Progress 2013: Pinson is a relatively new city with an old history

Published 12:39 pm Tuesday, August 6, 2013

This article is from our recent Progress 2013 edition.

It’s one of Alabama’s oldest communities, yet also one of its youngest.

The city of Pinson was settled by returning Civil War soldiers in the late 1900s, but did not officially incorporate until 2004.

Hoyt Sanders helped lead the effort to incorporate then, and has been the city’s mayor ever since. He’s seen some changes since that time.

“The mortgage crisis affected us in that there was a slowdown in housing starts, but we’re seeing that begin to come back around,” Sanders said. “People are completing subdivisions and building on existing lots.”

Like many local communities, Pinson had to intervene with some subdivisions where developers failed to complete roads when sales fell short. “Like many cities, we found that the developments were ‘under-bonded’ — the [performance] bonds weren’t enough to complete the roads. That wasn’t much of a problem when times were good,” Sanders said.

Still, the economy is picking up in Pinson, allowing the city to move forward with plans for a new city park. It’s in the design phase now, with a main entrance on Oak Street West near Sweeney Hollow Road. Plans include an amphitheater and a splash pad, with a projected opening late next year.

“We have about 20 acres there to work with,” Sanders said. “That’s going to be our primary project over the next couple of years.”

Pinson enacted a city sales tax about three years ago, which has provided a steady source of revenue. “We have not seen a big drop in sales tax or other revenue. We’ve been able to raise budgets every year,” Sanders said.

The city has paid off the Civitan Building mortgage, and hopes to pay off city hall early next year and use the savings toward the new park, Sanders said.

The city has also purchased a closed store on Main Street which was regularly damaged by floods, and will raze the structure to create a “pocket park.”