It was 50 years ago that Neil Armstrong said those famous words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” when he became the first human to set foot on the surface of the moon. I remember being packed into the gym at Camp Laney in Mentone, Ala., to watch that historic moment.
While not the same magnitude, I think the Flomaton Town Council took one small step Monday night when it voted unanimously to move forward with establishing a Form Base Code for the town limits. It's my hope that it will help leap Flomaton into the future with retail and economic development.
I've listened over the months as John Robert Smith unveiled how a Form Based Code could help the town of Flomaton attract new businesses, which in turn creates new jobs and new taxes.
I do understand some of the council members' concerns about what it will eventually cost to adopt and implement such a code for Flomaton. The first small step for Flomaton took place Monday night won't cost the town a dime.
Smith has assured Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant Jr., that this first step is free and is confident that the next steps can be paid for by grant money and not money out of the town's bank account.
In addition to working on the code, Smith has said he will work with an advisory team of Tucson Atlantic to secure the necessary funds from other sources to make the Form Base Code become a reality.
The town did agree several months ago to pay Smith $3,000 to come to Flomaton and make his presentation to the people and the town council. I think that was a good investment.
I attend all Flomaton council meetings. I see once a month as the council looks at ways to pay bills, swaps money around to pay bills and keep up with the day-to-day operations of the town which includes everything from cutting grass to fixing water leaks.
What I do know is that if this Form Base Code brings one, two or three retail businesses to the town it will help the tax base tremendously.
It was pointed out numerous times Monday night about the costs down the road with several council members saying nothing is free. I agree with those comments. Like Councilman Charlie Reardon said, if it's going to cost the town a nickel, it needs to come back before the council.
I also agree with Councilman Roger Adkinson who said the council would be foolish to turn this opportunity down, but would also be foolish to think it would never cost money.
Flomaton took that one small step at no cost. The Flomaton Town Council will have the final say on any code approved for the town. The Flomaton Town Council will have the final say if a nickel is ever spent.
Will it take money down the road? Yes, it will. But I envision those dollars spent as investments the town council has to make to make more money for the town and its citizens.
Here's an example: right now, to the best of my knowledge, the town's sewer system on Highway 113 ends at the Flomaton Medical Center. I know for a fact sewer is not available at the Tri-City Ledger.
So, we get a business that wants to locate west of the medical center, I don't know, let's say a few miles.
They say they will come if the town provides the sewer. That's when the council needs to decide whether the investment in expanding the infrastructure is worth the reward in tax dollars and jobs on the other end.
This is nothing new. Cities and towns all across this nation have to make such decisions. My bet is the city of Brewton's decision to take over the Ridge Water Sewer System wasn't free, but the city feels the investment will be worth the reward in the end. A lot of people thought Atmore Mayor Howard Shell had lost his mind when he convinced the council and citizens of Atmore to purchase the land near Interstate 65 for the Rivercane industrial site. It's slowly turning into a cash cow for the city of Atmore and will only continue to grow.
What makes me feel very, very optimistic about Flomaton's future through the Form Base Code is that Smith does this for a living. He helps small towns and cities across the nation with economic development. He wants Flomaton to be a feather in his cap when he moves on to the next project.
It's still only a small step, but it can be a giant leap for Flomaton.
