PHIL CAMPBELL, AL (WAFF) -
There are new signs on the road to recovery nearly 10 months after April's devastating tornadoes.
Construction for a community memorial is underway in one of the state's hardest hit areas.
Contractors in Phil Campbell started building the playground on Thursday, and with its location in the middle of town, you can bet everyone is excited to see the memorial park starting to take shape.
"It's like Christmastime all over again around here because you get to see it sprout like a mushroom. You know, it comes from the ground up," said Michelle Baxter, manager of Chat and Chew.
Not only does Baxter manage the Chat and Chew in Phil Campbell, she also gets to watch their memorial park come to life.
"This means that we're having progress. We're stepping up. We're not going to let this storm beat us, and we're going to beat it," said Baxter.
The Phil Campbell Civitan Club has been working around the clock raising money for the city's memorial and playground.
"And all this stuff they're doing is just wonderful. It's a godsend," she said.
Crews started building the playground and memorial Thursday.
"It's the light at the end of a tunnel because it was such a dark period for such a long time. We lost a lot of people, a lot of things, and this is just a blessing from God," she said.
Baxter says the park will not only serve as an inspiration to the community, but she's hoping it will also help boost business.
"This is going to be wonderful for us because they're going to get thirsty and they're going to get hungry and we have everything on the menu that you could possibly want," she said. "The kids are going to love it."
The playground is expected to be finished on Friday. It will open to the public early next week.
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