“The best golf courses are those that most vividly suggest to the golfer that this is the landscape he was born to hunt. A good golf course feels like it was always there, waiting to be discovered, not imposed upon the land.”– Steve Sailer
Since I’ve said all I have to say about the Library here, and here, and here, I want to move on to other city services and facilities.
I’ll start with Quail Creek, our municipal golf course. To be honest, the reviews are not so good. From what people tell me, Mr. Sailer was not thinking about Quail Creek when he wrote that quote. But still, it’s our course, it’s open to everyone, and we ought to be proud of it.
So these are my questions for the golfers amongst us –
“What can be done to improve Quail Creek?”
“Is it worth spending more on upkeep?”
“Should the greens fees be raised?”
Kindly answer either in the comments, by text or by email below.
“Tradition means giving a vote to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors.”– G. K. Chesterton
Someone once described my politics by saying, “Howell, you’re not really liberal or conservative, you’re just contrarian.” I think that’s true, because a lot of my friends over the years have been big city conservatives and small town liberals. In other words, contrarians.
When I think of a small town liberal, the person that comes to mind is someone who knows that he’s something of an outcast, but also feels lucky to live where he does and wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else. He has visited, and may have once lived in, New York or Chicago. His old friends there stay in touch, but he has no desire to ever move back to a big city. He may be an atheist, but he would never lecture his small town neighbors, 90% of whom go to church regularly.
The Fairhope I remember had quite a few people like this – genuine “live and let live” types. They loved the town, and the town welcomed and valued its eccentrics.
My mother, Dorothy Howell Gibbens, was a small town liberal and a contrarian…
One of my earliest memories was of her riveted to the television during the Watergate hearings. She called me once when I was out of the country, just to vent about George W. Bush and the missing weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. My mother voted for the last time in 2016, just before she passed away. It was a loudly and proudly cast absentee ballot for Hillary.
On our living room wall is a signed and numbered print that my mother had of Johnny Matassa’s Bar in the French Quarter…
That bar is famous for being the starting point of Southern Decadence, the biggest drag queen parade in New Orleans. Dottie Gibbens counted among her oldest friends several marchers in that parade. I once carried back to Louisiana a small bottle of glitter, with instructions to sprinkle it on the grave, in Opelousas, of one of her dearest friends lost to AIDS.
And yet, I am certain that she would have rolled her eyes and ruthlessly mocked the “Color Fairhope With Pride” event. She would have found it sanctimonious, grating, and worst of all, tedious. Sanctimonious because it carried the air of a self-righteous lecture, as if the town needed moral instruction. Grating because it would upset her older, more religious neighbors, whom she genuinely cared about. And tedious because it was a watered-down knockoff of Southern Decadence.
Dottie (or Dootsie to her family and childhood friends) moved to Fairhope in 1978 because she liked it. It didn’t need improving. She knew where she was going and she knew what she was leaving behind. She could have stayed in New Orleans, or moved to Atlanta, but she wanted to live here, as a small town liberal. Fairhope had no need for drag queens, Johnny Matassa’s was just three short hours away.
I miss her and wish we had more like her.
That Chesterton quote at the top of this post is one of my favorites, and bears quoting in full…
“Tradition means giving a vote to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”
I’m fairly certain that if Dottie and everyone in the Colony Cemetery were given the vote next month, I’d win in a landslide.
Last week I wrote about the film studio I helped to build in Baton Rouge, focusing mostly on the exterior site work. Here are a few more pictures showing the interior. The photo above shows us hanging a 14 ton, 17′ square concrete acoustic door. Later we would add an electric drive motor and sound deadening insulation.
That “elephant” door was installed for this sound stage…
It was the first of several sound stages we built, and the one I’m most proud of. It’s not the biggest stage on the lot, but it is the one that most resembles a classic film studio. That overhead grid of wooden beams is seldom seen outside of Hollywood, and is for hanging lights, sets, or anything else the filmmakers might think of. Because this space was a build out of an existing, unfinished building (it had originally been intended to be a basketball court for a well-known rapper), significant structural engineering and steel work was required to insure that the overhead grid could handle the expected loads.
