BOE holding community forums Thursday

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education will hold two community forums Thursday to discuss future use of various school facilities and property.

The two forums will cover a variety of locations, including the former Berry High School campus, after a federal judge recently cleared the purchase of the property from the Hoover board of education.

Hoover had already accepted the Vestavia BOE's offer of $11 million, and with with U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala's approval, the school system can now move forward. 

Earlier this year, superintendent Sheila Phillips said that the school system hoped to use the property to serve growing enrollment numbers. She also said in a statement that she wanted Hoover residents and Berry High School alumni to understand that Vestavia would keep the historic nature of the facility in mind when discussing usage.

The community forums will allow Vestavia residents to provide the BOE with input and ideas for how the school system can best use its current and new facilities.

"We will move forward with these conversations thoughtfully and methodically to ensure all our stakeholders are heard in the months ahead," Phillips said in a release.

The first forum will take place at noon, and the second will take place at 6 p.m., and both will take place at the BOE building at 1204 Montgomery Highway.