What Do Colbert Countians Think About Keller Pact?

During the past week, we've spoken with several Colbert County business people--individuals who live and work in Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. This was obviously a random and non-scientific poll, but we could find no one who favored the agreement between Helen Keller and Huntsville Hospitals.

The legally binding contract may no longer provide for Huntsville funding the salaries of Keller's top three executives, but there is much in the agreement that still worries many. In the words of one local physician:

I have read thru the agreement and anyone who is not convinced that the only reason HH wants to initiate this is "to control" healthcare in the Shoals is delusional. I refer you to paragraph 8.5 subsection (a)....in it, where HH reserves first right of refusal to buy HKH if they decide to sell, the people of Colbert County and HKH will have to give 25% of the net worth of the sale to HH, no questions asked. That is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. The commissioners have a right to be concerned.

If today this agreement is signed, and next year HKH decides it is in their best interest to join forces and build a new facility to serve the Shoals, and sells it for $60M, they will owe HH the money they borrowed plus 25% of the net worth of the hospital. This is an effort to allow HH to buy HKH for pennies on the dollar. The people of Colbert county will be shafted, and the ONLY people coming out on top will be the hospital administrators (who have their state retirement packages in hand) and HH who will walk away either with the hospital or a large sum of the county's money.

As Forrest Gump said "stupid is, as stupid does." If they sign this agreement, they deserve everything that happens to them. the only reason it is even being pursued is because there is so much hate and deception that bridges that river, and from all I have seen lately, the majority of it is coming from that side.

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What is history? Those trained in recording historical events know that primary sources are always preferred for any literate research. We're lucky to have the Terrye Sledge-Terry Digital Archives in the Florence Public Library. The digital archives will be a work in progress for as long as the library exists, but it has made tremendous strides since its inception.

If you haven't yet visited the archives, we urge you to do so. If you'd like to familiarize yourself with this project, we encourage you visit their Facebook link.

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Remembering Rual Yarbrough: Link

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Rocky Hill Castle? Yesterday we mentioned Saunders Hall in Town Creek, constructed by Turner Saunders. Turner's son also built a mansion, albeit a much more dramatic one. James Turner's home, situated between Town Creek and Courtland, was dubbed Rocky Hill Castle--partially because of its elevated nature and partially because of its resemblance to a European castle. Abandoned in the 1920s, the structure was razed in the 1960s. If anyone has any photos of this architectural oddity, please e-mail them to us.


Shoalanda



Connecting October 7th. This time we mean it!