SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Four — and arguably five — of Spanish Fort’s top stories for 2009 revolve around a common theme: growth.

From building out and building up to accommodate the expanding needs of an increasing population to hosting the city’s inaugural signature event and even offering available space to meet needs outside the city’s limits, Spanish Fort bucked a struggling national economy and made significant inroads toward creating its own identity in 2009.

Of course, growth also ushers in bigger city concerns such as crime and increased need among less fortunate residents, but the city took said growing pains in stride and enters 2010 on stable footing.

No. 1: Buzbee acquitted in Wilson slaying

More than two years after Spanish Fort businessman Arthur “Bobby” Wilson was found bludgeoned on the floor of his service station from injuries that would claim his life months later, a jury acquitted Leslie Eric Buzbee, 24, of capital murder charges.

The verdict, rendered Oct. 30, followed two mistrials and raised objections from the Wilson family regarding the Baldwin County district attorney’s pursuit of the case.

Wilson’s attack on Aug. 11, 2007 and subsequent death drew outrage from the close-knit community that followed closely both mistrials and Buzbee’s ultimate acquittal.

Wilson’s daughter, Tracey Goens, told Baldwin Times reporter Graham Heath following the verdict she felt “abandoned” by District Attorney Judy Newcomb’s absence during the four-week trial and was perplexed by the assistant district attorney’s failure to call witnesses Goens considered key to the capital murder trial.

Goens held a press conference days after the verdict from Wilson Service Center in Spanish Fort, the site of the attack that claimed her father’s life.

“(Newcomb) should have been there to assist. It was a complicated case and you feel like she abandoned you,” Goens said.

The case first went to a jury in May, but the proceedings ended in a mistrial when jurors failed to reach a verdict. A second mistrial was declared in August when Assistant District Attorney Michael Pylant objected to late notice of additional witnesses for the defense.

Although Goens declined to name the witness in question, she said key testimony from the first trail was not reintroduced in the third trial, citing “threats” against the individual.

No. 2: Environmental expo leaves mark

Spanish Fort’s inaugural Delta Woods and Waters Expo attracted more than 700 residents over three spring days for a crash course in environmental consciousness and, for many, an introduction to the natural beauty right in their own backyards.

The expo, which organizers anticipate becoming the city’s signature event, shepherded some 550 fourth- and fifth-graders through the intensive, hands-on exploration of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and attracted another 150 to Family Day at Five Rivers Delta Resource Center.

“I saw magic happen,” Mayor Joe Bonner told members of the expo’s steering committee in the days following the expo’s conclusion.

Five Rivers Manager Hank Burch called the event a “definite success,” citing the eight, round-robin activities ranging from kite making and boat handling to casting and the national “Leave No Trace” program.

“I think we had a very solid slate of activities, with a good mixture of hands-on and lecture-style presentations,” Burch said.

Claudine Andress, the expo’s acting chairman, said Five Rivers was the logical choice for a venue of an event promoting natural education and environmentally-friendly practices, and she applauded the center’s staff for its cooperation in the presence of a massive learning curve.

“It was a lot like playing a game of chess. You have to constantly keep watch over where everything is, where did you put things, where are you going next, and then you step back and think, ‘Maybe we did this right,’” she said.

And while there are certainly issues to address before the second annual expo reboots in the spring, Andress said most of the issues were simple logistical considerations no one could have expected.

“Our primary goal between now and next year is to identify some things we can provide that nobody else is doing, and we have to remember that this isn’t just for children. It’s for the entire community,” she said.

In that vein, Burch said he was grateful to be involved with a project aimed at helping the only 16-year-old Spanish Fort establish its civic identity.

“We discussed how many communities, big and small, have their signature events based on something the area is known for, from boll weevils to watermelons. Spanish Fort is blessed with an abundance of woods and water right in our backyard, so we didn’t have to look far to select our theme. Since Five Rivers already serves as a gateway to these woods and waters, it was a natural fit to hold the event here. Only time will tell how the residents embrace the event. All I can say is that it appears we’re off to a good start,” Burch said.

No. 3: Causeway approved for cell tower

After more than two years of debate the City Council approved in September construction of a 150-foot cell phone tower on the Causeway to improve service for Spanish Fort residents.

But before the minutes from the meeting had even been approved, the property housing the former WLVV-AM 1410 was purchased by a party different from the one who had originally petitioned for the creation of a telecommunications district that allows for the tower’s construction.

One month after the council rezoned the property as a telecommunications district and approved a site plan provided by tower developer Lester Boihem, owner of Two-Way Communications Co. in Orange Beach, on behalf of Mobile-based Archangel Radio, the players changed.

DeLand, Fla.-based Buddy Tucker Association Inc., not Archangel, purchased the property and owner Theodore D. “Buddy” Tucker opted not to retain Two-Way’s services.

Boihem has since expressed interest in pursuing separate zoning approval for another Causeway site behind R&R Seafood, near the former Ramada Inn.

Building Official Bruce Renkert said Boihem and his associates are well aware the city is adamant about its commitment to allow the construction of one — and only one — cell tower within the city limits, but Two-Way is comfortable moving forward with a backup plan should Tucker’s plans fall through.

“(Two-Way) understands, but they want to keep themselves in the back of our minds and be ready to pounce if anything changes,” Renkert said.

Tower developer Mike Johnson with Pensacola-based Johnson Communications told members of the City Council in mid-November that the first phase of the project is “moving along” and that the rendering and site plan submitted to Building Official Bruce Renkert is in line with the requirements approved several months ago by the council.

