Photo from Vestavia Hills Police Department Facebook page.
Members of the Vestavia Hills Police Department tactical team.
The Vestavia Hills City Council on Monday agreed to apply for a $150,000 federal grant to purchase low-light equipment for the Police Department’s tactical response team.
The grant, if received, would come from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The Police Department needs the low-light equipment to respond better during emergencies and homeland security-related activities, police Chief Shane Ware said in a memo to City Manager Jeff Downes.
If the grant is awarded, the Police Department would come back to the City Council to secure the city’s matching funds for the federal grant, Ware said in his memo.
In other business, Downes informed the council that a record 7,700 people attended this year’s I Love America Night celebration at Wald Park on June 25. That’s an increase from 6,000 people in 2024 and 6,800 people in 2025, Downes said.
About 3,000 of this year’s attendees came from Vestavia Hills, while thousands more came from places such as Homewood, Greystone and north Shelby County and hundreds from places beyond that, Downes said. The information was gathered with Placer.ai technology that tracks information from people’s mobile phones without digging into personally identifiable information.
The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce did a great job of planning the event, which continues to grow in popularity, Downes said. The event also pays off economically because a lot of those out-of-town visitors likely eat at restaurants or shop in stores in Vestavia Hills in conjunction with events like these, he said.
Councilwoman Kimberly Cook also noted the death last week of Cahaba Heights businessman Raymond Gotlieb, who was the owner of The Heights Village shopping center on Pump House Road.
Cook said Gotlieb was a key counselor for her when she first ran for the Vestavia Hills City Council, providing advice about the role of local government in providing infrastructure for proper growth for a city. He also paid for materials for her son’s Eagle Scout project — building a pavilion in Meadowlawn Park in Cahaba Heights, she said.
“He was the good sense and the wisdom behind so many of our community initiatives, including many of the events that we enjoy even today in The Heights Village shopping center that are put on by the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association and our chamber,” Cook said. “Raymond’s legacy lives on in the family that he cherished, the community he helped build and the countless lives that he touched through his kindness, his leadership and his friendship. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him and appreciated him. … Our city is a better place through the life and generosity of Raymond Gotlieb.”
In other business Monday, the Vestavia Hills City Council approved the city’s 2025 audit and replaced The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. with Regions Bank as the paying agent for the city’s outstanding debt following the closure of the local office of The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co.
The council had first readings of several other potential actions, including:
- Entering into a $643,000 contract for site work for the planned police station, maintenance facility and potential satellite library at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex
- Paying up to $55,000 to demolish the worst parts of a house at 2750 Smyer Road that is in disrepair and has been deemed a public nuisance
- Approving a one-time bonus for former employees of the city of Vestavia Hills who have retired, costing a total of $60,289
- Establishing a policy to provide for the use of electronic signatures
- Beginning the annexation process for single-family home properties at 4616 Old Looney Mill Road, 4737 Cloud Lane, 2949 Dolly Ridge Trail, 2421 Rocky Ridge Road and 2504 Skyland Drive and a small strip of land at 1715 Collinwood Court
