Executive director retiring after 29 years

When Allen Pate first came to work for the city of Hoover in February 1988, it was supposed to be a one-year job of overseeing construction of Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

But former Hoover Mayor Frank Skinner saw Pate had more to offer the city. He put him in charge of other projects, such as the construction of Hoover Fire Station No. 4 off Municipal Drive. By the time the Hoover Met was completed, Skinner asked Pate to stay on as director of operations.

Pate ended up staying with the city for nearly 29 years, serving most of that time as the city’s executive director — a position similar to city manager.

He announced in mid-September he is retiring. He left the office in late October and is officially retiring at the end of January after taking unused vacation and leave time.

“I have enjoyed working with all the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years,” Pate said, but he thinks it’s time to let someone else come in with new ideas.

Pate, who turned 73 in May, said his wife, Edna, retired a year and a half ago, and “if I’m ever going to have any time while I’m still in reasonably good health, I need to do it.”

'He built this city'

Pate has served five mayors and seen many City Council members come and go, but he’s been a consistent presence at city hall and played a major role in the city’s development over the last 29 years.

“He built this city,” said Councilman Jack Wright, who announced in July he was not seeking re-election after 20 years on the City Council and who served with Pate on Hoover’s Industrial Development Board prior to joining the council.

“Allen Pate is really the inside mayor. He’s the one who runs the city on a day-to-day basis and has for probably two decades,” Wright said. “It makes the council’s and mayor’s job much easier.”

Pate, a construction guru, has overseen the development of new roads, parks, athletic facilities and city buildings, Wright said.

“He’s extremely smart. He’s extremely low-key. You never seen him beat his chest or take credit for anything. He always gives credit to his team,” Wright said. “He’s got a very small ego and a very big capability.”

Skinner said he knew Pate from church when he hired him nearly three decades ago. The city needed professional help to oversee construction of the Hoover Met, and Pate was a natural fit, he said.

Pate started his career with Brice Building Co. and then served as director of the Birmingham Carpenter Apprenticeship Training Program for 11 years. Former Gov. George Wallace made him the state’s labor commissioner from 1983 to 1987.

Pate said he took the job to oversee construction of the Met because he knew it would be a challenge. He had 14 months to get the stadium built and ready for the Birmingham Barons’ first game there, he said.

“There were no utilities here, no nothing,” he said.

Art Clarkson, the former owner and general manager for the Birmingham Barons who moved the baseball team from Birmingham to Hoover, said that without Pate, it would have been difficult to get the Hoover Met built, but Pate got the job done.

“He is one special human being,” Clarkson said.

Skinner said Pate did such an outstanding job, he decided to hire him permanently to help tackle other projects for the fast-growing city. Not only is he knowledgeable, he also knows how to deal with people, sometimes in adversarial positions, Skinner said.

Pate is a fair, understanding person, but he doesn’t lose sight of the mission that needs to be accomplished, Skinner said.

‘Incredible negotiator’

Mayor Gary Ivey said Pate’s retirement is a great loss for the city. He has tremendous knowledge and extensive contacts and is an incredible negotiator, Ivey said. He has been the go-to person when the city interacts with outside entities, such as state agencies, other cities and organizations such as the Southeastern Conference and Alabama Sports Council, Ivey said.

“He was an incredible asset to me,” Ivey said. “He’s an incredible man and does an incredible job for this city.”

Frank Brocato, the retired Hoover fire marshal who takes over as mayor Nov. 7, said he has worked with Pate for 29 years and watched his demeanor, the way he handles people and puts deals together. 

The city is losing a lot of institutional knowledge with his departure, Brocato said, but it’s good to know he will be nearby and available for consults as needed.

Pate said his departure had nothing to do with the change in administration. He started thinking about retirement well over a year ago, but Ivey asked him to stay on until after this year’s election, and he agreed.

“I would have thoroughly enjoyed working with the new mayor,” he said.

However, he knows it’s time for him to go, Pate said.

Accomplishments, challenges

When asked what makes him most proud, Pate said the Hoover Met. He has worked hard to keep the stadium in good shape and keep the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover the past 19 years. The 155,000-square-foot indoor event center being built next to the stadium helped convince the SEC to keep the tournament in Hoover at least another three years.

But the new $80 million sports complex being built next to the Met is most important because it alleviates a shortage of athletic fields in the city, Pate said. That is one area where the city has not kept up with its population growth, he said.

Pate also is proud to have played a part in getting the Riverchase Galleria renovated by negotiating a tax incentive deal to encourage investment in the mall. More than $120 million was spent to redevelop the Galleria campus in recent years, and the city agreed to rebate 50 percent of extra sales taxes generated on the campus over 10 years. The total rebate cannot exceed $25 million, but Pate expects it to be much less.

He’s also proud the city was able to complete almost all the projects in the 2010 traffic plan that was created in 1995, he said. That includes the Interstate 459 flyover exit to John Hawkins Parkway, the extension of Stadium Trace Parkway past the Hoover Met and a new connection from Chapel Road to the Riverchase Galleria.

There are a few projects Pate said he regrets have not gotten done, such as a new I-459 exit near South Shades Crest Road, but Pate said he is encouraging Brocato to breathe life back into that project.

He also wishes the city could have gotten the Hoover school board to add lights to more athletic fields and allow the city to use them when schools are not, he said.

Perhaps the toughest challenge he faced in 29 years was getting approval for the Colonial Promenade at Hoover shopping center (including a Walmart Supercenter) on John Hawkins Parkway, he said.

“The community was totally opposed to it,” he said.

But Pate was convinced it would be a good addition to the city, and the deal eventually won approval.

Getting approval for the Patton Creek shopping center also was a challenge, particularly because the owners of the Riverchase Galleria didn’t want the competition, Pate said.

“I did lose a friend for a period of time, but I got him back,” Pate said.

Survivor

Pate also has been a survivor, keeping his job through five different mayors. He said the key was just learning to adjust to each one, all of whom were good mayors in different ways, he said.

All had their way of doing things, Pate said. Brian Skelton, Tony Petelos and Gary Ivey all were satisfied if Pate kept them informed and called them when he needed them, he said. Barbara McCollum, when first elected, took a more hands-on approach, Pate said. She insisted that department heads report directly to her, then gradually over time shifted responsibilities back to Pate as he gained her trust, he said.

“For most of 3½ years, we had a good working relationship,” he said.

Some residents have criticized the city for its fast growth over the years, but Pate, who also has served on the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission, said he believes the city has for the most part made sure its infrastructure kept up with the growth.

About 10 years ago, the city was adding about 900 single-family houses a year, which may have been a bit too much, Pate said. The downturn in the housing industry put a big dent in that, but Hoover still maintained no less than about 200 new houses per year, he said.

More recently, the city has been adding about 425 houses a year, which is about where it needs to be, he said.

Pate expects to see the city’s growth slow down some, both residentially and commercially, but he hopes new city leaders continue to promote commercial growth.

“I think when a city stops growing, it starts declining,” he said.

However, he’s excited about Hoover’s health, both financially and otherwise, he said.

The city’s roads are in good shape, and money has been set aside to handle all capital projects that have been approved, he said. The city’s finances are excellent, he said. Even though the city just borrowed $69 million to build the new sports complex, it’s annual debt payments will drop from about $9.5 million now to less than $7 million in just a few years, he said.

Pate said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the city of Hoover and will miss negotiating deals and being able to work with so many good people.

“The city has been good to me and my family, and I wish them the best in the future,” he said.