Johnson said he is “trying my best to get this project to the permitting stage.”

Renkert said he has not spoken with Johnson since his informal update to the council in November, but he said he assumes that is because Johnson is working to secure the necessary permits to proceed.

No. 4: City complex plans inch forward

Plans for a potential city complex are getting closer to the drawing board with the backgrounds of 12 architectural design firms being considered by the advisory board convened to explore the project’s merits.

The long-discussed city complex would be constructed on 18 acres purchased by the city five years ago at the intersection of highways 72 and 31. To date, preliminary discussions espouse a collective desire for a community center and library as well as meeting space large enough to house both city council and planning commission business as well as municipal court.

The board, which meets each Wednesday morning in the City Hall conference room, is charged with recommending whether the project should be pursued in the current economic climate. To date, the city has scrimped and saved to set aside $1.5 million in recent years toward a down payment for such a structure.

“This is a very difficult decision for the future of Spanish Fort, and we will take our time on it,” Mayor Joe Bonner said. “It’s not going to be lavish. It’s going to be practical, and we hope at the end of the day we can achieve a design that suits all of our needs.”

The overall economy, however, will dictate whether city leaders determine if now is a prudent time in Spanish Fort’s development to proceed with the project.

To that end, Bonner said the process remains in its earliest stages with members of the advisory board meeting every Wednesday morning to pore over the qualifications of 12 architectural design firms that made the first cut in early October by providing all of the background materials requested.

Interest in adding a museum component to the design has surfaced recently, but Bonner said he is certain the board’s “wish list” will expand and contract as discussions continue.

“It depends on how much our wish list is going to cost and whether or not we need to refine it, slow it down or put it on the shelf,” he said.

A comprehensive site plan complete with architectural renderings are the desired goal, but Bonner said it is his hope the community will be involved in a charette process at some point that allows them to volunteer opinions on design and function.

“We’re taking our time and devoting as much time to each company as we can. We hope in the end we’ll wind up with a select number of folks to move to Phase II, and that’s when we’ll have a chance to actually go out and look at some of the projects they’ve completed, but that’s going to take time,” he said.

Although an estimated cost has not yet been discussed, Bonner did say he is not comfortable with overextending the city’s coffers and has expressed to both the advisory board and the City Council his personal preference to not proceed unless the city can afford to put up a 20 percent downpayment.

No. 5: Spanish Fort tapped for veterans cemetery

Spanish Fort will soon welcome the first state-run veterans cemetery, funded by a $7.6 million grant from the National Cemetery Administration.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley formally approved the legislation authorizing the historic resting place’s creation in May.

The Saluda Hill State Veterans Cemetery, which will be situated on a 103-acre site on State Highway 225 across from the Historic Blakely Park entrance, is expected to serve some 71,000 veterans in southwest Alabama.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs currently operates two national cemeteries in Alabama – with a third under construction at American Village in Montevallo – but convenient in-state burial options for veterans in the southern portion of the state are limited. Combined the cemeteries in Mobile and  Fort Mitchell in Seale hold 12,000 interments, but the Mobile cemetery has been closed to all but family members of veterans for more than 40 years.

Said Rear Adm. (Ret.) Clyde Marsh, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs: “This cemetery will allow Alabama to take its rightful place among the top states that provide the very best support to its veterans, even after they have fought their last battle by laying them in final repose with all the honor, dignity and respect they earned as military men, women, veterans and heroes.”

During the official signing ceremony, Riley said although the state can “never fully repay the debt we owe our veterans,” Alabama can certainly do everything in its power to “honor their service and remember their sacrifice in life and in death.”

“It is my hope that this new cemetery will serve not only as a benefit for our veterans, but also as a lasting memorial of their service for this area and this state,” Riley said.

Honorable Mentions

The national recession hit closer to home than many would have liked when the rolls for people applying for social services such as emergency food services spiked to unprecedented levels.

The silver lining, however, is that contributions to organizations such as Prodisee Pantry in Spanish Fort have kept pace with demand and allowed social service agencies to continue their ministries.

Deann Servos, the pantry’s executive director, said the emergency food and referral agency helped feed 1,001 families — or about 3,000 individuals — in November compared with 824 in November 2008. The ministry is expecting as many as 1,200 families will seek Christmas support compared with only about 1,000 for the same period one year ago.

She credits strategic countywide coordination among churches and social service agencies such as the Salvation Army, Ecumenical Services and RSVP’s White Christmas for managing the influx of need.

“We have all worked together to cross-reference families and get as many of them help for Christmas as we can, but hunger is a daily, weekly problem for many families in Baldwin County,” Servos said.

Servos said she really believes the community at large is starting to realize the impact donating a spare $10 can have, especially when they realize they could be one paycheck away from needing the same services.

“We have stepped out in faith the last few months, but God is providing, and the local community has stepped up, and we hope they will continue to help us because hunger and families in need will not just disappear,” she said.

The community held its collective breath in late August when three cyclists—two of whom were school system employees—were struck by a presumed drunk driver.

Craig Ross, 37, a Spanish Fort Middle School assistant principal, and his wife, Angela, also 37, had been cycling with Tracey Wall, an SFMS special education teacher, on Baldwin County Road 1 near Mullet Point Park when the accident occurred. Although Wall spent three days at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile recuperating, all three have since recovered from their injuries.

Bradford Barron Maples, 28, of Fairhope pleaded guilty in November to drunken driving and three counts of third-degree assault in the accident.