Commissioner Rudy Abbott isn’t one to call the media in whenever he helps funds something for Piedmont. But maybe he should, he said.Abbott said some $2.6 million was spent on bridges in Piedmont alone in his first four years of office, including the Dailey Street and Piedmont-Gadsden Highway bridges. “We do not get any money for our district for bridges,” Abbott said. “So if you ask me to replace a bridge in Piedmont, Alabama, I have to go find the money.”
Many times funds come from the Metropolitan Planning Organization, of which Abbott is the vice chairman.
Abbott spoke to the Piedmont Lions Club at its meeting April 7.
When it comes to Piedmont schools, Abbott said there has never been a request that was not fulfilled. The former Jacksonville State University baseball coach said schools have always been a top concern of his. “Schools are in my heart and I’m going to help schools any way I can,” he said.
A recent helping hand from the commissioner came to Piedmont Elementary School’s teachers when they compiled a list of supplies needed to complete their homeroom projects. Abbott provided the funding for the entire list.
“I didn’t put that in the paper because I don’t think you should do that,” Abbott said. “You ought to just help people.”
Abbott also touched on a couple of the projects he feels has most impacted Piedmont and the county as a whole.
Abbott, along with the help of State Rep. Lee Fite, a bill was presented to the state legislature regulating drug rehabilitation centers and halfway houses in Calhoun County. Abbott said centers like these became a problem, because without regulation, anyone could open a rehab center or halfway house in any residential area in the county. The bill is intended to protect residents from having a rehab facility or halfway house right next door, he said. “We will be able to regulate them by telling them where they can locate,” Abbott said.
Another project Abbott is proud of is the opening of a drug rehabilitation center in downtown Anniston last year which takes drug-addicted prisoners and helps turn their lives around. The project was a joint effort among the county’s commission, judges and the Sheriff’s Department. “We were just so sick and tired of this drug problem, we decided to do something about it,” he said.
The program has graduated 58 people so far, with only 10 returning to the program, Abbott said.
He said the program has been so effective because of its ability to keep drug users in the program since they are in the penal system already. Prisoners who drop out of the program before graduation are sent back to jail until they decide to attempt the program again, Abbott said. “If it takes us five years to get you through the program, we’ll do it,” he said.
While in the rehab program, prisoners are given job training assistance and help with finding a place to live after their release. Abbott said many of the graduates end up going into the military.
Abbott said his service as a county commissioner has been rewarding for him and he hopes the community feels the same way. “If you’re not going to listen to people and try to help them, you shouldn’t run for office,” Abbott said.
The next Lions Club meeting is April 21 at 6 p.m. in the Clyde Pike Civic Center.
