COLUMN: Northport Council Hands Unexpected Pair Of Wins To Vocal Critics

*This is an opinion column*

NORTHPORT, AL — Much was discussed about narratives Monday night inside the headquarters of the Northport Police Department, which was the alternate setting for the Northport City Council's regular meeting as City Hall is being used for the city's upcoming Holiday Open House.

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For those who keep up with such things, the evening was one to remember, with major developments coming on two of the most-discussed storylines in Northport over the last year: The Northport Community Center and the future of the Kentuck Festival of the Arts at its longtime location in Northport.

The Death Of The Deal

The theatrics of the evening began when District 1 Councilwoman Christy Bobo made the surprising move to motion for an addition to the agenda for the city to rescind its Request for Proposal with Beeker Property Group to research the possibility of turning the Northport Community Center property and the adjacent park into the city's newest retail development.

Bobo's motion even seemed to have surprised District 4 Councilwoman Jamie Dykes, who said she "didn't know what in the hell we're voting on," shortly before a testy exchange with City Council President Jeff Hogg.

After receiving the necessary clarity and despite the curt response from Hogg, which highlighted longstanding divisions on this Council, Dykes ultimately voted to add the item to the agenda and also voted along with her colleagues to rescind the RFP.

This effectively killed the contentious deal as initially proposed — a massive win for the dozens of vocal community members who have opposed any changes to the structural integrity of the Community Center and the property it occupies.

Never mind that no word was given as to the potential tenants Beeker Property Management engaged during the process.

Never mind that, for all of the sound and fury over the property going back to the push in 2015 for a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop or more recent chatter of a possible Starbucks for the location, every prospective deal has fallen through.

And never mind that officials in January touted the opening of a limited-menu "Starbucks" — I use quotes for emphasis here — in the new Courtyard by Marriott as a kind of consolation. But for Starbucks diehards like my 11-year-old girl, it's easy to come away disillusioned when left with few menu options other than black coffee at what amounts to a hotel kiosk with a couple of paid employees.

"More than 180 days ago, Council agreed to an exploratory due-diligence period in order to hear what ideas and options were possible to make one of our major gateways into the city more appealing and beautified for all citizens and visitors," Bobo reminded me on Monday following the meeting. "However, the exclusive due diligence period that we agreed to has ended. Making the motion this evening was important for the citizens in District 1 to know that we have heard their concerns."

Bobo then emphasized the action taken Monday evening to move forward with the absolute termination of the due diligence period, slamming the brakes on the entire deal that has played out over the last several months.

This, she said, will allow city staff to gather information and look at options for getting the aged building repaired for city use and to also explore agency partnerships to temporarily administer senior meals from the existing structure with no additional outside development at this time.

Supporters of maintaining the Community Center point to its history and the role it has occupied in recent years for everything from line dancing classes to private events like my high school graduation party in 2007.

"The community center building needs repairs," Bobo said. "The resolution we voted on will allow staff to explore funding sources for those repairs so that the city can once again use the Community Center building. "

In this story and in the coming days, city officials will no doubt spin this massive policy pivot into a narrative, painting Northport as the compassionate listener and acting upon the will of the voters.

And maybe that's the case, even if for nothing else apart from a fear of upsetting the applecart and getting voted out of office.

Still, the heated discussions over the last year have generated plenty of instances that highlight a kind of disconnect between the desires of Northport taxpayers and those they elected to represent them. From where I sit, I'm not so certain this is making good, so much as it is covering their backsides.

Tuscaloosa Patch readers will remember well the homemade signs and measured cries of protest by dozens in attendance at a meeting in June when the community center was discussed.

As I reported at the time, communication between city officials and those in attendance broke down most dramatically when Council President Jeff Hogg felt prompted to ask Northport Police officers to restore order during the meeting.

It was the first time in over a decade of journalism that this reporter saw an elected official call on the police to quash dissent — while also representing a kind of high-water mark for the city's control over the situation and, most importantly, the narrative over such a contentious proposal.

Even after Mayor John Hinton said over the summer that he would veto the sale of the property if it ever made it out of its 180-day due diligence period, support on the council for moving forward still appeared to be the majority.

Some even speculated, at one crucial point during the last several months, that there would be enough support on the Council to secure the necessary 4-1 vote to override Hinton's veto, with District 4's Jamie Dykes being the first elected official to come out publicly in opposition to the project. She would later be joined by Bobo in voting against the repeal of the requirement for a unanimous vote of the council to sell any property relating to parks and recreation.

But something changed, resulting in the Council making the rare move to walk back a major economic development project in favor of agreeing to look into renovations and improvements to the existing community center building.

While I was quick to caution supporters not to get too excited after Hinton's announcement of a willingness to veto the measure, I feel safe now saying that Monday night's decision is a cause for celebration for those who have spent the last few months in the political trenches hoping to have their voices heard.

What's the old adage? You can't fight City Hall?

I certainly wouldn't tell that to these folks.

