Jeff Downes well remembers when he was hired to become the city manager of Vestavia Hills in 2013.
One of his main charges was to help the city grow economically so that it can provide the high quality of life and amenities that Vestavia Hills residents expect, he said.
Knowing that schools are the primary reason people move to Vestavia Hills, he quickly scheduled a meeting with then-schools Superintendent Jamie Blair and asked Blair how much growth was acceptable to him.
At first, there was silence. Then Blair told him he didn’t want to see growth, Downes said.
It was clear there was some tension there, and that tension became even more evident when Blair said the school system’s budget was tight and asked how much money the city could afford to support the school system’s budget, Downes said.
But tension doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Downes told the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce recently. “Tension is a good thing as long as you handle it appropriately.”
Downes joined current Vestavia Hills schools Superintendent Todd Freeman in explaining about how “healthy tension” can be the “nexus of innovation” that moves the community forward.
The city of Vestavia Hills continues growing to the east, and with that comes challenges as those people need services both from the city and the school system, Downes said.
As more homes and businesses are built, officials have to analyze the revenues that will come from that growth and decide how to best share it, he said.
“It takes investments in both the city and the city schools,” Downes said. “We’ve got to be open to that conversation and recognizing the balance.”
On the city side of the equation, city officials are responsible for things like police and fire services, roads, library services, parks and recreation.
There typically are about 85 new homes being built in Vestavia Hills each year in recent years, and about 70% of those are in eastern Vestavia, Downes has said. And this year, 450 apartments are opening up in The Bray at Liberty Park, so the growth is real, and city leaders must meet the demand for services.
“Does that mean we need to overreact and do everything to the east side? No,” Downes said. A recent overhaul of Wald Park along U.S. 31 is a prime example of paying attention to the western side of the city, but eastern area residents deserve the same attention to service as those in the west, he said.
City leaders currently are drafting plans to expand and renovate Fire Station No. 4 in Liberty Park and add a new police substation and training facility and library branch at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex, as well as improve parks and recreation amenities in Liberty Park.
But they want to make sure Vestavia Hills schools get the help they need as well. City voters in 2023 voted down a property tax increase for the school system, so now school and city officials are searching for alternative ways to address needs in the schools.
The Vestavia Hills City Council last year agreed to pay $3.5 million to the school board over the next three years to help pay for improvements to athletic facilities.
The first $1.1 million covered the replacement of artificial turf at Vestavia Hills High School’s Buddy Anderson Field and roadway, drainage and parking improvements at the athletic field at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge.
Additional payments of $1.2 million were scheduled to follow this summer and July 2026 to help cover: replacement of gym floors at Pizitz Middle School and the Dolly Ridge, East, West and Liberty Park elementary schools; replacement of basketball goals at the East and West elementary schools; track improvements at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central; new turf at the football/soccer/lacrosse field at Pizitz; and bathroom and concession improvements at the high school baseball field.
Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools
World languages teacher Chase Trautwein leads a class at Liberty Park Middle School, which is in the fastest growing part of Vestavia Hills.
The school district has been using its other revenue sources to cover some of its other capital needs, but there are still some long-term capital needs underfunded, Freeman said. The district has a strong operational budget, but operational expenses typically grow about 4% a year, and with a $120 million budget, “that adds up pretty quickly,” he said.
The good news is that the school system expects to eventually receive about $3.5 million to $4 million in annual revenue increases from growth in The Bray at Liberty Park, Freeman said.
There also are some false assumptions that people have about the impact of residential growth on schools, Freeman said. The construction of more houses doesn’t always equate to more students in schools, he said. There are a lot of factors that affect enrollment, and one of the big ones is the number of people who remain in Vestavia Hills after their children grow up and exit the school system, he said. If the empty nesters stay put, that can put a dent in enrollment numbers, even as new houses are being built.
“Our population has dropped 4% in the last eight years,” Freeman said, and that trend is expected to continue.
Other factors include Vestavia Hills’ higher-than-average housing prices, which limits the buyer pool, and the fact that people are having fewer children than they once did, Freeman said.
The trick is trying to predict the enrollment numbers by school zone, he said. The most densely populated area the last couple of years has been the Vestavia Hills Elementary East school zone, which this past summer prompted a renovation of the old cafeteria at East to create three new classrooms and office spaces, including a new room for science, technology, engineering and math specialty instruction.
While Liberty Park is growing, the numbers there don’t suggest it’s exploding at this point, Freeman said. And despite numerous people’s concerns about room at Vestavia Hills High School, things are OK there, too, Freeman said. When he was hired in 2018, there were 2,100 students at the high school. Now, with freshmen being moved to the freshman campus at the former Pizitz Middle School, there are just 1,600 students in grades 10-12 at the high school, he said.
“We have room to grow,” Freeman said. “We have a building capacity that is sufficient. We don’t have any near-term need for a new school.”
And the school system realizes that while schools are a central part of what makes Vestavia Hills special, there are other things needed to maintain the high quality of life that residents expect, Freeman said. And having a robust, healthy economy is a critical part of maintaining a high standard of living, he said.
How does a city accomplish both of those things?
“There’s one simple way we’re going to do it, and that is we do it together,” Freeman said. “That, my friends, is the nexus of innovation. We are trying to think about new ways to do the same things that have made us successful for over 50 years.”
Downes agreed. As the city and school system compete for finite resources, “it doesn’t mean drawing a line in the sand. It doesn’t mean arguing only your position,” Downes said. “It means being able to have that healthy conversation.”
GROWTH NUGGETS:
- Vestavia Hills averages about 85 new single-family homes a year lately, with 70% of those in eastern Vestavia.
- The Bray at Liberty Park is adding 450 new apartments this year.
- Vestavia Hills City Schools operational expenses grow about 4% each year.
- School system enrollment actually has dropped 4% in the last eight years.
- Vestavia Hills High School had 2,100 students in 2018 and now, with freshmen off campus, has about 1,600 students in grades 10-12.
- School officials see no near-term need for a new school.
- City officials have identified $37.5 million in capital projects needed for eastern Vestavia in near term
- The city of Vestavia’s fund balance has doubled from $16 million in 2019 to $32 million in 2024.
- Vestavia Hills City Schools expects to eventually receive $3.5 million to $4 million a year from growth at The Bray at Liberty Park.
Source: City and school officials
