Emily Featherston
VV-CITY-CSPUpdate-1
Meadowlawn park will officially open May 12, 2017.
Meadowlawn Park will soon be getting an upgrade.
The Vestavia Hills City Council approved upgrades to infrastructure at the park, which, while designed to absorb heavy levels of rain, was also intended to be a playground and green space. Due to the. flood waters that pour into the park with significant rain events, playground equipment and other materials are often tossed around, City Manager Jeff Downes said.
Downes said state Sen. Dan Roberts, who represents parts of Vestavia Hills, including Cahaba Heights, donated $64,000 toward the project, with the city responsible for an additional $3,264. City crews will remove existing surfacing and replace it with poured in place surfacing from Struthers Recreation, which will solve maintenance issues for the playground and be more aesthetically pleasing, said Director of Public Services Brian Davis in a memo.
Once the city is able to line up crews for the work, Downes said the project should only take a few weeks to complete.
The council also approved a settlement of four tax appeals filed by USAA, which erroneously overpaid business license taxes from 2016 to 2018 to Vestavia Hills. The insurance company and its subsidiaries filed their claim too late to collect renewal premiums they should not have paid, leading them to file a lawsuit. In a settlement, the city agreed to pay USAA a total of $118,472.50, which can be used toward future business license taxes.
The council also approved an agreement with ALDOT to allow the Vestavia Hills Police Department to access the state agency’s traffic cameras.
In his report to the council, Downes said he has asked Jefferson County crews to hold off on their work on Crosshaven Drive this week to alleviate traffic buildup, as city crews are also performing work to improve the roadway. He also reminded the public of the city’s upcoming strategic planning session on Feb. 21 and 22. The meetings will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday and will begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The first 30 minutes of Monday’s meeting will be in executive session and will not be open to the public.
The council also introduced the annexation agreement and economic development agreement with Daniel Communities, which would formally approve the major development in Liberty Park known as The Bray. Those agreements will be voted on at the Feb. 28 meeting.