Folks like Sandy Knisely Barnidge — an accomplished author and community activist who read some of her published work at the last Kentuck festival and started a campaign to raise $100,000 for potential legal action against the city. She told me Monday that organizers plan to release a statement about the end of the campaign and refund of the donations, per the crowdfunding website's policy.

OP-ED: Let's Keep Asking What The Community Center Debate Is About

"I’m incredibly grateful to the council for making the decision tonight to save the Northport Community Center and park," she told me following the decision on Monday. "We have an opportunity now to revitalize the park and make it a really attractive gateway to the city, and I’m excited to hear more from the council in the coming months about their specific plans in terms of repairs and upgrades."

For now, though, Barnidge said she just wanted to celebrate a wonderful holiday present for downtown Northport.

"Many of us still want to see the council dedicate the park to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again," she said. "And, of course, we need to get the Community Center reopened to the community as quickly as possible. But again, tonight’s resolution to rescind the due diligence period is a positive development for the park."

Kentuck Funding & Festival Location

The other major victory offered up on a silver platter Monday night was the City Council's approval of a new one-year funding agreement for the Kentuck Art Center ... they just may not realize it yet.

Presented by Northport City Attorney Ron Davis and endorsed by the rest of the Council as a good-faith gesture in the hopes of keeping the Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, the new funding agreement provided the timeline initially desired by Kentuck. This duration is compared to the five-year funding agreement originally offered by the city, along with a one-time special allocation of $5,000 for the current fiscal year.

I noted in my reporting earlier this evening that Kentuck officials have declined to offer any comment on the long list of grievances made public by the City of Northport on Monday.

By sheer coincidence, though, the decision by the Council came just hours after the Kentuck Art Center announced its aptly named year-end donation campaign, dubbed "Rise Above It."

As I opined on social media earlier in the day following the announcement and could easily be wrong, but I'd say it doesn't take an investigative reporter or a PhD in public policy to figure out what, exactly ... or better yet, who, that "it" is.

Nevertheless, Davis on Monday night blasted Kentuck for its handling of communications during the last several months, along with expressing clear frustration at the narrative floated by Kentuck officials as the public became aware that the nonprofit was actively looking for a new site to host the Kentuck Festival of the Arts.

To Northport's credit, the nonprofit did provide numbers concerning prospective sites considered by Kentuck in its exchanges with the city, which does seem to telegraph more longstanding interest in relocating the festival than fixing a longstanding relationship to keep the festival in Northport.

One of the most beloved folk art events in the southeast, the Kentuck Festival of the Arts has been held in Northport for over half a century and is the city's largest annual draw for tourists, although the jury seems to still be out on its actual economic impact to the local tax base compared to the in-kind resources and investment provided to make it happen.

Even the name itself — Kentuck — is derived from the original name of Northport as "Canetuck."

Time has worn the relationship of Kentuck and Northport, though, with Davis pointing out during his presentation that the nonprofit's leadership, particularly Executive Director Amy Echols, has wanted to make the move to Tuscaloosa since 2019.

Again: this would be the point I would offer up a rebuttal, but all's quiet on the Kentuck front ahead of its Board of Directors meeting Tuesday.

Indeed, Davis argued that plans to relocate the festival can be traced back specifically to when the City of Tuscaloosa purchased the Tuscaloosa News building to then become the planned site for the Saban Discovery Center.

Once open, city leaders insist the Saban Center will be a major hub for education relating to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). But, most importantly, the center and its surrounding infrastructure are expected to evolve into a powerful driver in Tuscaloosa's already strong tourism economy.

And while the City of Tuscaloosa has made extensive renovations to the riverfront in recent years, Kentuck has Northport's biggest active capital project breathing down the festival site's neck in the form of a $1.6 million mountain of red dirt from the McWright's Ferry Road project that will be used in the construction of Northport's new $25 million youth sports tournament complex.

ALSO READ: Name, Branding Revealed For Northport Youth Sports Complex

Northport leaders have expressed their desire to integrate its available park space nearby, such as the Kentuck Festival site and Warrior Baseball, into the layout of the new sportsplex.

But, if you ask Kentuck, they will tell you that talks broke down when it came to the proposed five-year timeline of the initial funding agreement.

And I can't fully say I blame them. Hell, with so much obvious uncertainty still yet to be realized from the River Run Park project as it relates to the festival site, five years does seem like a tall order when it comes to making such a commitment for such a large festival.

A lot can change quickly, as we've seen in recent years, so a fluid deal does seem to be in the best interests of not just Kentuck, but any similar nonprofit with a slim budget.

Conversely, one could argue the same thing for Northport in having a year-by-year agreement for the site, which supporters argue has the potential to be an economic boon for the city in offering a year-round tourism draw for travel baseball and softball.

It's possible, after all, that public squabbles over the Kentuck Festival site issue have the potential to work against long-term plans for the overall area and stall certain aspects of commercial development that would otherwise be chomping at the bit to integrate itself into the area as soon as the ribbon is cut.

