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By NATHAN HOWELL | Staff Writer

ALABASTER – Alabaster Water held a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 20 for its new facility at 200 Kent Stone Boulevard.

The ceremony comes more than a year after a groundbreaking ceremony for the $6.8 million project was held.

Board Chairman Bobby Harris said the new facility was a “watershed day” for the city and marked the transition from old to new.

“We want to thank the old for bringing us here,” Harris said. “Water has been a part of Alabaster here all of my life. In fact, the first water I knew in this city was Buck Creek and its still here. This building is a reflection of the type of water we provide for our citizens and rate payers. The building is beautiful and clean like our water.”

General Manager Laura Koon explained the organization had outgrown its two old facilities that were built in the 1970s. This new building allows it to provide better service by housing everything under one roof.

“I want to thank our board members past and present for their vision and agreeing to allow us to borrow money to build this facility,” Koon said. “For us to have a facility where our office and shop are together we are able to function more efficiently with room to grow. This building is built with the future in mind. Our last building was built almost 50 years ago, so this is a big day for us. Alabaster is a growing city and this facility will grow with it.”

The new facility is an 18,400 square foot building where residents can access all of Alabaster Water’s services and offices. It includes the organization’s workshop, drive-thru window and training facility for new employees.

During the ceremony, dozens of guests were given the chance to tour the new state-of-the-art facility and see all it has to offer.

Koon thanked construction crews, designers, the city of Alabaster, inspectors, engineers, the Alabaster Fire Department and other groups for making this day possible.