Mayor's Minute: March 2021

You have all heard the expression “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” The oldest known written reference to the “lion/lamb” proverb comes from English author Thomas Fuller, who included it in a 1732 volume of proverbs, wise sentences and witty sayings.

March of 2020 came in like a lion as we began to grapple with this unknown entity called the coronavirus. Here we are a year later, and we are still waiting for this lion to become the lamb and leave us so we can return to normal.

The virus certainly affected city operations. City offices were adapted to accommodate citizens and maintain public health directives about masks and social distancing. The first virtual City Council meetings were conducted via online meeting software. City events such as the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, I Love America Day, the Veterans Day event, the Christmas tree lighting and others were either canceled or scaled down because of the virus.

I am optimistic that, with the continued vaccination of citizens, we can get the virus under control and be able to host events that we were not able to do last year.

Our Community Spaces Plan is moving right along. Cahaba Heights Park is completed, and Wald Park is not far behind. The opening day for baseball was Feb. 27, and the inaugural Miracle League season started March 1. The completion of the “Grand Lawn” with the playground should be completed by April. The Vestavia Hills Aquatic Complex, already completed, will open this year on Memorial Day weekend.

We would like to have a grand celebration of all of these amenities in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce and I Love America Day on June 24.

Each year our Vestavia Hills Garden Club and the Men’s Garden Club “spring” into action and begin their projects for the year. Both clubs are perfect examples of examples of how volunteers make a difference in our city.

Starting in February, we solicited input from our residents by way of a citizen survey. The survey asked residents to rate the “level of satisfaction” with city services. By March, the findings will be shared with our department heads and our City Council members. Our police department, our fire department and our library continue to receive high ratings. We anticipate improved ratings on quality of streets as a result of the Community Infrastructure Plan. Our sanitation services are undoubtedly better under our new provider.

Let’s hope that the “lion” has become the “lamb” as you read this message in March.