Every movie studio needs a screening room, so we built one that also functions as a post-production sound studio, with both 35mm film and 4K digital projectors, and a ProTools mixing console…
Last week’s post started with a picture of one of my electricians installing the Poulsen street lamps. Here they are all lit up…
What a wonderful opportunity that was to build something lasting (18 years and counting).
I’d call it a lasting improvement.
The final photo also reminds me that I have never stopped planting live oak trees. Please be sure to vote for me next month, so I can plant plenty more.
“We cannot do everything at once, but we can begin with a definite goal.”– Calvin Coolidge
We don’t have a clear goal when it comes to growth.
Last week I met with a group of grumpy old people concerned seniors, and several members of the group expressed frustration with my reluctance to articulate a clear plan with specific details outlining, step-by-step, my approach to slowing Fairhope’s explosive growth.
We need to have a common goal before we can debate a plan. I sense a real lack of leadership on this issue. Many people here seem to be unhappy with Fairhope’s growth. Others are resigned to it as inevitable. Still others think it is a positive good to be encouraged. I count myself in the first group. My hope is that enough like minded people will get out and vote, and that by doing so they will create a mandate for slowing down. With such a consensus, we can start to push back.
There are plenty of ways to protect our character and charm provided we have the will. We could –
enact a strong tree protection ordinance such as Gulf Shores’, which prohibits the cutting of live oaks greater than 6″ in diameter, even on private property
reenact an ordinance on setbacks for new construction, to stop the building of huge homes on small lots
stop providing water to, and annexing large developments
pressure the County to protect farmland and green space
establish a historic overlay district to preserve Fairhope’s historic neighborhoods, requiring new construction to align with the city’s architectural and cultural character, as seen in Birmingham and Eufaula
enact an ordinance similar to the Philippines’ Presidential Decree No. 1153, which required every citizen over the age of 10 to “plant one tree every month for five years, with penalties for non-compliance.” (of course, I’m kidding… …but maybe…)
Without leadership and consensus-building, none of these things are likely. Instead, we will continue to allow unbridled growth, and cause a lot of Fairhopers to have anxiety about the future.
The big developers have a very clear goal. They want to build as many houses as they can, as quickly and as cheaply as possible. They don’t wrestle with their mission statement. No one raises her hand in a conference room in Dallas and says, “I think we should build fewer houses next year, give some of these little towns a chance to catch up.”
We need to be as focused and determined about what we want Fairhope to be.
I hope I’ve made it clear where I stand on the issue of growth. Perhaps I’ve misjudged the electorate and there are more people out there who like the way things are going. We’ll find out soon enough.
“I couldn’t find the car of my dreams, so I built it myself.” Ferdinand Porsche
A couple of Saturdays ago I confessed my shameless pandering to the backyard chicken lobby, and now I’ve decided to make my groveling for votes a weekly feature. Therefore, now I turn, hat in hand, to humbly ask for the support of Fairhope’s VW Beetle owners. If elected, I promise (within my first 100 days) to introduce an ordinance raising the downtown speed limit to 18 mph for all air-cooled vehicles manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany. The Lower Alabama Volkswagen Association (LAVA) has not yet heard my plea for an endorsement, but they will soon.
I can’t recall a time when there wasn’t a Volkswagen in our family. I’ve been behind the wheel (and under the engine) of so many of these cars that I’ve lost track. I’ve had sedans…
…convertibles…
…and driven back and forth across the country in a ’63 that had a broken starter solenoid…
They weren’t the fastest, or the safest, or the most reliable vehicles that I’ve ever owned, but they were by far the most fun.
