City discusses changes in parks department, other plans during two-day session

As the Community Spaces Plan moves forward, the City of Vestavia Hills will seek to add a few new positions within the parks and recreation department and revamp the way the city handles department activities.

While city leaders talked in the past about possibly hiring an outside, third-party firm to run the city’s parks and recreation activities, City Manager Jeff Downes will, at the request of the council, seek to hire new employees in various roles, including a facility sales and marketing director, a civic and seniors program director, a senior recreation and aquatics leader, a seasonal recreation leader and four part-time labor positions. The directors would be senior positions and would report, along with Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jason Burnett, to Public Works Director Brian Davis.

Parks and recreation, along with many other issues, was discussed at a two-day strategic planning session held at city hall on Feb. 4 and 5, an annual meeting where city leaders discuss plans for the upcoming year. No official action is taken at work sessions.

The addition of new employees will work with the already-existing employees and volunteers for each sport to help run the department’s various activities, which may also be revamped as part of the Community Spaces plan.

New programs, to be managed internally, may include volleyball, adult basketball, adult softball, AAU basketball, enhanced family aquatic programming and pickleball.

With expanded revenue expected from the Community Spaces Plan and in particular, the new community center in the former Gold’s Gym space, the cost of hiring the new employees will equal about $15,000 in additional expenses, Downes said. However, with the proposed addition of program and facility fees, as well as the city taking over responsibilities of “Let’s Play Vestavia,” which Downes said had “run its course,” Downes told the council he expected a future surplus of $63,550.

CITY FINANCES

After speaking of how the city had met 2018 priorities, Downes gave the council an update on the city’s finances.

There is a $2.3 million surplus in the Community Spaces fund, collected through the new, one-cent sales tax established last year, Downes said. That can be used at the discretion of the council.

After fiscal year 2018 ended, the city had a $1.1 million surplus after budgeting to break even, Downes said. There was also a 6.19 percent increase in ad valorem tax revenue, and a 21.94 percent growth in sales tax revenue, largely attributable to the new tax.

While sales tax growth will slow down a bit in the future, Downes said the city is in “good shape” financially.

FUTURE PLANS FOR 31

The council discussed the south end of U.S. 31, both from a commercial standpoint and infrastructure. Council member Kimberly Cook brought up the idea of looking at improving the intersection of Interstate 65, U.S. 31 and Columbiana Road, as it is often flooded with traffic. In a separate discussion, City Engineer Christopher Brady said the city may work with both Jefferson County and the City of Hoover to make improvements where Columbiana Road meets U.S. 31, eliminating one of the right-turn lanes. The potential project would be funded through an APPLE grant.

While the city has not committed to pursuing any specific property, Downes said the city will look into conducting “strategic property acquisition” in the future. However, any purchase would have to have a definite return on investment, he said.

BLUE LAKE DEVELOPMENT

The “next frontier” for economic development is the Blue Lake area, Downes said. Downes and the council discussed possibly investing in some property to make some road and infrastructure improvements to attract potential businesses to the area, including a possible roundabout and improving road accessibility.

The estimated cost of such an investment is about $650,000, Downes said.

INTERNAL PROJECTS

In addition to the Community Spaces Plan, which is being carried out by TCU Consulting and Williams Blackstock Architects, the city also has internal projects, including sidewalk development, paving and drainage projects, among others.

Ongoing sidewalk developments are taking place at the intersection of Rocky Ridge Road and Dolly Ridge Road, East Street, Mountain View Drive, Cahaba Heights Road and Green Valley Road, with all in various stages. Survey work is complete at Rocky Ridge, and is nearing completion at East Street, Mountain View and Cahaba Heights Road. Construction has begun on Green Valley and is expected to be completed by the end of April.

Brady updated the council on various road paving projects, with seven project areas being focused on by the city. Paving has finished at Tyler Road and Jacobs Road, as well as Oakdale Drive, and city workers were working on Southwood Road and Sunset Drive in early February, Brady said.

