Contributed by Kathy Roe Buttram
SPECIAL TO THE POST PAPER
The Sand Rock Town Council on Thursday unanimously voted for Councilman Gene Farmer to step up to fill the unexpired term of former Mayor Ricky Mackey, who resigned earlier this month.
Farmer is the sixth mayor of the small town atop Lookout Mountain, which was incorporated in 1988. The newly appointed mayor said he wants to continue the progress previous mayors have made in keeping the town safe and prosperous.
“We have one storm shelter, and we would like to have another,” Farmer said in an interview with The Post.
Sand Rock was approved in late 2017 for a grant from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency to build its community safe room, which is across from Sand Rock School. The shelter can house 87 people and is 10 feet wide by 48 feet long, said Shawn Rogers, Cherokee County EMA director.
Farmer said the town would like to build another safe room near the present storm shelter to give more people access to a safe space during severe weather. He will begin looking over the town’s budget in the next couple of months “to see where we are,” he said.
Sand Rock School is the heart of the mostly rural town and the mayor said he will work to support the school and maintain a strong relationship with it.
Farmer also said the Sand Rock Volunteer Fire Department is an asset to the community and helps protect people and their property. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department provides law enforcement services to the town’s residents.
A native of Sand Rock, Farmer said the close-knit community is a great place to live and work. Sand Rock has a population of 560 people, according to the 2010 census.
“We love the small town atmosphere but we’re close to larger cities, which is convenient,” said the mayor, who is a cotton farmer.
Farmer, who was sworn in Thursday evening by town attorney Dean Buttram Jr., said he will probably run for election in August 2020, when Sand Rock votes on council and mayoral candidates.
“I’m going to see how it goes,” he said.
Farmer’s seat on the five-member Town Council will be filled at a meeting set for Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m., Town Clerk Melonie Garrett said.
“Anyone wishing to be considered for the council seat should submit a letter to Town Hall by Sept. 3,” she said.
Council members will vote on the nominations at the meeting and the new member will be sworn in that evening.