*** I want to send a big, 1300cc thank you to Matt Harrison, who found me after more than 20 years, and Dave Bartlett, who shot that great footage. John Ford smiles. ***
This will be my final post concerning the library. My first two posts, about the ongoing and passionate debate over inappropriate books, can be found here and here. I want to wrap up my series by looking to the future, and sharing some words and pictures that I hope will be inspiring.
The images above and below are of the Helsinki Central Library, known as Oodi, located in Helsinki, Finland. The library is an architectural marvel, a breathtaking construction of wood and glass, but I’m more interested in showing you what goes on inside.
To the people of Helsinki, Oodi is not just a library, it is their meeting place and living room.
There is far too much to see there in one day, and too much to show in a single blog post, but for example, there are 3D printers and large plotters for anyone to use…
…and what impressed me the most, a collection of classic guitars that can be taken into private studios and played…
What does any of this have to do with Fairhope? Quite a lot, actually. The library that you see in these photos is what it is because its patrons do not attack each other over what are ultimately minor issues. The Finns share a goal and they work together to make it happen.
I have faith that we can and will settle our differences over our library’s content very soon. When we do, I’d like to find a way (without tax dollars) to get a delegation from our library over to Helsinki to see what I saw, and to get them as excited as I am. Oodi does offer tours for library professionals, and I’m sure they could all use a vacation. We could even put them up at the charming Senate Hotel.
“The strength of a community is in the character of its people, not the size of its buildings.”Calvin Coolidge
From 2006 to 2009 I oversaw the design and construction of Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge. It is a 29 acre, $56M facility containing offices, post-production facilities, support services, and some of the largest sound stages in the world.
In my capacity as Project Manager, I recruited, hired, and oversaw dozens of design and build professionals, including some wonderfully talented architects, engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, acoustic) and contractors. My electrical engineer, Kent Gasperecz, of AST Engineering, stands out in my memory for his good taste (Kent suggested Louis Poulsen’s HW Patina lamp posts for the site lighting), his devotion to quality and safety, and his patience and ability to put up with me.
We coordinated with the local utility (Entergy) to install primary metering for the facility. This setup allowed us to receive high-voltage power directly, with metering on the primary side, giving us control over the selection of every switch and transformer. Because a film studio’s productions demand clean, reliable power, Kent spec’d equipment that was to a higher standard than that of the city. Pictured below are a switch and two transformers, one 750 KVA and one 1000 KVA.
In addition to our own electrical distribution system, we built a chilled water system with hundreds of tons of coolers for multiple buildings. I coordinated subsurface drainage with the city…
…and fire protection with the fire department (we installed our own hydrants).
Two local kids had just started a special effects company, and they were kind enough to help me out. I hired them to cut stencils and paint the names and numbers on our first buildings.
I’m very happy to see that their company is still going strong, and that they got out of the movie studio lettering business.
Looking back on this project, building a movie studio is like having the world’s largest train set, and I’m very proud of what we built in Baton Rouge. I also just wanted to show that I know more than a little about infrastructure, or as they used to call it, improvements.
As I’ve been organizing my thoughts about our library, my plan was to base the next two posts in the series (today’s and next week’s) on each of the two sides in the library fight. These posts were going to be thoughtful and balanced, stating clearly my opinion about both positions. I then intended to follow all that up with a third post, in two weeks, outlining my vision for the library’s future, and what I thought it could become.
I struggled as I began. I sat down, rubbed my chin and thought and thought about which side to write about first, how to be clear and honest, and how not to offend too many people. While getting up to pour my third cup of coffee, something popped into my head.
These people are nuts.
Every other day it seems that I’m asked, “Which side are you on?” I’m running for a non-partisan, at-large seat on the non-partisan Fairhope City Council. This isn’t Harlan County. I am on the side of every single resident of this town that loves and cares about this town. I am against any and all of those who thought that Fairhope was a good place to open up a new front in the Culture Wars. Fairhope should be Switzerland in the Culture Wars.
