Meet Your City Council: Steve Ammons

Steve Ammons has served in the Vestavia City Council since November 2008 and is currently in his second term. Outside the council, Ammons runs Bullet Screening Services, an employment screening company. Bullet Screening runs criminal histories, E-Verify, drug testing and more to help clients do due diligence on potential employees.

Ammons lives in Vestavia Hills with his wife, Shannon, and two sons, Denver and Will, who are in middle school. He has contributed much to the Vestavia community, including founding Run for the Hills in 2007.

What do you love most about living in and serving  this community?

The thing I love most about our community is our quality of life. Quality of life is a broad stroke, but it’s hard to just point to one thing. Our public safety, parks and recreation, library and schools are the primary reason people choose Vestavia Hills as their home and the primary reason they choose to stay. My parents moved here in 1977 and planned to stay for a few years. To this day, they still live in the same house because of the quality of life they have experienced in the area.

Currently, what is the most pressing issue facing the Council?

One of the most pressing issues is and will continue to be economic development. Last year, the Council, with the help of Market Street and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB), developed a vision plan for the city and specifically a redevelopment plan for the Highway 31 corridor. A video giving an overview of the plan can be seen at redevelophighway31.com.

Thanks to all of this work, one of the five major goals of the Council is to implement the Market Street and RPCGB plans. Our intention is that these plans do not sit on the shelf and gather dust, but rather give the community, landowners and developers a picture of the direction in which the council would like to move.

What is something new coming to Vestavia Hills for 2013?

The City is moving towards trying to take as many functions off of Highway 31 frontage and sell some of the property it owns to allow for more economic growth. A letter of intent has been signed to sell the current city hall location and relocate to the former Food World building off Highway 31, as well as sell and relocate the city garage and public works.

Our Parks and Recreation Board and Foundation (vhprf.org) are working hard on their capital campaign to support a community park adjoining the Sicard Hollow Athletic Fields and creating a bridge that crosses Little Shades Creek at McCallum Park to 14 acres of green space and trails.

A joint effort with the school system will place School Resource Officers in every school and will add an extra officer at the high school.

What are some ways to become involved within the community?

There are many ways to get involved through Parks and Rec, the Chamber, any one of the foundations (Schools, Parks and Rec, Library, and Sybil Temple) or any one of the City boards or committees. Another way to get involved is to apply for Leadership Vestavia Hills not only to learn more about the community, but to learn how to lead in the community.

I encourage anyone that is interested to volunteer and not to frame it as “giving back” but doing it because you love the community and you have a passion for it.

You started Run for the Hills. How has it progressed since beginning in 2007?

Run for the Hills is a fundraiser for the Vestavia Hills Sunrise Rotary Club that is now run by Steve Hicks, a lieutenant in the Vestavia Hills Fire Department. The race is still going on but has experienced some challenges with the growth of the sport.

In the first year there were only two races in town on the date of the race, and in year five there were six on that same day. I hate to see the competition but am encouraged to see how many people are out there running. Check Vestaviasunriserotary.com to learn more about the event.

If you met someone from another state who was considering moving to Vestavia Hills, what would you tell them?

If you are looking for a place where things like quality of life, excellence in education and community cohesion are important, then look no further — you have found a home.