A look ahead at 2023: Park improvements, more events and possible school upgrades on horizon

Following a couple of years of construction delays, the city of Vestavia Hills is expected to wrap up the Community Spaces Plan in 2023, with just the completion of Wald Park left to finish.

In addition to improvements at Wald Park, work will begin to improve Altadena Valley Park, a former golf course city leaders hope can be turned into an asset for residents, while new events at new city facilities will also mark the new year.

Several businesses will be joining the city as new developments take shape, while Vestavia Hills City Schools leaders anticipate a vote on a tax increase to fund the proposed 1Rebel 1Future plan to bring improvements and additions all across the school system.

Dream to reality

More than six years after plans were first introduced, the Community Spaces Plan should be complete this year, City Manager Jeff Downes said.

While plans previously called for the nearly $60 million worth of infrastructure and parks and recreation improvements to be finished in the past couple of years, a series of delays related to supply-chain issues and other problems pushed back the last handful of projects, including the new Civic Center, which opened in November 2022.

The last project to be finished is the final phase of Wald Park, which includes the addition of six tennis courts, six pickleball courts, more than 100 parking spaces, a dog park and a walking trail.

“The tennis community has been very patient,” Downes said.

The original budget for the project was about $1.8 million but rose substantially due to supply-chain issues and scope increases. In July 2022, the City Council approved a $4.25 million bid from Duncan Thompson Construction to complete the project.

The improvement project at Crosshaven Drive was also part of the project, and while there will still be some work ongoing in the early months of 2023, that work belongs to Jefferson County, as the city’s portion of the project is over, Downes said.

The main issues of improving resident quality of life and the lack of capacity at existing city facilities will be resolved with the program’s completion, he said.

“What was a dream has become a reality,” Downes said.

Now, the city’s task is to make good on the $60 million investment and use the new facilities and improvements to the best of their abilities, Downes said. At the new Civic Center, that means advertising its availability for residents to use as a gym, meeting space and more. While the city is not in competition with private gyms, Downes said, there are new and “nice” amenities featured at the center.

In November, the city held its annual “Salute to Veterans” event, the first event held at the center. Viva Vestavia is coming later this month and at least one wedding has been booked, Downes said.

“2023 is going to mark an incredible opportunity to see new programs and activities in that Civic Center,” Downes said.

While the largest project in city history will be over, there is always room for improvement, Downes said.

“We always want the best and we deserve the best,” Downes said. “And we as the city have to deliver the best.”

Altadena Valley Park

The first phase of Altadena Valley Park will include trail systems, parking, shelters and restrooms, all of which should come this year, Downes said.

With continued demand for more trails and green space, the city hopes to turn the former golf course into a “special park,” Downes said.

The first phase is already out to bid.

According to previous reporting, future phases could include a canoe launch, archery, a BMX pump track and more, but all future work would have to be approved by the council.

Tidying up

While 2022 saw the city purchase the old, much-maligned Days Inn hotel and former Bar 31 property, 2023 will see that property’s demolition and steps taken toward the area’s redevelopment, Downes said.

At some point, the city will demolish the entire building and then hold a planning charrette, a meeting in which the public and other stakeholders will come together to discuss possible usage and redesign of the property. Downes said he has told the development community it took 50 years for that part of the city to get to the point it did, so give the city “five months” to determine what it could be.

A project to redevelop the old Motor Lodge property into a commercial project is underway by developers Ward Neely and John Michael Bodnar, which also helps improve the city’s southern end.

In Liberty Park, economic development will be ramping up alongside the construction of hundreds of new homes as The Bray project continues.

“It is the future of Vestavia Hills for financial sustainability, for quality-of-life opportunities,” Downes said.

There is also a plan to have a “grand lawn” similar to what now exists at Wald Park, replicating that asset on the city’s eastern side, he said.

“Whether you live in the far western side of the city, the central or the east … there is something going on for everybody,” Downes said.

Get your beads

While not planning on challenging Mobile or New Orleans for their festivals, the city of Vestavia Hills does plan on hosting a Mardi Gras parade this year in Cahaba Heights.

