Mayor's Minute: March 2020

An old proverb is “no matter how long the winter is, spring is sure to follow.” At the time of this writing our winter has not been terrible. But then, this article is being written before February 2. Hence, I don’t have the benefit of knowing if the groundhog saw his shadow. If he saw his shadow, then certainly, we will have six more weeks of winter.

Nonetheless, spring is certainly upon us and this article is a good time to mention the efforts of the Vestavia Hills Garden Club and the Men’s Garden Club. I recently had the opportunity to speak with both groups and thank them for all that they do. Both clubs are perfect example of how volunteers make a difference in our city.

The Vestavia Hills Garden Club (VHGC) is probably the oldest volunteer group in our city. Founded in 1948, the VHGC preceded the incorporation of our city (1950). It was the VHGC that negotiated the acquisition of Sibyl Temple and arranged its relocation to the crest of Shades Mountain adjacent to Highway 31. The Men’s Garden Club was organized 35 years ago. Both clubs are very active and provide a valuable service to the city.

On February 3, our city hosted the annual U.S. Service Academy Nominee Reception at Vestavia Hills City Hall. This event, held annually and sponsored by Congressman Gary Palmer, recognizes the young men and women that are nominees for the different Service Academies. Some of these students receive offers from multiple academies. This is a tremendous honor for our students and a credit to the Vestavia Hills School System. Thank you Congressman Palmer for recognizing our students and promoting the Service Academies. The city is honored to participate in this event.

During February, we solicited input from our residents regarding the “level of satisfaction” with city services. This information was shared with our department heads and our city council members. Our police department, our fire department and our library continue to receive high ratings, whereas the quality of our streets and the quality of our sanitation services received the lowest ratings. The paving of some of our busiest thoroughfares should resolve the streets issue. The sanitation service issue is more difficult as “recycling” has become problematic. The cost of recycling exceeding the benefit and the contamination of recyclable materials are topics that the council will be addressing. You will hear more about the city’s options as we explore the options.

I would like to recognize the Pizitz Middle School robotics program under the direction of Diane McAliley. In a recent competition held at Pizitz, three of the six robotic teams qualified for the State Championship at Auburn University on February 26-27. The all girls team, comprised of sixth and seventh grade students, won the highest honors for a middle school team. They have also won the Design Award for their engineering notebook and design process.