Emily Featherston
Local attorney Jay Stewart will become the newest member of the Vestavia Hills Board of Education in June after he was approved by a 4 to 1 vote by the Vestavia Hills City Council at the April 26 meeting.
Council member George Pierce was the lone “no” vote, voicing his choice for local realtor Blair Moss. Council member Kimberly Cook, who serves as the council’s education liaison, said appointing board members is always the hardest job the council has.
That was made even more difficult this time around with 11 candidates, the most Pierce said he could remember in his 13 years on the council.
Stewart, who will replace outgoing Board President Lisa Baker, is a partner at Gordon, Dana and Gilmore, and helped establish the Vestavia Hills Sports Hall of Fame and has been active in Vestavia Hills Youth Baseball for the last 20 years. He has two children who are alumni of the school system and has one child at Pizitz Middle School.
“I’m very blessed to have grown up in the community of Vestavia,” Stewart told the Vestavia Voice after the appointment. “Our community and our school system are very special. I’m looking forward to learning from and working with a fantastic school board.”
In other news, the council approved an ordinance establishing rules for the city’s dog parks. The dog park near the new New Merkel House will open, along with the New Merkel House, on April 29. The park at Wald Park will be constructed in Phase 3 of the renovation project associated with the Community Spaces Plan.
The park’s hours will be 7 a.m. to one hour past sunset. The rules are as following:
- All children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Owners are legally responsible for the actions and behaviors of their dogs at all times.
- Owners must be within the dog park and supervise their dogs at all times, with a leash readily available.
- Dogs must enter and exit on a leash.
- Dogs in heat and puppies under four months of age are not allowed.
- All dogs must have current vaccinations.
- Aggressive, disruptive and sick dogs are prohibited and must be removed immediately.
- Dog must be well behaved and under control at all times, whether by voice or by leash.
- Owners must clean up after their dogs immediately, including properly removing waste and filling in holes.
- Pet treats, food and glass containers are prohibited.
The council also approved a change to the property at 3782 Fairhaven Drive. The property had previously been rezoned to a planned residential district for the construction of four townhomes, but the property owner, Overton Investments, requested an amendment to that rezoning to build three detached single-family homes instead.
In other business, the council:
- Approved a resolution declaring a SWAT vehicle and Chevy Tahoe as surplus and authorizing City Manager Jeff Downes to sell or dispose of the property.
- Approved a resolution authorizing Downes to purchase a new police vehicle to replace a recently totaled vehicle.
- Approved a resolution authorizing Downes to spend an additional $20,000 for engineering services, due to City Engineer Christopher Brady’s forthcoming absence due to a family issue.
- Heard a report from Downes which included the city being honored by the ETC Institute, a well-known survey company, which awarded the city with the “Leading the Way” award after the city scored among the top 3 or 4 cities in the nation in surveys centered on resident’s satisfaction with city services and leadership.
