By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Outgoing Alabaster Senior Center administrative clerk Rosia Dowdell has been a familiar face at the center’s front desk for many years, and her impact on the city was evident by the large crowd gathered at Alabaster City Hall on the evening of May 6.

During the packed meeting, Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon honored Dowdell with a proclamation recognizing her 15-year tenure with the city and retirement a few days prior.

“It is with great pleasure we are here tonight to express our appreciation to Rosia Dowdell for her nearly 15-year career with the city of Alabaster and dedicated service to the residents of Alabaster,” Handlon said while reading the proclamation. “Rosia has provided great customer service to our many seniors and guests of the Senior Center. Her warm smile and welcoming spirit will be missed by many.”

Dowdell came to the city in 2004 as the administrative clerk for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, and later transitioned to the same role with the Senior Center.

“Rosia has been a humble public servant with the city of Alabaster, friend to this administration and a valued citizen,” Handlon said. “We wish her much happiness as she begins this exciting new chapter in life called retirement, where she will now have the ability to devote more time to her family and continue sharing God’s love.”

Dowdell said she has greatly enjoyed her time with the city, and said she has made many friends over the years.

I’m so grateful and humbled that God gave me the opportunity to work in the city of Alabaster. I got to know the parents and the kids and the people who touched my life. I experienced a lot of different things, and it was very uplifting to me to have people to talk to every day,” Dowdell said. “Last year, I lost two sisters: One in May then my oldest sister two days before Thanksgiving, and it was the love of the people and the city of Alabaster employees and staff and councilors who helped uplift me.

“I feel so humbled, mayor Handlon. You’ve been more than a mayor to me, you’ve been a friend to me, and for that I say thank you. To the City Council, I say thank you for your service and for being so loyal to the city of Alabaster,” Dowdell added. “To the citizens of Alabaster, I say thank you for being a part of this great family. To my family, I say thank you for loving me and supporting me and just being there for me. I want you to know if there’s any word in the dictionary that means more than thank you, I mean that too.”