What does it mean when a county names a building after a man?

In the case of the

&8220;James &8216;Alfred&8217; Jones County Services Building&8221; in Pelham, it means the Shelby County Commission is recognizing a man for a body of work deserving of respect, not only from present, but also from future generations.

In consideration of all that Jones, who is retiring from his position as operations manager of the county&8217;s highway department, has contributed to the people of Shelby County, we applaud the commission and salute Jones for a job well done.

Jones, 70, has given 49 years and three months in service to

the county. Jones was first employed by the county in March 1956 and retired in 1992, becoming the Top Performer in the highway department. But he did not stay retired; he returned to county service in May of 1995 and will retire this time on Jan. 1, 2008.

Jones impacted more than 1,000 miles of county roads, more than 100 bridge structures and more than 90 miles of dirt roads.

He also aided in the construction of the county courthouse parking lot, county services complex, regional juvenile detention facility, adult jail, sheriff&8217;s office firing range, training complex and more. He also impacted some 21 county park projects. Jones served 46 county commissioners, two county managers and four county engineers.

In addition, Jones has been a husband to his wife, Margaret, father of two children and grandfather to two grandchildren. So, it is no surprise the commission recently resolved that the county building located at 1000 County Services Drive be named in Jones&8217; honor &8220;as a reminder to all of what county public service in Shelby County is defined by.&8221;