Emily Featherston
The Altadena Valley Park committee leaders want to begin work to improve the park with “low-hanging fruit,” said member Tony Renta at the Jan. 24 Vestavia Hills City Council meeting.
Renta said they’ve been asked to determine the cost of construction of some of the initial plans, which include improving drainage and walking paths, as well as creating more parking spaces at the park.
Improving drainage will be a big benefit for patrons, as water often piles up along the pathways, presenting a problem especially for older users, Renta said.
That work would be part of phase one of the park improvements, with other components including building a pavilion, rest shelter and wildflower masses and restoring a pond and bridge. Storage space and a disc golf course could also be added, but the council must approve the project’s budget.
Phase two would possibly include a canoe launch and the possibility of archery, restroom restoration, the canoe launch, access and trails, and a BMX pump track, according to information presented to the public.
The council approved the spending of an additional $85,000 to resolve more problems on Oakview Lane. The city previously spent about $119,000 to replace a failing pipe on the road, but in doing that work, they found another 150 linear feet of failing pipe which needs to be replaced. Due to the repairs being declared an emergency, the work does not have to go through the competitive bidding process.
The council also approved an easement agreement with Roy and Sharon Gilbert to build a sidewalk on a portion of their property at 3175 Pipeline Road, part of the improvements to the area in Cahaba Heights. The city is creating a pedestrian pathway and sidewalks as new restaurants, including Miss Astrid’s Tavern behind the Fig Tree, plan to open in the near future.
In other business, the council:
Accepted the dedication of Altadena Park Circle and Altadena Park Lane
Rezoned 4565 Pine Tree Circle from planned neighborhood mixed use district to neighborhood business district for the construction of 32 parking spaces for Studio 21
Annexed 1718 Vestaview Lane into the city
Approved the refunding of about $56,000 in remitted business license fees and sales taxes to Mobley & Sons, which is not in city limits and mistakenly was approved for a Vestavia Hills business license
Approved the sale of old parks and recreation equipment
Authorized the purchase of software for consolidated debt management
Introduced a resolution authorizing the resurfacing of Meadowlawn Park’s playground
Introduced an ordinance authorizing the settlement of four tax appeals seeking refunds of the overpayment of business license taxes erroneously paid by four insurance companies in 2017 and 2018
