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I realize there are issues between every party Involved and everyone has their side of the story. There are old grudges and new grudges. But our county and town have been stuck in the Stone Age for years.

Our schools don’t have enough funding to provide the adequate resources we need, our county and city governments don’t have the adequate funding to fix roads in the county and city.

This project will help fund projects for years to come, you know that as well as I do. We all know that all projects take some funding to get started. But this project will bring events from all around the country and their attendees will leave their tax dollars in our city and county no questions asked. The people that will come to the shows have deep pockets and will spend money at our hotels, gas stations, grocery stores and meat markets “b’s market is a good example.” Case in point, I had a customer  this week said he didn’t know a place like B’s in Clanton existed. Those people are from out of our county and they leave their tax dollars here.

I’m asking you to come to the table and leave arguments at the door and let’s move this county forward and stop arguing. You know deep down that this is good for our county. Please think on this tonight and talk to your fellow county commissioners, council members and mayor about this issue.

We do not need this to go to another county. If it does we will never get a leg up in this state. This could change this county for the better or cause it to stay behind for your children and grand children in the future.

This message isn’t pointed to you. I’m sending this to every commissioner, city council member, mayor and IDA member that I have contact information for. Please don’t take my words personally. I just don’t want our county to be held back.

I sincerely hope you will reach out and discuss this. Please put arguments aside and let’s move this county forward. We can make Chilton County great and be a county and city that people want to visit.

Thank you for your time, and I pray your make a wise decision.

John Patrick Connell