Photo by Erin Nelson
Temple of Sibyl - Vestavia HIlls
A sign welcomes people to the city of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, along U.S. 31 and atop Shades Mountain.
The Vestavia Hills City Council and other city leaders met for two days last week to discuss a wide range of issues and plan their work for the upcoming year.
Parks and Recreation
Director of Parks and Leisure Services Jamie Lee said park improvements are at the top of his mind for 2023.
Altadena Valley Park, which was briefly discussed on-site by city leaders, is set for phase one, which is a lot of “moving dirt,” Lee said. The first work to be done is grading and asphalt work, along with sidewalks and landscaping. Project leaders are working to lower the budget from about $1.1 million to the city-approved roughly $700,000, Lee said. Shelby County is paying for restrooms, pavilions and trails, as the property is near their residents, Lee said.
The Liberty Park Athletic Complex is more than 25 years old and Holcombe Norton Partners is studying the best way to improve the park, Lee said. One proposal is to not make major changes to the existing fields but to add a walking trail, replace grass with turf and possibly create a multipurpose field, Lee said. Another proposal is to take down and remodel the entire park.
Lee asked the council to consider making improvements to the walking trail at Byrd Park as well.
The aquatic center continues to see growth and Lee prompted providing swim lessons and other possible new programs such as a “dive in” movie night, lifeguard wars and days for members to bring a guest or participate in water games. Lee also suggested the council consider using a third-party organization to heat the pool for high school swim teams in fall and winter, along with lap swims for members and club teams.
Lee said he wants to provide more on-site leadership training and professional development for employees and coaches throughout the department.
Public Works
In public works, the council heard from outside consultants on various projects.
Schoel Engineering said their study of a roughly 345-acre basin on the east side of upper U.S. 31 to improve stormwater management is ongoing. The study was separated into east, west, central and south trunk lines, with various projects proposed and prioritized by cost, number of homes that benefit and the percentage of the project that is within the public right of way, Kaitlin Braun and William Thomas with Schoel told the council.
The east trunk line received the highest priority, which includes work on Sunset Drive, Southwood Road, Trousdale Street, Chanticleer Lane and Chestnut Road. The work would require some streetscape, curb and gutter and proposals will be sent out for the city to move forward with implementation at Sunset Drive and Southwood Road. The proposed work is to remove concrete driveway spanners, replace them with grated driveway spanners and add curb and gutter. The estimated cost is about $200,000.
Sain Associates brought an update on the proposed roundabout at Blue Lake Drive, Cahaba Heights Road and Sicard Hollow Road. The goals are to mitigate sight distance deficiencies, reduce the likelihood of severe crashes and reduce traffic delay at the intersection. Jefferson County is contributing to $1 million and the city cost is $1 million, based on early cost estimates. The challenges to the project are utility conflicts and relocations, environmental impacts and permitting, and construction timeframe restrictions and impact to traffic patterns.
Design work for the project is 85% complete and environmental studies and subsurface utility exploration is complete. Work to obtain right of way access has begun and the relocation of utilities and construction of the roundabout will begin this calendar year. Once begun, construction should take between 9 to 12 months, said Nathan Currie with Sain Associates.
The city was expected to bid a sidewalk project for Rocky Ridge Road and Dolly Ridge Road this week, while work continues to improve the intersection with an additional right turn lane onto Dolly Ridge Road from Rocky Ridge Road.
Residents near Poe Drive and Fairhaven Drive are having stormwater issues. EDG Engineering is studying how to make improvements to the area, which will have to be done in coordination with private property owners. Some public improvements to sewer can also be made, such as adding curb and gutter, drainage structures, updating existing pipes and more, said Wade Lowery with the group.
Director of Public Works Brian Davis said the city is still seeking input for its 2023 master sidewalk plan. Several projects are in the work, including the Cahaba Heights connector project, which was also toured by the council. That project will connect Heights Village to the new Miss Astrid’s Tavern behind The Fig Tree.
Massey Road is still in progress, with a bid date of July 28 scheduled. The project includes the installation of sidewalks along the entirety of the road, a drainage improvement project on the Columbiana Road side of Massey, curb and gutter work, the installation of a stormwater pipe and a slight road widening, along with slope stabilization and resurfacing.
