas north of Andalusia.

The commission approved the purchase and a new social media policy to govern the use of department social media accounts in addition to guidelines for employee use of social media.

In other business:

• The commission approved a three-year contract with Avenu, which handles the county’s sales tax collections.
• The commission discussed board appointments for the Florala Airport Authority Board but did not take any action. The item will be addressed at the next meeting.
• The commission adopted a resolution for the Association of County Commissions of Alabama’s Workers’ Compensation Fund Longevity Bonus.
• The commission adopted a resolution for the 2025 Severe Weather Preparedness Tax Holiday in February.
• The commission approved a retail table wine (off-premises only) license for Brummeyers One Station LLC in the Wing community.
• The commission approved the renewal of a contract with the Southern Alabama Regional Council on Aging, commonly known as SARCOA.
• The commission approved out-of-state travel for Sheriff Blake Turman to attend jail management training in LaGrange, Georgia.
• The commission approved the solicitation of bids for a 55-ft. cutter to be used for the county engineer’s office.
• The commission approved the awarding of a bid for seed and fertilizer to Andalusia Farmers Co-op, which was the lone bidder.
• The commission heard a presentation from County Engineer Lynn Ralls about American Rescue Plan Act-funded paving projects and approved these projects with a total cost of approximately $1.29 million. The projects consist of Dyess Dairy Road in Dist. 1, Nalls Road and Hidden Forest Lane in Dist. 2, Boggan Level Road from U.S. 137 to the 90-degree curve in Dist. 3, and Hub Road, Hamner Road, and Bridge Creek Road in Dist. 4.
• The commission discussed the fiscal year 2025 budget but did not take action on the matter. This item will be addressed at the next meeting.
• The commission entered an executive session to discuss a topic but did not take action on the matter when the meeting resumed.

The next meeting of the Covington County Commission will be held Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 9 a.m., at the Covington County Administration Building.