At the February 18th meeting of the Franklin County Commission, Probate Judge Barry Moore began the meeting by delivering a well-earned 'thank you' to Franklin County's first responders for their efforts during and after the weekend storms.
“I want to thank all our employees in the Highway Department, the Sheriff's Office, our volunteer fire departments, Franklin Electric and its employees and (Franklin County Emergency Management Agency Director) Mary Glass and (Assistant EMA Director) Ron Coats for all your work during the storm this weekend,” Moore said.
“We appreciate all your help along with everyone who got out and cut trees and limbs,” he added.
A line of severe thunderstorms that included an EF-2 tornado caused damage in central Franklin County late Saturday night. The tornado damaged at least 23 homes, two of which were completely destroyed. One of those was on County Highway 42 and the other on Rocky Glen Road in Tharptown.
Glass told commissioners there was at least one serious injury, as a rock fireplace collapsed on a homeowner. The man had surgery Monday and is expected to recover, Glass said.
“We are working to get everything done. There's snow that's supposed to come in Wednesday, up to one inch,” Glass said. “We are meeting today with Franklin Electric. We believe more than 90 percent of their customers have power restored. We're talking with some electric contractors hired by Alabama Power and they're working to get power restored in the Vina area. There were lots of trucks in Vina yesterday working.”
Glass said Winston County EMA was providing a drone that will show an aerial view of the tornado's path and the ensuing damage.
Included in that damage was a Highway 75 home that saw a large metal storage shed destroyed in winds so strong they hurled an ATV across the property. The storm left extensive damage to hardwood trees in its path, many of which fell on houses.
As the tornado moved northeast, it destroyed several small farm buildings near Highway 78 as well as homes in the McGuire Loop and Rocky Glen Road area.
It was this area that experienced maximum winds of 115 miles per hour as the tornado reached peak intensity. It appeared to lift west of Highway 87, Glass said.
After the damage update, the business meeting moved forward with commissioners approving the following agenda items:
--approved a bid for a 30” x 24” aluminum plaque to be erected at the door of the Franklin County Archives. The plaque will include the names of the probate judge and commissioners who were in office at the time the Archives was established. A bid of $2,672 was accepted from Gault Signs.
--approved a bid from Affordable Tree Service to remove eight stumps around the Franklin County Courthouse at a cost of $7,500.
--approved a resolution authorizing the Franklin County EMA to enter into an updated agreement with the National Incident Management System.
--accepted a low bid of $15,420 from Tommy Baker Roofing to replace the shingled roof on the Franklin County Rescue Squad Building.
--authorized advertising for a Roadway Maintenance Technician III in the Highway Department.
--accepted the retirement of Vicki Horton from the Franklin County Revenue Commissioner's Office effective March 31, 2025.
--authorized advertising for a non-certified Mapper in the Revenue Commissioner's Office.
--authorized giving the probate judge authority for the Revenue Commissioner to sign a contract with BIS Consulting, LLC, for website updates and maintenance.
--approved the hiring of Kara Le Moody and Michael Seth Ables as Corrections Officer/Dispatcher in the Sheriff's Office, Lindsey Higgins as a temporary Corrections Officer/Dispatcher, the resignation of Deputy Jonathan Copeland, the retirement of Captain Mark Latham in the Sheriff's Office.
“I want to personally thank Captain Latham for his loyalty and dedication to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the people of Franklin County he faithfully served,” Sheriff Shannon Oliver said.
--approved the purchase of a body scanner at the Franklin County Jail to be leased for a five-year period at a cost of $30,000 per year, warranty included. The county will own the scanner after five years. Oliver told commissioners there have been two recent incidents of someone attempting to smuggle drugs into the jail by concealing them inside of their bodies.
--authorized soliciting bids for the purchase of a new landfill scale at the Franklin County Landfill to replace the existing scale that is 34 years old.
--renewed a letter of credit with CB&S Bank.
--accepted a bid of $2,500 from Frost Electric to move the Franklin County Coroner's cooler used to temporarily store bodies from Akins Funeral Home to Pinkard Funeral Home.