I took the photo at the top of this post as I was walking back to my car after I took the picture of the sundial. I walked over and introduced myself to the library patron on the right. He was availing himself of the library’s power outlet to charge his laptop and his smartphone. Out of respect for his privacy, I’ll call him “Mr. W”. He was kind and gentle. This website had just gone “live”, and he allowed me to use his laptop to test it. That meeting took place around noon a couple of Sundays ago. Six hours later, as we drove past the library on our way to Walmart, I looked over, and Mr. W. was still in the same position. As I saw him lying there, I thought of Hank Williams‘ Tramp on the Street, which is based on the story of Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke.
Getting back to the inappropriate book battle, a lot of people have questioned my choice of words in my first post about the library. There I wrote, “No citizen should have to go to Montgomery to seek redress for such a local issue.” I agree, that is confusing. I wish that I had written, “No citizen should be able to go to Montgomery to seek redress for such a local issue.”
The free speech activists are demanding that the APLS unfreeze the funds that they are holding back from our library. Some Council candidates have taken the position that we should bend to the edicts of that agency so as to restore access to those funds. I would tell the APLS to keep their money and stop trying to tell us what to do. I don’t want either Washington, D.C. or Montgomery, Alabama telling us what books we can offer to our readers, young or old. Here I would like to quote Elon Musk’s reply to advertisers who threatened to hold back revenue from his X platform if he didn’t censor speech, but this is a family website. Private donations have come in to help fill the breach left by the freeze, and I think that’s great. I have no problem with that, as long as the donations are without strings. I only wish that they had opened their checkbooks sooner. If private dollars are necessary to keep our library afloat, I will be out banging on doors and rattling the cup louder than anyone.
As for the two sides in this battle, I can only say, “You people are nuts.” Fairhope has much bigger things to worry about – ask Mr. W.
To the pious scolds who would tear Fairhope apart over some books – did any of you notice him or think to bring him a bottle of water on a hot July afternoon? If not, pick up your Bible and turn to Luke.
To the free speech activists wearing matching buttons and crowding public meetings – no doubt many of you have a sign declaring “Hate Has No Home Here”. Well neither does Mr. W., apparently.
I sincerely apologize for the length and negativity of this post, but it is important that these things be said. Once we get all of that out of the way, and we let cooler heads prevail, we can start pitching ideas to our library director, Mr. Gourlay, about how take our library to new heights. I’d like to see uniform hours throughout the week, so parents don’t have to call the library or look at a calendar in order to plan their children’s day.
I’ve heard and read some complaints about my facial expression as seen in the official campaign photo. The purpose of this morning’s post is to offer evidence that I do, in fact, know how to smile. The problem you see, is that I am just not very good at faking a smile. I can only smile if I am right in the middle of doing something that I enjoy. Posing for a head shot for a political campaign is not something that I enjoy doing atall.
So, I respectfully submit for your approval – me – doing some things that I enjoy doing.
Exhibit A (above) Framing the foundation of a house I was building in Louisiana.
Exhibit B (below) On a road trip in my ’68 Volvo.
Exhibits C & D (below) Flying a homemade kite.
Exhibits E & F (below) Sitting astride my motorcycle, while on a cross country adventure.
The most popular book in our house right now is “Go, Go, Tractors!“. In fact, every other book is tied for number two. We are using “Go, Go, Tractors!” to try and teach someone to talk. We point to the pictures and repeat words like “cow” and “silo” over and over again. I am looking forward to the day when our family is out driving down Dairy Road, and my little pupil points at this scene –
and shouts “silo!”
One of my biggest fears is that those silos will be gone before I ever get to hear that shout.
There seems to be some confusion regarding my position on agricultural land around Fairhope, so let me be clear.
I don’t want Baldwin County to lose another square foot of farmland to development.
Farmers struggle with bad weather, market volatility, high taxes, children who grow up and leave, and a million other heartaches that would break most other people. We should support them any way we can. Go to our Farmer’s Market, buy local, and learn about groupsthatare tryingto help.