There is also a proposal to connect Green Valley Road to Crosshaven Drive, as well as constructing sidewalks connecting existing sidewalks at Shades Mountain Baptist Church down to Lakeshore Drive and across Shades Crest Road.
“We can really spark a lot just by a few little streets,” Davis said.
Should the latter proposal become reality, it would connect the city’s sidewalks to the new Shades Creek Greenway, which recently had its ribbon cutting in the city of Homewood. That project creates walking paths across Lakeshore Drive from the Jemison Trail in Mountain Brook down across the businesses in the Wildwood area.
Davis said there is a proposal to construct sidewalks on Columbiana Road leading to Pizitz Middle School as well, which would help kids walk to school.
The next steps include determining whether to form a sidewalk committee or how to otherwise determine the priority of these projects, Davis said.
Civil Engineer Lori Beth Kearley said the city has worked to rank streets in the city in order to prioritize paving. The ideal, City Manager Jeff Downes said, is for each street to be paved every 15 to 20 years.
One of the first streets to be paved is East Street in an effort to curb stormwater issues, Downes said.
“I see this as bread and butter. If we were making a budget for our homes, we would be more concerned about putting a new roof on our homes than we would about buying a new TV set,” Cook said.
In other city projects, Kearley said the pedestrian bridge project connecting the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest to Wald Park has a bid letting date of February 2024, with redesign work currently underway.
The city is collaborating with Jefferson County to restripe, repave and improve the intersection of Columbiana Road and U.S. 31 where both meet Interstate 65 in Vestavia, Kearley said. There would be access management as drivers approach the intersection from Columbiana Road. Construction activity should be underway this summer.
Police and Fire
In general, crime was down in Vestavia Hills in 2022, Deputy Chief Jason Hardin said. Murders were up due to the shooting at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in June. Vandalism increased from 33 cases to 42 cases, and there were a handful of more officer-initiated arrests for drug and weapon offenses, but almost every other crime category was down from 2021.
Hiring has been a problem for departments across the country, but the city’s Police Department is at the maximum number of officers, which is 108, Hardin said.
The city will complete the patrol vehicles phase of the one-to-one initiative this year, Hardin said, and will move into the non-patrol phase soon. The program, which allows officers to take cars home, helped during multiple situations last year, including the shooting at the church.
The department has identified the need for additional Flock license plate readers in Liberty Park and Cahaba Heights and is also asking for an additional animal control/code enforcement officer, Hardin said.
The city is finishing up the second year of the “Master Police Officer” program, which provides enhanced training for officers. Once the city finishes their certification, the 27 officers will go through Jefferson County’s certification program.
The department is asking for an additional school resource officer at Vestavia Hills High School dedicated to educating, prevention and intervention of substance abuse issues, with the salary and other materials paid for from the opioid litigation the city is part of. The city is receiving about $109,000 this year and will receive about $40,000 each of the next 10 years.
Fire Chief Marvin Green said his department is requesting from the settlement $20,000 for paramedic training and $8,000 for Narcan supplies.
The Childersburg shooting range project was terminated for environmental issues, but the Police Department is proposing a joint precinct and training facility in The Bray.
“We need a training facility along with a permanent home out in Liberty Park,” Hardin said.
With help from the Vestavia Hills Police Foundation, the department is seeking to purchase a roughly $350,000 simulator that will provide simulated training for its officers, but there must be a place to use it, Hardin said.
Downes said there is a potential training facility adjacent to the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex as part of the Mine Reclamation Project. It is scheduled for construction in the fall and is a joint project between the city and Liberty Park Joint Venture. There will not be a firing range, but the space would provide training and indoor simulation.
There is still a need for a firing range, Mayor Ashley Curry said.
In the Fire Department, Green said they have reached an automatic aid agreement with the Mountain Brook Fire Department, meaning that department would automatically respond to calls they are near in order to provide support for Vestavia.
The training center previously planned to be constructed at 3794 Veona Daniels Road is being relocated to 3870 Veona Daniels Road, due to a lack of space at the previous space. The old site had three total acres with less than one acre of usable property. The new site has 16 total acres with more than 10 acres of usable property, Green said. The other site will still be used for storage and maybe some training, he said.
Fire Marshal Ryan Farrell gave an update on his office, which inspects more than 8 million square feet each year. He wants to expand the inspections to twice a year, he said.
