By By BRIAN BLACKLEY
Publisher
The Atmore City Council set hours for trick-or-treating this year from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Halloween night.
The decision was unanimous in Monday's Atmore City Council meeting.
Also on Halloween, Shell and members of the council decided to allow the Ladies of Essence, a local organization, to hold a Halloween event from 4-6 p.m. at Farmer's Market in Atmore.
Watkins said other clubs and organizations are welcome to participate in the event.
Watkins said groups or people interested in helping with the event can call 368-8616 for more information.
The city council was enthusiastic about the event.
Shell said the event will not interfere with trick-or-treating in the city.
McKinley said the Police Department will assist with security at the event and throughout the night of Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Also in the council meeting, council members:
Voted to allow the Mayor to review financing on city projects due to interest rate reductions on the part of the Federal Reserve.
Unanimously approved allowing YMCA to hold an annual Williams Station Day 5K run through the city. The city will ask the Escambia County Sheriff's Office to assist with traffic routing and security as it has done in the past.
Agreed to send Councilman Louie Turner and Assistant Police Chief Donnie Nunley to a Smart Links seminar in Charleston, S.C.
Encouraged local residents to save the aluminum tab tops on their cans and donate them to the Ronald McDonald House in Mobile. For every 200 tab tops, Councilman Jim Staff said he has been told that one child gets a cancer treatment. Those collected may be donated at Vanity Fair and City Hall.
Heard an update from Mayor Shell regarding the Owens Street project. The mayor said the project will improve drainage and fill in a vacated ditch beneath Owens Street.
Discussed the flags downtown. Shell and city residents present at the meeting said they have heard numerous comments from people outside the community about the splendor of the flags along Main Street.
Heard from Councilman John Garrard about the stealing of flags from in front of downtown stores. "This is something that is horrible," Garrard said. "I know flags are hard to come by, but stealing them is a terrible thing to do."