Photo by Loyd McIntosh
State Rep. Mike Shaw presents two checks totaling $42,000 to the Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes for two parks and recreation projects in the city during the Vestavia Hills City Council meeting at Vestavia Hills City Hall on Monday, July 24, 2023.
State Rep. Mike Shaw, who represents parts of Vestavia Hills and Hoover in the Legislature, on Monday presented $42,000 from his legislative discretionary account to the city of Vestavia Hills for use in two parks and recreation projects.
He gave $30,000 from his discretionary account for the repaving of the track at Byrd Park and $12,000 to replace the floor in the Vestavia Hills Civic Center’s group exercise room.
"I will definitely be walking on the track and checking it out when it's done,” said Shaw, a 1990 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and former Hoover councilman who was elected to represent Alabama House District 47 in November of last year.
“I might try out Jazzercise, but I might have to be cleared by my doctor before I can do that," he joked, eliciting a laugh from the Vestavia Hills City Council Monday night.
Shaw said he understands the importance of parks and recreation projects on the quality of life for a community and, as a regular user of the city’s public amenities, he said he is more than happy to return the citizens’ tax dollars for vital projects such as these.
"These are facilities that everybody in the community uses. This is the people's money, and we have the ability to direct these grants to things that are going to work for the people,” Shaw said.
"I really just wanted to make sure that this money would be used and enjoyed by as many people as possible.”
In other business Monday night, the City Council unanimously approved a proposal to rezone a piece of property at 709 Chestnut St. from an R-2 (medium-density residential) district to an O-1 office park district. Owned by Jessica Prier, the property will be the new location for her interior design business, Birmingham Design House. Prier’s business will be located among a cluster of former single-family homes near Vestavia City Center that have been converted to commercial office space in recent years.
“I’ve been working out of my house, which is the reason we’re building on Chestnut Street,” Prier said. “We’re remodeling it, making it handicap-accessible, adding a parking lot and just bringing it up to code as a commercial space.”
Additionally, the council completed the first reading of a resolution that would authorize the installation of a new support structure for a small-cell facility in the right of way next to 1663 and 1671 Crossgate Drive, 2581 Crossgate Place and 1704 Crosswood Lane in Vestavia’s Crossgate community.
The proposal was first considered by the council on June 26 but was postponed due to the opposition of several Crossgate residents. The measure is set for a vote by the City Council at its Aug. 14 meeting at 6 p.m.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 8:34 a.m. on July 25 to correct the time of the Aug. 14 meeting.