The plan is to bring the community together and watch as floats travel Cahaba Heights Road to Crosshaven Drive, passing through Heights Village and ending at Cajun Steamer.

Downes called that event the “tip of the iceberg” for what could come to the city, and said while Vestavia is still family-friendly, the city does not want to turn down events that draw all types of people to Vestavia, including young people, business leaders and other parts of the community that may not previously have been engaged.

The event will be the kick-off event of the Dogwood Festival.

City projects

While the city cannot control the timing of Alabama Department of Transportation projects, Downes said he expects “positive momentum” on projects such as the pedestrian bridge and the improvement of Massey Road.

The pedestrian bridge project will link the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest to Wald Park, providing a way for residents and visitors to cross to two of the city’s main attractions without having to walk across busy U.S. 31.

Following the rejection of the initial bid for the project, the bridge is being redesigned and will then be rebid.

On Massey Road, the city is still working with a few remaining property owners to secure rights of way before moving ahead with the project, which includes the installation of sidewalks along the entirety of the road, a drainage improvement project on the Columbiana Road side of Massey, curb and gutter work, the installation of a stormwater pipe and a slight road widening, along with slope stabilization and resurfacing.

In other projects, the city is finishing existing sidewalk projects in Cahaba Heights and the Rocky Ridge area and will follow that with a reevaluation of the sidewalk master plan, Downes said. That will be accompanied by a community survey, allowing residents to provide feedback on their priorities in regards to sidewalks.

The city is ready to begin improving the intersection of U.S. 31 and Columbiana Road, which has the highest number of motor vehicle accidents in the city. Turn lanes will be realigned as drivers access U.S. 31. City engineers are working on the plans, Downes said.

Other improvements include the intersection of Dolly Ridge Road and Rocky Ridge Road and installing a roundabout at the intersection of Sicard Hollow Road, Cahaba Heights Road and Blue Lake Drive. The city is also creating a stormwater master plan and will pave several miles of streets next year, Downes said.

Planning for the future

2023 will see Vestavia Hills voters decide whether to increase the city’s millage rate to pay for proposed improvements and additions to Vestavia Hills City Schools.

The 1Rebel 1Future plan seeks to add new facilities and renovate others, as well as add and expand program offerings. Superintendent Todd Freeman has requested an increase of 9.8 mills and said the plan would be to start new programs in the fall and start on the litany of projects included in the proposal, prioritizing energy savings projects, lighting, roofing and some new construction. That’s if residents approve the increase during a May 9 election.

The plan centers on two initiatives: to invest in “profound learning experiences” and create “safe and dynamic facilities,” Freeman said.

While Vestavia Hills is highly regarded for its school system, there is always room for improvement, and the areas in need of improvement now include STEM and world languages, Freeman said. Right now, STEM classes are available for middle- and high-school students, and this proposal would add it as a “special” for elementary students, Freeman said. Specials are classes held once a week and currently include things like art, music and a day in the library, Freeman said.

Renovations would take place to create classroom space and more at the system’s elementary schools, while the high school would receive upgrades in the areas of arts, athletics and STEM. Choir would move into the existing band space, with a black box theater moving into the existing choral space. The band would move, along with dance, into a new space, with STEM and arts classes moving into existing spaces that would be renovated, Freeman said. The band space would also include a new kitchen and expanded cafeteria and would connect to a new plaza area that goes into the updated arts and athletic spaces.

A new indoor facility, located in the open field behind the competition gym, would include 50 yards of artificial turf that could be used by athletic teams and the band, and it would also include a weight training area for all sports, a locker room and a wrestling area.

Freeman said plans for the new year also includes partnering with Samford University’s Hope Institute to teach character education and selling the former Vestavia Hills Elementary Central campus, though the ballfields will remain under system control.

There are no other building projects outside of 1Rebel 1Future, Freeman said, and, if approved, the entire project should take between three and four years.

“My confidence is that we have a really good comprehensive idea to protect our legacy of excellence,” Freeman said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story included a wrong photo, misidentifying Altadena Valley Park. The Voice apologizes for the error.