The phone rang at 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 21, 2005.

Alan Hallman answered. It was a representative from Ford Motor Co. who had been working with the city of Hapeville about the future of the town's auto plant. All indications had been that the Hapeville facility would be spared in the upcoming rounds of plant closings.

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At least, that's what Hallman, Hapeville's mayor since 2003, had been led to believe.

But the voice on the other line was telling Hallman that there was to be a news conference at 9 a.m. to announce the plant was going to close.

"It was a 'pit-in-your-gut' kind of feeling," Hallman said. "The closing announcement really came out of nowhere. We were all confident we were going to make the cut."

Instead, the Hapeville Ford plant — a fixture in the town since 1947 — would shut down its production lines, sending anxiety ripples among its 6,000 residents.

Perhaps no one was more concerned than Hallman. Ford was Hapeville's top taxpayer, contributing 10 percent to the city's budget. And as one of the top employers of Hapeville's residents, Ford's departure was certain to impact the city's economic health.

"It was a blow," Hallman recalled during an interview last week at Hapeville's City Hall. To replace Ford's tax revenue, the city decided last year to pass a controversial 4 mil tax increase.

"I did that in an election year," said Hallman, who won re-election in November by only 49 votes.

But, more importantly for Hallman, was to make sure Hapeville would be part of the decision of how the vacant Ford plant — all 122 acres — would be redeveloped.

"To me, it's one of the most premier pieces of property in Atlanta," Hallman said. "It's like being in the middle of transportation megamall."

Hapeville is a transportation mecca. A railroad line runs right through the middle of town. When the Ford plant was up and running, it was not unusual for trains to bring the town to a standstill.

Hapeville's next door neighbor is Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and the new international terminal will be directly across the Airport Loop Road from the Ford site.

The eastern edge of town is I-75, which brings thousands and thousands of cars and trucks right by the old Ford plant.

"Hapeville started because of transportation," Hallman said, "and it is blessed today because of transportation."

Hallman's greatest fear was that the city of Atlanta and the airport might try a property grab and go after the Ford plant. That would mean the whole site would be government property and would not contribute to Hapeville's tax revenues.

So one of the first challenges was to meet with the airport general manager, Ben DeCosta, to make sure they could work together. They had a meeting and shook hands.

Meanwhile, Hallman also began meeting privately with Ford officials to "make sure we have a voice at the table."

When the property was put on the market, it came down to two bidders, one from Atlanta and one from out of town.

Hallman did what he could to make sure the local developer, Jacoby Development Inc. (headed by Jim Jacoby), won the bid. Jacoby, master developer of Atlantic Station, had experience doing mixed-use projects on brownfield sites.

"To me, a mixed-use commercial development was the best use of that land," Hallman said. "I was familiar with Jacoby's track record and their experience with environmental issues. They were my front-runner early on."

Last week, Jacoby released a concept plan to redevelop the site that includes office, warehouse and retail, but no residential. Jacoby has an option to buy the property, and the deal is expected to close this summer. The total project cost could total more than $1 billion and eventually employ thousands more than those working at the Ford plant.

"It is one of the more challenging moments. On the one hand, it's financially challenging and frustrating," the mayor said. "On the other hand, it's an opportunity to totally transform the face of our community."

Hallman is amazed to find himself in the middle of this transformation and being a player in the future of his town.

After all, Hallman, 45, has spent his whole life in Hapeville; he never went to college; and he never really was politically ambitious.

Back in the mid-1980s, he ran for Hapeville's City Council and "got my clock cleaned." It took him about a decade before he decided to make another run for public office. He was elected to the council in 1996 and took office in 1997.

"It was about making a difference," Hallman said. "This town really shaped who I am as a person. I wanted to make sure that Hapeville never lost that small-town charm."

When then-Mayor C.C. Martin became terminally ill and stepped down in 2003, Hallman ran for mayor, a position he has held ever since.

His pride in Hapeville shone through several times during the interview. He described traveling around the country and telling people he's from Hapeville and getting blank faces.

And then he would ask them if they had heard of Ford Taurus, or Chick-fil-A, or of comedian Jeff Foxworthy. They all originated in Hapeville.

When people would ask him if he minds the sounds of airplanes flying overhead or of the train whistles going through town, he would answer: "It sounds like money to me."

But Hallman probably gets the most puzzled looks when he describes Hapeville as oceanfront property. "The airport is like our ocean view," he said. "Our airport is a moving light show."

Although he is not committing to run again for mayor in 2011, Hallman said he does want to finish what he's started. The beauty of leading a town like Hapeville is that one person can make a difference.

"The nice thing about a small town is that you can see it change. You can touch it. You can feel it. You can smell it. And you can hold it in your hand," Hallman said.

Then he fast-forwards to the future: "The moment we start seeing the dirt moving on this site will be an exciting day."