Green again asked for another fire station in the Patchwork Farms area to service the senior living facilities, with Aspire and Cahaba Ridge accounting for 9% of the department’s total calls.
Touring the City
City leaders also toured the city, including seeing remodeling work at Fire Station 1, next to Chick-Fil-A on U.S. 31. The city installed new floors, painted and transitioned the space from one large common rest area and living room to individual rooms for firefighters. There is also a new storage space for gear to keep it away from the exhaust.
In public works, Davis showed city leaders the new maintenance facility in Cahaba Heights at the old Acton Flooring company, which is leasing the space to the city. The large space is covered, keeping vehicles warm and providing storage, Davis said. There will also be a break room, sleeping quarters for the times where crews come in to spend the night ahead of inclement weather, along with outdoor storage space, Davis said.
The group also toured the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest, which is wanting to grow into the future, as shown in a video. In the next two years, the library wants to: add contactless door-locking technology, add teleconferencing capabilities, upgrade its digital signage and kiosks, add driving simulation training, a broadcast booth, virtual reality programs, expand its photography studio and add EV charging stations and multitouch tables.
Communication
Assistant City Manager Cinnamon McCulley talked about how to make Vestavia Hills more “lovable,” suggesting that the city engage with other co-creators and city leaders for new ideas.
McCulley suggested having a “Young Professionals Over-the-Mountain” group with Homewood and Mountain Brook, along with a “committee of 100,” which is a volunteer committee with membership to be comprised of some of the most influential leaders within the city, with a goal to promote the economic betterment of Vestavia as a supporting economic development committee.
McCulley will also soon start “Vestavia Hills on Air,” a podcast for the city of Vestavia Hills.
Special Projects and Legislative Issues
The city heard about a memorial labyrinth being built at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in honor of the three victims who died in the June 16 shooting -- Bart Rainey, Sharon Yeager and Jane Pounds.
“You surrounded us with love and support after that tragedy and we felt it, and we want to say thank you,” Leslie Carlisle, one of the project leaders, told city leaders.
The Rev. John Burruss, rector at the church, said that a community “defines people’s lives.”
“I’ve never felt being part of something so strong and powerful,” Burruss said.
In response to the violence, Burruss said the church wanted to continue reaching out and loving its neighbors, and part of that response is creating an ADA-accessible labyrinth that will be accessible from the back parking lot and open to the community.
“The most generous response to violence is to commit to being in relationship with each other,” Burruss said.
The labyrinth represents a pilgrimage and can provide a time for reflection and prayer, Burruss said.
The church has also added more AEDs around campus, along with more security cameras and an off-duty police officer. The church has also undergone security and safety assessments, along with a new, up-to-date floor plan.
The proposed cost of the project is about $275,000. The city is not slated to provide any funding for the project at this time, at the church’s request. However, Downes said they will use their communication channels to get the word out about the project.
“We have a unique opportunity to disavow hate and revenge and lean in bravely to our faith,” said another project leader, Katherine Owens.
The city is also working to possibly annex an area just outside of Liberty Park and de-annex nearby property. The latter cannot be done solely by the city and must be approved in probate court. The move is to clean up zoning issues because the office property owner wants it solely in Vestavia.
The council also heard a proposal to create a memorial space in City Hall to honor those who have contributed greatly to the progress of the city.
In legislative issues, City Clerk Rebecca Leavings proposed a new public records policy to be submitted to the council sometime this year. Leavings said she expects to charge those seeking public records if the work takes more than an hour, if that is allowed by the state. Using OpenGov software, records can be managed more easily with workflows and deadlines being tracked and managed.
Curry said he expects legislation might come forward in Montgomery changing the formula determining how much money the city receives from simplified seller’s use tax. As it might mean less money for Vestavia from online sales, Curry said the city will ask its legislative delegation to “nip that in the bud.”
The council also wants to advocate for increasing the threshold for competitive bids from $15,000 for goods and services and $50,000 for public works to $50,000 and $250,000, respectively.
“I feel the pressure of the governing body to do things more efficiently and quickly while being aware of the cost,” Downes said.
Downes said the city could still use contracts to protect the city and create good plans, and could receive competitive quotes, but would not have to go through the bidding process.
The council also asked to examine increasing discretionary spending for the city manager and will also examine pay of mayor and council to see what other cities pay, though none of the council members expressed that it was a priority.
