(Profile): Holly Pond extends senior center hours, partners with HPHS cross country
Mar. 30—Between a welcomed partnership with Holly Pond High School and newly extended senior center hours, the town of Holly Pond has focused on developing its offering to residents of all ages ... as long as they aren't a muskrat.
Most recently, the town approved to enter a memorandum of understanding with HPHS to create a 5k cross country course which will not only be available to the school's athletes, but open to anyone in the town. HPHS Principal Nate Ayers said cross country team members were the school's only athletes without an on-campus practice facility and he was hoping to change that.
A portion of the proposed course will be on the HPHS campus, but to reach the full 3.1 mile regulation length, Ayers said he would need to step out into municipal property. In exchange for the use of its property, Ayers said the course would be open to the public during any non-school hours. The town council overwhelmingly agreed to the proposal and the cross country athletes will soon begin clearing any debris from the course in hopes of having it finished and certified before the upcoming cross country season in the fall.
Some of the town's youngest athletes are likely to notice one big improvement after the council approved a bid for new LED lighting to be installed at its t-ball field. Several councilmembers implied the t-ball field would be a test run of sorts before determining if the upgrades should be made to all of park's ballfields.
On the other end of the spectrum, many of the town's senior residents came out to support the town's decision to extend its senior center's hours late last year. In doing so the center's director Cecily "CC" Cannon became a full-time employee which has allowed her to focus her time and energy on fundraising efforts and organizing events.
Town resident Paulette Porter said she and her husband only became involved with the center this year after learning of the group's program to offer meals to the community's homebound residents. Lee Manns said she had been a part of a similarly sized center while living in Cedartown, Ga. She was immediately impressed with the local center when she moved to Holly Pond two years ago to be closer to her granddaughter and great-grandchildren.
"I've never seen a center like this one. She [Cannon] works so hard and tries to make everyone happy. The other centers just didn't do as much, and the food is better," Manns said.
One resident in particular wasn't met with quite as much hospitality after settling her family in downtown Holly Pond. Mayor Carla Hart said she had noticed a muskrat taking up residency near the pond in Governor's Park last summer. She quickly realized that "Muskrat Sally" was not alone and that her and her family had been burrowing holes throughout the park.
"I thought there were just a few holes in the park, but we were walking through there and, my goodness, they're everywhere," Hart said.
Due to the fear that the burrows could cause legitimate structural damage to the park's walking trail, the town council approved Alabama Wildlife to serve the family a humane eviction notice of $1,500 without having to close the park.
A much more unwelcome vacancy came with the untimely passing of councilmember Charles Holcombe last May. Hart said Holcombe joined the council in 2020 as she was elected mayor and quickly became a tremendous asset to the town. The council would go on to appoint Holcombe's wife, Deb to fill his seat. Still, the void left by Holcombe's passing continues to be felt by those who knew him best.
"I, and I'm sure the councilmembers and town clerk, will miss his humor, kindness and boldness on matters concerning the town and the advice and opinions he always shared with us. He was a great motivator. He would always tell me 'You've got this boss,' and encouraged me in everything I did," Hart told The Times in May 2023.
