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Neal Embry Starnes Media
Vestavia Hills police officer Daniel Holly, center, is honored for his rescue of an elderly motorist on Jan. 12 at the Feb. 8 Vestavia Hills City Council meeting.
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Neal Embry Starnes Media
A group of Vestavia Hills firefighters is recognized at the Feb. 8 City Council meeting for their work during the Jan. 25 Fultondale tornado.
At its Feb. 8 City Council meeting, the city of Vestavia Hills honored a police officer who rescued an elderly man from the Cahaba River, as well as a group of firefighters who assisted in rescue efforts during the Fultondale tornado on Jan. 25.
On the night of Jan. 12, Officer Daniel Holly received a report of an elderly man whose car had left the roadway near the Vestavia-Mountain Brook line, and gone into the Cahaba River. Holly jumped into the river and rescued the man, only to realize he was suffering from appendicitis. Holly underwent successful surgery about an hour after the incident.
Firefighters from the heavy rescue unit in Cahaba Heights went to Fultondale on the night of Jan. 25, in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. As UAB medical personnel worked to amputate a man’s leg, Vestavia firefighters, along with other departments, worked to stabilize the structure to keep everyone safe.
Firefighters honored included Deputy Chief Ryan Farrell, Fire Medics E.J. Tucker, Jervaris Robertson, Lawrence Pugliese and Matthew Brown, Lieutenant Roger Mauldin and Apparatus Operator Mat Burkett.
Read more about these stories here.
In other news, the City Council approved an alcohol license for Taco Mama at the Vestavia Hills City Center. The restaurant, which is expected to open on March 1, offers a fast-casual environment featuring an array of Mexican food. A representative with the restaurant assured the council that employees would be trained to check IDs, spot fake IDs and not over serve guests. He said he was unaware of any previous issues with minors being served alcohol at any Taco Mama location.
The council also approved the use of funds to match a federal grant to install a new exhaust system at all Vestavia Hills fire stations. The grant is for $189,000, with the city contributing about $17,000, Fire Chief Marvin Green said. The new system helps reduce carcinogen exposure for firefighters. Instead of diesel exhaust filling up the stations as fire trucks come in and leave the station, Green said the new system connects to the trucks, capturing the exhaust gas, and automatically detaching once the truck has left the station, allowing the gas to blow into the outside air instead of exposing those still at the station to its fumes.
City Councilor Paul Head announced that the Parks and Recreation board had recently approved dog park rules, and those should be coming before the City Council at some point in the future.
City Manager Jeff Downes said sales tax numbers are looking good just after the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2021.
The council also introduced a number of items on first read, to be discussed and voted upon at an upcoming council meeting, including the annexation and rezoning from Jefferson County E-2 [low density residential] to Vestavia Hills R-2 [medium density residential] of 2810 Five Oaks Lane, a proposed development that would see the addition of 17 homes on 18 lots.
