Council honors police officers for life-saving actions

The city of Vestavia Hills honored three Vestavia police officers at the Dec. 20 City Council meeting for their actions in a November incident that saved a man’s life.

Police Chief Dan Rary told the council officers Randy Gagnon, Juan Chavez and Nicholas Steketee responded to reports of a man slouched over in a chair outside of the Days Inn hotel on U.S. 31 and realized his life was in danger due to a drug overdose. The officers administered Narcan, which reverses an overdose.

“Their diligence, their awareness … saved a life,” Rary said.

The council also approved a conditional use permit for the construction of two duplexes at 2017 Columbiana Road near Shades Mountain Baptist Church. The church owns the property and plans to build and use the duplexes to house furloughed missionaries, with the missionaries not staying more than one year. The church will also reinforce and improve the bridge used to access the property.

The council also approved the $13,00 purchase of a lightning detection system, as well as the remittance of a fee to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for the city’s MS4, five-year permit.

In other business, the council:

Approved a number of updated city codes

Approved a 30-year franchise agreement with Spire to operate within city rights of way

Annexed 2433 Rocky Ridge Road

Introduced a new sanitation contract with Amwaste, with the only change being the addition of Vestavia Hills to the Cahaba Solid Waste Authority. The issue will be voted on at the Jan. 10 meeting.

Recognized January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Vestavia Hills is a Human TraffickingFree Zone.