Mayor's Minute: November 2019

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We do have much for which to be thankful.

I recently gave the State of the City address at the Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting in October. I would like to share with you some of our successes this past year:

► Vestavia Hills has again been rated as the safest city in Alabama for cities over 30,000 in population. This is our third year in a row.

► Vestavia Hills has been rated the number one place to live in Alabama, based on a livability index used by the website areavibes.com.

► The Library in the Forest will soon offer a “remote” library in Liberty Park thanks to the generous offer of the Liberty Park Pharmacy to allow library lockers that will allow patrons to pick up and return library materials.

► Our new Phoenix Program, a program to assist addicted individuals, has already helped nine individuals by placing them with recovery resource agencies.

► Volunteers in our city continue to make a difference by adding to the quality of life that we enjoy. Groups such as churches, civic clubs and the volunteer foundations provide much to our quality of life.

► Our schools continue to perform at a high level thanks to the “culture of excellence” that Dr. Freeman, our superintendent, attributes to the employees, the parents and the community.

► Our Community Spaces and Infrastructure Plan is well underway with a projected completion next year. The infrastructure improvements include road-widening and sidewalks on Crosshaven Drive, currently underway. We have already resurfaced more than 20 miles of roadways.

► Vestavia Hills is one of the most efficiently run cities in the area. We “do more with less.” Based on revenues received per capita, we are clearly the most efficient of our surrounding cities.

Our city is on the right track for continued improvement. But as Will Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” I fully expect our city will keep moving forward and will maintain the excellence we all expect.

Our Community Night Out was Oct 1. Based on the comments I received from the many families present, it was a huge success. Though a little warm at the beginning, it was pleasant by the end of the evening. I would like to commend our first responders, our vendors and the volunteers who made this community event possible.

On Nov. 7, our city will host its annual Salute to Veterans at the Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. The doors will open at 1:30 p.m. with the program starting at 2 p.m. The entertainment will include the Vestavia Hills High School band ensemble and the Honors Choir. You will not want to miss the Harmony Belles as they perform music from the ’40s. Please join us as we honor all of our veterans.

I wish each of you a happy Thanksgiving.