Several drainage projects were also completed in 2018, with rusted metal pipes being replaced before they collapsed. Three pipes were replaced in Cahaba Heights and as of February, there was an ongoing project at the intersection of Southwood Road and Granada Drive.

Two pipes may soon be replaced on Massey Road, which is also set to be widened, have sidewalks installed and have the retaining wall on the south side of the road replaced in the next year, Brady said. Construction could begin by the end of 2019.

Other ALDOT-funded projects, which receive both state and federal money, include a tunnel connecting the Liberty Park Athletic Complex and the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex, a walking/biking trail connecting the new community center and Wald Park and the longtime pedestrian bridge project, connecting the library and Wald Park. The pedestrian bridge has been marked as a “high-priority project” by ALDOT, and design plans will be submitted in June for approval, with construction to start possibly by next March, Brady said.

The tunnel could be completed by the end of 2019 and design work has begun on the connecting road.

The city must also decide whether to use a federally-funded traffic study that would study traffic flow on U.S. 31, Brady said. The city of Huntsville turned down the study, and council members voiced a desire to ask Huntsville why they didn’t want the study before moving ahead.

In addition to the intersection of U.S. 31, Interstate 65 and Columbiana Road, several other city intersections will be studied through the APPLE Grant. There will be eight high-priority projects, which are yet to be determined.

COMMUNITY SPACES

Both Williams Blackstock Architects and Ken Upchurch from TCU Consulting gave an update on the Community Spaces Plan.

Every project is expected to be let out for bid in the spring of 2019, Upchurch said.

“We do have some time issues,” Upchurch said. “We want to minimize the disruption of spring sports, so we won’t really start until they’re done.”

While much of the details for individual projects did not change from previous reports, the council talked with Stephen Allen of Williams Blackstock Architects about possibly adding on to the roof of the community center to make it easier to connect with city hall. Allen said they’re also working on making the community center look similar, in terms of aesthetics and material, to city hall and the library.

At the Cahaba Heights ballfields, there will be no elevator between the upper and lower fields, as a graded slope will include a walking trail that will not require handrails, Allen said. Concessions will be on the ground floor, included in a two-story fieldhouse.

Upchurch did tell the council certain projects, including the Cahaba Heights ballfields and Wald Park, are getting close to being over budget, but that he and TCU will work in February and March to not go over budget, reconciling wants and needs.

“We won’t bring you a design you can’t afford,” Upchurch said.

More information about Community Spaces can be found at both vhal.org or by searching for it at vestaviavoice.com.

RELATIONSHIP WITH VHCS

The council met with Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman and Assistant Superintendent Patrick Martin to discuss the memorandum of understanding between the two entities.

The council agreed to pay $280,000 a year for 10 years to help pay for future facilities, and also agreed that, in the new MOU, there would be a field and facility-use agreement to allow the city to use the two new ballfields at the new Pizitz Middle School (formerly Berry High School), as well as pedestrian safety crossings at Wald Park. The city also committed to, in the future, convey some property at both Cahaba Heights and Wald Park to the board of education, including conveying the land currently occupied by the New Merkel House if and when a new New Merkel House is built. The city would also convey the current recreation center and civic center to the board of education.

The city will also work on developing a master scheduling system and a shared parking agreement with the school system.

The MOU will have to be approved by way of resolution at a formal city council meeting.

Cook, on Tuesday, also mentioned that she and other leaders are working with the schools to combat the vaping epidemic.

LIBRARY

After their strategic planning session in 2015, the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest committed to improving in five areas, including programming.

While the library updated the council and other city leaders on progress made in the past year, much discussion revolved around opportunities to improve library access in the Cahaba Heights and Liberty Park areas, with both city leaders and library director Taniesha Tucker committing to exploring opportunities to offer some type of programming in the area, as circulation is down at the main campus with the rise of virtual libraries.

