Due to a larger slope created during renovations and the lack of nearby stormwater infrastructure, floods are having a negative impact on Wald Park, said Raynor Boles with TCU Consulting.
Boles gave an update on Nov. 8 to the Vestavia Hills City Council on various Community Spaces projects and told the council something had to be done about the edge of Wald Park, above the ball fields, as flooding is a serious problem. When crews cut into the woods as part of park renovations, they fine graded the land and installed inlets, but they also created a bigger slope, Boles said. Due to the older age of the neighborhoods on top of the slope and their lack of stormwater infrastructure, large rain events send floods down to Wald Park and threaten the entire park.
“We have to solve this or it’s going to continually wipe away that park,” Boles said.
In order to stabilize the site, Boles said it could cost between $55,000 and $75,000.
After the cost of installing tennis courts and other components of the final phase of renovations at Wald Park proved to be too costly, the council heard an option at the meeting to work with Vestavia Hills City Schools to possibly use existing soccer fields for tennis courts.
City Manager Jeff Downes told the council the existing soccer fields at the former Vestavia Hills Elementary Central are being used recreationally, but rec league teams could utilize new fields at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, while the city could possibly use that space to create tennis courts, rather than build them at the top of Wald Park as is currently proposed.
The city would save money because the land is already flat, meaning not as much grading would have to be done, and the property would be shared between the school system and the city, which is also utilizing the space in the former school as a maintenance facility.
Multiple options for how the space could be used for tennis courts were presented at the meeting, with various options relating to the size and placement of the courts, the inclusion or exclusion of a center court, whether to use a roundabout to access the courts and parking and where to place parking along the road adjacent to the fields.
The council will discuss the issue more at the Nov. 15 work session.
Boles said the Crosshaven Drive project is ongoing, with the east side of the road from Milo’s to Overton Drive complete, with work now commencing on the west side. During the holiday season, crews will only minimally impact traffic near the Summit, Boles said.
While crews did not meet the Nov. 10 contractual deadline for delivery of the new Vestavia Hills Civic Center, Boles said work is ongoing to finish that project.
Downes told the council in his report that the city is in the midst of its latest round of street paving and is working on creating a new three-year paving plan. Sidewalks are finishing up on Mountainview Drive, and the next sidewalk project is Rocky Ridge Road, which should go out for bid in late December or early January.
The Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex tunnel was slated to be finished by the end of November, Downes said, connecting the Liberty Park Sports Complex to the trail system next to the Splash Pad.
In other news, the council:
- Set a public hearing for Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. for the adoption of 2021 international building and fire codes and 2020 national electrical code for the city.
- Changed the Dec. 27 council meeting date to Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. and moved the work session on Dec. 20 to 5 p.m.
- Approved an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation stating the city will continue to maintain the landscaping on the right of way at the intersection of Interstate 65 and U.S. 31.
- Introduced a conditional use approval for Happy Dog Baths and Grooming, which will provide medical, grooming and bathing services of dogs at 678 Montgomery Highway, pending city approval. That issue will come up at a future meeting.
