COLUMN: Mr. Pate's Opus

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A portable audio speaker sat on the back of a flatbed truck blaring Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day to be Alive," loud enough to be heard over heavy machinery and the crashing of bricks onto asphalt nearby. It was the only song played shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday morning as the westernmost walls of the derelict McFarland Mall came tumbling down.

The song served as a public declaration of satisfaction amid the carnival-style atmosphere and if the property's owner Stan Pate had his way, Travis Tritt and the twisting of steel would have likely been heard six miles away inside City Hall.

"And it's a great day to be alive, I know the sun's still shining when I close my eyes. There's some hard times in the neighborhood. But why can't every day be just this good?"

The day was a long time coming for Pate, who gleamed and excitedly paced about the cracked parking lot talking on a cell phone before addressing the media and giving an unceremonious thumbs up for the destruction to begin alongside District 7 Councilor Sonya McKinstry — a vocal supporter of Pate's redevelopment plans.

If the demolition of the longtime stalwart of Tuscaloosa's retail economy was intended to be a highly-anticipated production, then Pate has not only been its maestro, but its composer from the day he purchased the property from the McFarland family in 2009.

I stood rocking back and forth on my heels — Travis Tritt playing for a second and final time after a 10-minute break — as the faded outline of the Michael's sign came down in one whole sheet and busted into a million dusty pieces on the sidewalk below. It's funny how you can take memories for granted, but chalk that one up for me as one I didn't expect.

I'll even echo what one colleague at the site said by admitting I didn't think the scene would be as emotional for me as it was.

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I grew up in the mall's final halcyon days and even wrote one of my very first opinion columns about a subject similar to Tuesday's demolition for Tuscaloosa's Planet Weekly in 2014 when the former Gayfers/Dillards building was torn down. My family would do last-minute Christmas shopping here as a kid. It had a vibrant arcade where the tickets flowed and a competitive food court for its day.

And in a weird way, I guess I also owe the property owner a degree of thanks for providing the movie theater where I first had the courage to hold a girl's hand on a G-rated middle school date.

Time marches on, though.

What stood out to me most about Pate's words ahead of the demolition wasn't the jubilation surrounding the day's events, but the excitement and expressed optimism for the future.

"If I can do one thing as I finish my development career in this community, it is to be a part of, again, the future," he said. "This is the future for the next 50, 60, 70 [years]. Who knows what it looks like when we're not here?"

To his credit, Pate has expressed interest in redeveloping the property for years, but here we were, a week out from the city's 2021 municipal election and the spectacle brought old doubts to the surface. I have nothing tangible to validate any skepticism other than history.

Pate's reputation is surprisingly fluid and wholly dependent on who you ask. The man is a populist, blue collar hero to some and a boogeyman to others. He has openly spent enough on billboards trashing Mayor Walt Maddox over the years to cover my student debt, but I've also heard numerous stories of his generosity.

While two things can be true at the same time, Pate's interest in political theater is at least worth noting as he moves forward on what is promised to be the biggest economic boon to the city since Nick Saban and Mercedes.

And as the controversial conductor struck up his rumbling chorus of heavy machinery Tuesday morning, building to a crescendo in his masterpiece, I was reminded that I can't see the future, nor predict the climax of this chaotic symphony during its current act. It's just too early to tell from my seat in the grandstands.

Will the property ultimately be redeveloped into the Stan Pate Sportsplex and produce a similar revitalization for Tuscaloosa that Regions Field did for downtown Birmingham? Or will the McFarland Mall property continue to languish and deteriorate, living on as a barren middle finger to the establishment Pate has so passionately fought?

At this point, the odds seem about even.

I will say, though, if Pate and Co. follow through and bring a world-class tournament facility to the property, with amenities for all ages, then it could have the potential to be Tuscaloosa's economic development equivalent of Beethoven's third symphony. But regardless if the sportsplex is built or the site is left vacant, the legacy of the property is sure to reverberate throughout our community for decades to come, for better or worse.

So let's keep all of our ears to the ground.

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and columnist. He is currently the community publisher of Tuscaloosa Patch and can be reached by emailing ryan.phillips@patch.com.