The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page A03

The Anniston Star Saturday, October 1, 2016 Page 3A REGION Show your Pastor how much you appreciate hard work by honoring in our special section Run Date Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016 Deadline is Oct. 17, 2016 All entries will be on a large 3 inch 4 inch display Please send a picture with a message of 50 words or less and $50 to: October is Pastor Appreciation Month Send to The Anniston Star Melody Bergstresser 4305 McClellan Anniston, AL 36206 Phone: 256-235-9240 Email: Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover Card accepted The A A October 1ST, 2016 WHODINI CONFUNKSHUN ANNISTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1301 WOODSTOCK AVE. ANNISTON, AL 36207 DOORS OPEN AT 6PM SHOW STARTS AT 7PM TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED HTTP://WWW.EVENTBRITE.COM/E/ANNISTON-MUSIC-FESTIVAL-TICKETS-26251005464 OR AT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CRICKET WIRELESS LOCATIONS: ANNISTON: 1930 QUINTARD AVE. OXFORD: 539 QUINTARD AVE.

TALLADEGA: 222 HAYNES ST. FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: OR CALL 256-525-0826 HOT 107.7 DJ BIG SWEATT OF THE WORLD FAMOUS SUPER FRIENDS ON THE ROD LEMON FOUNDATION CRICKET WIRELESS (GOLD SPONSOR) COMMISSIONER FRED WILSON (GOLD SPONSOR) CAMPAIGN TO ELECT ROBERT HOUSTON (BRONZE SPONSOR) CAMPAIGN TO ELECT SEYRAM SELASE (BRONZE SPONSOR) CAMPAIGN TO ELECT JACK DRAPER (BRONZE SPONSOR) STATE REPRESENTATIVE DR. BARBARA BOYD (BRONZE SPONSOR) CONSOLIDATED PUBLISHING (IN KIND) HOSTED BY COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON Featuring Drought has hit-or-miss effect on landscaping BY KATELYN SCHNEIDER Special to The Star Grass may not be growing due to the drought, but work for some landscapers is still in full bloom. For others, it is drying up. Despite rainfall being 11 inches below the annual average, work has not slowed down for Cider Ridge Golf Club or Choccolocco Park in Oxford, according to Chad Robinson, who is director of grounds for both.

deficit has had a negative effect on what we do, but we are combatting Robinson said in reference to the irrigation system the Choccolocco sports complex has in place. has actually picked The complex has between 60 and 70 acres of irrigated land, including several sports fields, according to Robinson. The company irrigation system includes several thousand sprinklers. To combat the drought and keep fields playable, Robinson said staff apply wetting agents to the fields. These wetting agents are soil chemistry products that allow soil to retain water, he said.

These agents help the fields continue to grow and allow the company to be conservative with its water use, he said. The other several hundred acres of nonirrigated land are a different story. The lack of an irrigation system makes a difference, according to Robinson a lot of nonirri gated land we are trying to keep alive, but virtually Robinson said. Work has not slowed for Doug Woodrow, the owner of Woodrow Lawn and Turf Management in Jacksonville. Woodrow, who started his business 14 years ago, said work is still out there.

slowed down for us at Woodrow said by phone Friday. still mow lawns like normal and do other landscape designs and The company serves 110 commercial and residential properties between Jacksonville and counties in Georgia. Even with the approaching winter months, Woodrow is not worried about losing work. work everywhere and stay Woodrow said. in winter, we will have leaves to clean up and landscapes to The rain deficit slowed work for Lamar Addison, owner of Addison Lawn Care out of Hokes Bluff.

Addison, the sole employee of the company, went from cutting 19 yards every week to mowing a few every two or three weeks. He said he still has 38 clients between three counties, but he only works for them when they need it. Their lack of need for his services costs him almost $500 a month, according to Addison. drought is going to hurt me a little, but the Lord always Addison said. saved up, so it be too bad on Michael Yancey cannot say the same.

Lawn work for Yancey Lawn Service out of Southside dried up along with the rain, according to Yancey. has stopped. only cut two yards in the last four Yancey said by phone Friday. drought has taken me out of Yancey said he has 46 lawns he serves part-time, but the clients do not need him. He said lawns that were cut weekly got pushed back to every other week, and now do not need cutting at all.

He and his 10-year-old son, Brodie, worked every Saturday for almost 12 hours until work slowed down in June, according to Yancey. He said he usually hires people to help each year but did not bother this year. Yancey is now working odd jobs such as repairing lawn mowers, but it does not make up for the work the drought cost him. It made life harder, according to Yancey. is my 17th year working in lawn service, and this is the worst seen Yancey said.

Katelyn Schneider is a Jacksonville State University senior majoring in communication who is working as an intern in The newsroom. Trent Anniston Star Logan Watson adjusts a sprinkler head while checking the irrigation system. Choccolocco Park uses irrigation systems to combat the drought and dry conditions, Friday. JSU center to support regional manufacturing to start in November BY PATRICK MCCRELESS Jacksonville State University is creating a center to help regional industries improve their operations and teach them how to use the latest manufacturing technologies. The new center, paid for partly with $700,000 in state money, should be fully operational in November and provide manufacturers with services from design and prototype development to research and education all while giving training and possible job opportunities to JSU students.

Meanwhile, the center will help existing industries grow and attract new ones to the region, some economic developers say. helping regional industry move into new methods of said Chris Marker, manager of the center. job is to make companies in the area more efficient to aid other companies any way we Marker said JSU has operated a pilot version of the program through its applied engineering department for the last few months. During that time, students worked on a few projects for area companies, including Gnutti Carlo in Jacksonville, which produces diesel engine components. Showing the potential helped JSU obtain the $700,000 in the fiscal 2017 education budget to expand.

we can help create more jobs and bring more industry in here in the state of Alabama is a said Rep. Randy Wood, R-Saks, who partnered with Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh to get the money for JSU. Marsh said JSU first approached him about finding money to get the center fully operational. thought it would be a good program and I was eager to help them secure funding for Marsh said. think going to be good for industry and good for Marker said the money has been used to order new equipment for 3-D printing, a process that involves manufacturing three-dimensional objects based on a digital model in a computer.

The equipment is set to arrive in November. Marker said the center will receive multiple types of state-of-the-art printers, including one that can make plastic objects and another that produces full metal parts. make prototype parts for them on a limited Marker said. help those industries find other local companies to mass produce those The university will provide the services at cost, meaning it will only charge companies to pay for the materials used to manufacture any parts. Marker said the plan is also to teach area industry representatives how to use the cutting-edge 3-D printing equipment knowledge they can use should their companies purchase similar technology in the future.

Marker said JSU students will perform the bulk of the work at the center. a lab for the students learn the equipment and do jobs for the Marker said. the end this will give our students jobs learning things, skills these companies Steve Sewell, executive vice president for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, said many industries in the state are looking for partnerships with universities to help them succeed and grow. companies considering moving to this region, these kinds of partnerships are important when they make their final decision in where to Sewell said. Don Hopper, executive director of the Calhoun County Economic Development Council, said the center would be another tool to help him attract more industry and jobs to the area.

on numerous occasions has helped us tip the scales and bring in industry we already use and tout the applied engineering school there quite a Hopper said. is another opportunity to sell the area as well as work with existing Staff Writer Patrick McCreless: 256-235-3561. On Twitter Star..