In a survey of some residents, just more than 74 percent of those surveyed said they would not financially support a satellite branch in Cahaba Heights and Liberty Park.

LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

City leaders discussed several legislative issues that could impact the city, including a gas tax, retirement issues and tort reform.

The decision to increase the state gas tax will likely dominate discussion in the Alabama Legislature this year, and the outcome will impact cities across the state, including Vestavia. If the state chooses not to raise the gas tax or change the percentage that municipalities receive, the city may have to borrow money from the general fund to pay for road improvements in the future. Even if the tax is not increased, Mayor Ashley Curry said the city will pursue and want to see the ratio changed, as cities currently only receive 10 percent of the tax, to be split among the many cities within the state.

In 2013, the state passed a law changing the way retirement benefits work, affecting employees who work for cities that are part of the Retirement System of Alabama, including Vestavia. Tier 2 employees, those hired on or after Jan. 1, 2013, saw decreased retirement benefits, Police Chief Dan Rary said. Sick leave does not convert to an employee’s pension upon retirement for Tier 2 employees, while it does for Tier 1 employees (hired before Jan. 1, 2013). Because of that, the city has lost employees, including police officers, to the City of Birmingham, which is not part of the RSA.

“It’s a no-brainer, we need to give them that benefit,” Rary said.

If legislation changing those benefits passes, the city can opt back in.

Lastly, city leaders discussed tort reform. Several years ago, a police officer in Vestavia was sued individually after being involved in a car accident while on duty. The “low-speed, nonviolent” accident cost the city thousands of dollars in a settlement, Downes said.

Suing employees individually goes around tort caps. While trial lawyers will likely fight any legislation protecting municipal employees, Curry said the sooner that law can be changed, the better.

OPIOID LEGISLATION

Tommy Dazzio gave an update on opioid litigation. The City of Vestavia Hills is one of many municipalities and counties seeking to force a settlement from major pharmaceutical companies and changed laws relating to the opioid crisis. The lawsuit will be heard in Cleveland, and is set to commence in September of this year, Dazzio said.

A settlement is possible by the end of this year, Dazzio said, and money may not be the only thing changing. It’s possible that a judge will enforce restrictions on opioid distribution and marketing.

Lawyers are currently working to make public data showing the number of drugs shipped around the country, and the expectation is that data will show an unnecessary amount of drugs going to cities all over the nation, Dazzio said.

VESTAVIA HILLS LISTENS SURVEY

Prior to the strategic planning session, the city conducted a resident survey online at Vestavia Hills Listens. The city’s communications director, Cinnamon McCulley, told the council of the results of the survey.

There were 894 responses, mostly by females between the ages of 40 and 49, she said, with most respondents living south of city hall. Residents were asked to rate city services, rating public safety 4.6 out of 5, parks and recreation 3.2 out of 5, city streets 3.5 out of 5, city services 3.8 out of 5 and communications 3.8 out of 5. Residents said sidewalks and Wald Park were the most important part of the Community Spaces Plan.

Asked to prioritize projects within each department, residents said the maintenance of city streets, the number of walking and biking trails and sidewalks were most important to them.

McCulley also said she will be sending out an email newsletter the Wednesday after each city council meeting. To sign up, visit vhal.org, and go to the bottom of the page. There is a box to enter your email address to receive the newsletter. On Facebook, to see posts from the city’s page first, click “show first” and it will be at the top of your newsfeed.

MUNICIPAL COURT

New municipal court director Umang Patel updated the council on the success of his pretrial diversion program and attempts to better organize the department.

City leaders did say on the second day of meetings that at some point in the future, they need to look at updating the department’s software.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

After hearing an update from the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, both Karen Odle, executive director of the chamber, and city leaders discussed the possibility of bringing in a third-party consultant to study the chamber and make recommendations to help improve it.

On Tuesday, the council said they wouldn’t mind splitting the cost of the consultant with the chamber.