Fall Potluck a Great Success

Nearly 200 mountaineers and their guests attended the Fall Potluck on September 23 at the State Park Lodge.

The theme of the evening was “Municipal Appreciation” to thank the City for their outstanding response to the May 20 tornado, as well as the excellent services they have been providing over the years, and especially these last two years. Mayor Tommy Battle and Councilman David Little spoke first, and each received a rousing welcome and sustained applause.

Those municipal guests most responsible for the tornado recovery also received an engraved cherrywood plaque.

Mayor Tommy Battle’s plaque was presented by Christel McCanless, who described how she had been trying to solve a problem with a teetering utility pole for years. Finally, on a recent Friday evening, she sent an email directly to the Mayor. The Mayor responded Saturday morning and said the problem would be fixed by 8 AM Monday—and it was! In what large city in the United States does something like that happen? Only in Huntsville! The plaque reads

Presented to Mayor Battle
America’s Most Effective Mayor
With Grateful Appreciation from the Residents of Monte Sano.
”A Great Leader is One Who Knows the Way, Goes the Way and Shows the Way”
Thank you for making Huntsville America’s Most Livable City, and Keeping Huntsville Green
September 23, 2025

After hearing Christel read the plaque, the Mayor quipped, “sometimes it’s better to get ‘out of the way’ and let the experts handle it.”

Pam Patrick presented the plaque to David Little. Pam praised David Little for always being a good listener. The plaque reads

Presented to David Little
With Grateful Appreciation from Your Neighbors on Monte Sano
for your Dedicated Service to the Community, your support of the Tollgate Greenway,
Keeping Huntsville Green and your Extraordinary Efforts during and after the May 20th Tornado.
September 23, 2025

In the last two years, Councilman Little has helped the mountain:

• Keeping the Boulevard open after it refroze during the Jan 2024 ice storm

• Getting new signs on Bankhead Parkway

• Repainting lines on the roads

• Putting $50,000 of his Council ‘Discretionary Funds’ towards the Tollgate Greenway

• Having all streets cleared and plowed—even side streets—within 12 hours during the six-inch snowstorm on January 10th this year

• Helping to come up with extra funds for the construction of the Tollgate Greenway when the bids came in over budget

David told the group that the Tollgate Greenway would be open hopefully in February, but weather could delay that. David also read a list of questions the membership had asked, and provided detailed answers.

After dinner, Maggie Little, whose father worked for decades for utility companies including Huntsville utilities, presented a plaque to Chris Jones, Chief Operating Officer of Huntsville Utilities. In her remarks, Maggie encouraged Mr. Jones, to “make sure you can put the plaque somewhere where all those lineman can see it!” The plaque reads

Presented to Huntsville Utilities
With Grateful Appreciation from the Residents of Monte Sano whom you have faithfully served for 75 years,
through rain, sleet, snow ice, storms, and tornadoes.
A special thanks for your astonishing response to the May 20 Tornado.
It was truly extraordinary and enormously appreciated!
September 23, 2025

Sandy McAnally presented two plaques to Department of Public Works Manager Keith Robertson. Public Works handles both sanitation and refuse collection, as well as the grinder pump station. Both groups took their ‘game up a notch’ during the tornado’s aftermath. The plaques are below:

Presented to Public Works
With Grateful Appreciation from your Neighbors on Monte Sano.
Thank you for 75 years of Exceptional Public Service,
from Emergencies like the May 20 Tornado, to the Cheerful and Reliable Sanitation Crews.
”Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers
from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” —Herodotus
September 23, 2025

Presented to Water Pollution Control Team Monte Sano
With Grateful Appreciation from your Neighbors on Monte Sano
for Three Decades of Rapid Responses and Cheerful Assistance.
A Special Thanks for your Heroic Efforts during the Tornado and its Aftermath.
We are lucky to have you helping us!
September 23, 2025

City Planner Dennis Madsen presented a series of slides on exciting future projects, including the Skybridge over the Parkway, the new Mill Creek affordable housing development in the area just west of the Parkway between Governors and I-565, and the new greenspace facility to be built on the site of the Old City Hall. You can view the slides here.

Blossomwood Civic Association President Beth Wilder introduced her successor on the Board of Education, Monte Sano’s own Holly McCarty. Holly read Huntsville City schools ‘report card.’ We can take particular pride because only one school in Huntsville scored a perfect ‘100’ on the state’s evaluation matrix—Monte Sano Elementary! Monte Sano Elementary was only one of 11 in Alabama to get a perfect score. There are over 1500 public schools in the state so that puts MSE in the .07% of ALL schools!

We did have one private sector presenter—Moriah Fordham of Phoenix Glass Recycling. We’ve had a lot of questions about glass recycling, so we wanted to add this to our agenda. Moriah described Phoenix’s Mission as “To keep glass out of the landfill and give it a second life.” More information can be found on the Phoenix website.

At the conclusion of the evening, we also presented a surprise “Leadership Award” to a Mountaineer who made a significant contribution that aligns with our Mission “to Preserve, Protect, and Enhance the Quality of Life on Monte Sano.”

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tsao once said that “a Good Leader talks little. When their work is done, their aim fulfilled, the people will say ‘We did this Ourselves.’” This well-describes the Awardee.

Dr Noel Estopinal, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for almost four years on the Tollgate Greenway, received the first-ever Leadership Award – a massive medal with a green ribbon. The medal reads

Presented to Dr. Noel Estopinal, MD
Lord High Protector of Monte Sano
and all Realms and Dominions Pertaining Thereto
September 23, 2025