Safe room doubles as senior center in Milan
Family members of Edward Whitby and Andrew and Lou Hawkins gathered on Saturday afternoon for the dedication of a new senior citizens center and storm shelter in Milan.
The Hawkins-Whitby FEMA Community Safe Room was dedicated to former aldermen Whitby, who died in 2012, and Andrew Hawkins, and alderwoman Lou Hawkins.
"We are so godly honored to serve our city," Lou Hawkins said. "Milan is a great place to live. It's a great place to raise your family."
Lou Hawkins served four years as a city alderwoman. Her husband, Andrew Hawkins Sr., served two years as an alderman.
"I can sum it up in one word — respect," Mayor Chris Crider said. "People have respect for the Whitby and Hawkins families."
Whitby's daughter Nancy represented the family at the ceremony. She said her father would drive to the electric company during a storm, no matter the time of night, to answer calls of power outages while he served as an alderman. Whitby was a city alderman for more than 30 years, according to his daughter.
"It's a place that's well needed," son Phillip Whitby said. "I'm just awed at the people that turned out for this. It's just a humbling experience to have his name on the building."
The families said they were grateful and honored for having the buildings named in their parents' honors. For the Whitby's the reactions would have been different between their mother and father, according to daughter Nancy.
"He would've said y'all are doing too much," she said. "She would've been proud. She was the one that made sure he was out working here."
Lou Hawkins said she and her husband were honored to have been considered during the naming.
"We are so grateful for the Milan community to have a room like this," she said. "We are humbled and honored that we were thought of by the mayor and city board to be honored on this building."
"I am so godly proud of my parents," son Jason Hawkins said.
The building will also double as a senior citizens center. Director Gail Branscum said the center is currently housed at the library, but would have to move to a new location if the library expanded.
"I tell everyone it's like a promotion," Branscum said. "This has been a promotion for us."
The building was funded through a grant from FEMA as a storm shelter for the community. The cost of the building was $2.1 million, according to Branscum, and can hold 1,700 people.
Reach Maranda Faris at 425-9657. Follow her on Twitter at @MarandaFaris.