Strong meets with Madison County mayors

Gurley Mayor Robert Sentell, New Hope Mayor Butch Taylor, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Triana Mayor Mary Caudle, Chairman Dale W. Strong and Madison Mayor Troy Trulock. Owens Crossroads Mayor Tony Craig was unable to attend. (CONTRIBUTED)

By Aldo Amato

Staff Reporter

MADISON — Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong hosted five Madison County mayors on April 2 to discuss various topics ranging from sequestration to economic development.

The lunch was the first ever between Strong and the five mayors. Strong said that even though all the cities are different, they still make up one strong county.

“We are six cities and one county,” Strong said. “Everyone has the same vision. Some have smaller issues to deal with and some cities have bigger issues than others. So everything was discussed.”

Strong discussed joint projects that his office has been working on with various Madison County cities including a road for the new Intergraph headquarters right off of I-565.

“The thing that we saw there was a $52 million commitment to Madison County,” Strong said of the software company. “We found some access money in the Alabama Industrial Access Road fund and submitted it. We ended up saving the City of Madison $750,000 and what we are aiming to do is to be a good partner to the City of Madison.”

Strong added that the new Intergraph complex and the roads around it will help fulfill a goal he’s envisioned since he was elected.

“When I was elected chairman, I told myself that we were going to do everything we can to make strong jobs for all of the county,” he said. “That is what I see in Intergraph and they are one of the main employers of all of North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. The first thing that residents are going to see when they are headed to Huntsville is a six-story facility and it will represent an economic giant in Madison and the entire Madison County.”