There is not much farmland within the city limits of Fairhope, so the Council does not have a whole lot of control over this issue. But we are not without power and influence. I will gladly be a voice and a vote for protecting the rural character of this corner of the county.
It may or may not be true that these views are extreme. I guess we’ll find out on Election Day.
(UPDATE) How could I forget B&B Pecans? Another Fairhope institution that deserves our business. My apologies. Their pecans make a great icebreaker if you ever have to meet with the Mayor.
These days Fairhope is more divided than… well, I don’t know what.
In an earlier post I mentioned the importance of the City Council as a whole being on the same page as most of our population. With the exception of a few eccentrics here and there, every single person in Fairhope needs to know that at least one Council member understands their concerns, will speak up for them, and vote for their interests. It worries me that barely a week into the election, lines were drawn, sides were chosen, and a “slate” was announced. When I look at that “slate”, or when I see yards full of all the incumbents’ signs side by side, I wonder what these people are thinking. This isn’t the Alabama – LSU game. These are your friends and neighbors, and a lot of them are very worried about what is going on in our town. Is it really possible that if some of my fellow candidates win in a sweep, they will ignore the concerns of their opponents’ supporters, even if those voters make up almost half of Fairhope?
I used the word “factions” in the title of this post. From the very beginning of our country, George Washington, James Madison, and the other Founding Fathers were deeply worried that selfish factions would undermine the new system they had created. It appears that they were right to be afraid.
Looking out my kitchen window, I can see one of my signs in a neighbor’s yard next to one of Corey Martin’s. This is alright by me. Mr. Martin is a great guy, devout and devoted. I’ve also met and spoken with Josh Gammon. He is super smart and wonderful to talk to, and I hope to see some of his signs next to mine around town as well. I would be honored to serve with either one of these men. If every incumbent and challenger on the ballot next month could somehow find a way to put Fairhope’s interests ahead of their team’s, we’ll all be fine.
Anyway, pulling this town back together can’t possibly be harder than rejoining the halves of my ’63 Ford tractor. I had to split it to replace the ring gear and clutch plate. It was a big job for one man, but it was the kind of job I like, and it all turned out really well. The tractor wasn’t good for anything though, while it sat there divided in two.
When I was a kid, all of the houses, including ours, had 8 foot ceilings. It was the standard. The only exception I knew of was my grandmother’s house in Jackson, Louisiana. It had 13 foot ceilings. This bothered me. “Why doesn’t everyone’s house have high ceilings like Nana’s?”, I would ask. “Nobody builds houses like that anymore”, was the reply, which wasn’t a very satisfying answer. As I got older, I saw more and more new houses being built with ceilings up high like Nana’s. Now it’s all I see. It’s like they forgot how to build houses and then they remembered.
What bothers me now are the subdivisions. Not the people in them, who only want and deserve what everyone wants – a clean, safe place to live and raise a family. My wife and I often drive through Fairhope’s subdivisions and think that the people living here probably socialize and have more fun than those of us in the Fruit and Nut. At least in the subdivisions, the construction is over and they can enjoy their lives in peace. In my neighborhood, the chainsaws never stop buzzing and the 18 wheelers and concrete trucks never stop rattling our windows.
No, what bothers me about our subdivisions is that when I ask, “Why don’t they have their own downtowns with cafes, a hardware store, and churches you can walk to?”, the response is, “Nobody builds towns like that anymore”, which is not a very satisfying answer. We need to think bigger and remember how to make real towns. Ernest Gaston didn’t get people to come to Fairhope by saying, “Amenities include a fitness center”.
A lot will be said in the next few weeks about growth and development. We should all keep an open mind about what’s possible. Nothing is inevitable.
These three seem to have it pretty figured out. This picture was taken years ago in my old neighborhood in İstanbul. Let’s all pray that the upcoming campaign will be as friendly and peaceful. Happy Sunday everyone, back at it tomorrow…