"It was very unfortunate [Echols] showed the [Kentuck] board’s true colors in the email where they wanted to set the narrative with a media consultant not only against the elected officials but the citizens who have supported their operations and festival for many years," Council President Jeff Hogg told Patch following Monday's meeting. "When you are truthful, you don’t need a media consultant or a narrative. You just need the heart to do the right thing."

The most appropriate analogy of the evening, however, was offered up by Northport City Attorney Ron Davis when he compared the seemingly deteriorating relationship of Northport and Kentuck to that of a marriage faced with the prospect of divorce.

"None of this makes any sense if you're trying to stay in Northport," Davis said. "In 2019, the City of Tuscaloosa purchased the Tuscaloosa News building [for the Saban Discovery Center]. Amy Echols from that day forward has been trying to move Kentuck to Tuscaloosa. If your spouse wants to divorce you, there's nothing you can do about it and if they are determined to go to Tuscaloosa, there's nothing we can do about it."

And maybe that's the point.

Maybe, just maybe, that's why the City of Northport has been doing all it can to take back the narrative and show leaders are doing all they can to keep the festival in Northport — all while having accepted the strong possibility that the festival may one day be held on the other side of the river, somewhere like the recently renamed Parker-Haun Park near the rebranded Mercedes Benz Amphitheater.

It's an arms race of progress and changes on both sides of the river, with Tuscaloosa padding its robust tourism economy and tax base with hotels in the hopes of maintaining its rapid pace of growth as one of the biggest and most influential cities in the state.

On the flip side, Northport is much smaller, but growing just as fast and borrowing roughly the equivalent of an entire year's general fund operating budget in, what I still view, as a Quixotic quest to build three large-scale recreation projects in the form of River Run Park, an adventure sports park off of Rose Boulevard and a proposed aquatic center/lagoon water park — the location of which seems to change by the day.

But if you're looking for key takeaways from this column, I'd offer that the city lost a great deal of credibility in the early phases of its push for the community center. This was due almost exclusively to the fact that city leaders undertook discussions and negotiations for their vision for the site without seeking any community input. It was 2015 and Krispy Kreme all over again.

Instead, city leaders received input on the back end in the form of protest signs, online petitions and GoFundMe drives for the opposition cause.

I even previously expressed my doubts over the sincerity of the grassroots effort and, upon their major victory, I'm willing to admit my shortsightedness and lack of faith in a group of community activists taking on City Hall and winning through nothing more than peaceful persistence.

As for Kentuck, experience covering Northport politics and growing up here witnessing it well before this current council has taught me that the elected politicians and high-level administrators in this city have been thin-skinned, for whatever reason. Surely something in the water, because it's undeniable.

Arguably symptomatic of Northport's historic paranoia of existing as a bedroom community for Tuscaloosa, Northport elected officials over the years have been quick to engage in messy public disagreements with partners like Kentuck, the Tuscaloosa County School System or DCH Regional Medical Center. Even in the time since I've been back home reporting on my hometown, each of the aforementioned entities has been on the receiving end of public retaliation over mild diplomatic issues like simple miscommunication or disagreements over transparency.

Nevertheless, the city's response to the potential of the Kentuck Festival one day leaving Northport underscores what I would argue is just the latest example of how the City of Northport does business. It's an idea I've expressed to elected officials for the last several years when writing columns about my frustrations over seemingly minuscule dust-ups that I don't have to deal with in covering the City of Tuscaloosa or the Tuscaloosa County Commission.

If Northport is growing at the clip that was reflected in the 2020 census and is often touted by leaders, after all, then what's losing an arts festival that has been deeply rooted in the history of the city?

The Tuscaloosa City Council meets far too often and for far too long for me to follow every move of but the city's proactive approach to media relations is top-notch and I'm normally aware of big events before they happen.

The Tuscaloosa County Commission — God love them — is my favorite body to cover, not just for the respect I have for the individuals that make up the group, but the fact they are also the most predictable elected body I've ever covered. Like a Rotary Club in any state in America, you can set your watch by them and the surprises are rare, if ever.

The Northport City Council, on the other hand, is the only local elected body in west Alabama or that I've ever covered, for that matter, where you'll hear the word "bullshit" slip out of a public official during a crucial presentation ... not that I took any offense when Davis said it or made self-deprecating jokes at his own expense to draw laughs from some in the crowd after the accidental profanity.

It's just worth mentioning to circle back to my original point that Northport is making major pivots after colossal missteps — killing the Community Center deal and meeting Kentuck's terms after the nonprofit put them on blast.

Northport is sure to embrace a narrative that they listened to voters or did the right thing out of the goodness of their hearts, and, again, maybe they are telling the truth.

For my fellow registered voters in my hometown wondering why the Council pivoted, though, here's your reminder that there's an election coming up in 2025.

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and opinion columnist. He is also the founder and field editor of Tuscaloosa Patch. The opinions expressed in this column are in no way a reflect of our parent company or sponsors. Email news tips to ryan.phillips@patch.com.