Hitting a high note
Excitement has been building for years over the opening of the new Vestavia Hills municipal complex. The project coincides with the city’s new branding campaign, “A Life Above,” and this month will finally be revealed to the community.
“It’s encouraging to see a project that was once just on drawing boards come to life in our city,” said Mayor Butch Zaragoza.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the public is invited to the City Hall’s grand opening event, called High Notes, at 1105 Mayland Lane. The event will begin at 4 p.m. and feature a performance by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, several different bands and choirs from Vestavia Hills City Schools will be performing throughout the evening. Children will be able to play on inflatables, and Alagasco will provide hamburgers and hot dogs.
“It’s going to be a good opportunity to see the new buildings and to show our facilities off to the community,” said Zaragoza. “Guests are invited to come and go as they like.”
Coinciding with the event will be the city’s National Night Out, presented by the Vestavia Hills Police and Fire Departments. Lt. Kevin York of VHPD said the city’s typical National Night Out event, which has focused on drug awareness in the past and usually takes place at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, will resume next year. This year, the focus is on showcasing the police department’s new complex.
“We will have a few tables set up and will still be showing off some of our equipment,” York said. “However, the main focus is to show off our new facilities, which we will use to better serve our citizens.”
Williams Blackstock Architects designed the new City Hall space, which will be more than 50,000 square feet. Its main components include a City Council chamber and courtroom, each seating 120 people, and offices for city departments. The municipal courtroom will have its own room distinct from the City Council chambers. Residents will also have the space to sit in on city work sessions, something lacking at the current City Hall.
A breezeway connects the hall to the police and courts complex. A large driveway lined with trees leads up to an amphitheater seating, which is expected to be used for large city events such as I Love America Day, Wing Ding and Art in the Hills. A grand lobby will feature a celebration of city history and a sports hall of fame.
“I remember in 1950 when the City Hall was a small, four- to five-room building,” Zaragoza said. “Sixty years later, we are moving forward.”
The new facility has also spurred life along the U.S. 31 corridor. In July, the city entered into the final stages of a sale agreement with Chick-fil-A. The fast food restaurant will be located in the current City Hall space at 513 Montgomery Highway and is expected to open sometime during 2016. City Manager Jeff Downes said the city hopes to vacate the current City Hall property by Oct. 3 and the restaurant will move forward with construction rapidly.
Furthermore, construction is well underway at the new Sprouts location, which will span 28,000 square feet and include 6,000 square feet of neighboring retail space. America’s First Federal Credit Union purchased the former city library site just down the street, and construction on that space continues. Vestavia Hills took the proceeds of the $850,000 library property sale to help fund its $1.4 million incentive package for Sprouts.
All of these U.S. 31 developments are occurring in what Downes calls a record year for Vestavia Hills.
“We’ve had a trending increase in new business permits for 2015,” said Downes. “2016 will be focused on construction of many of these projects, and there is an expected 4 percent growth in general fund revenue.”
For more, visit vhal.org.