From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
SPRINGVILLE — At City Hall on Monday night, the Springville City Council held a relatively brief meeting in which the Council passed several resolutions, including a Memorandum of Understanding with a firefighting grants program, as well as item expenditures and heard a report on the Forever Wild land.
Springville Mayor William Isley and Councilor Tim Walker were absent from the meeting.
Fire Chief Richard Harvey reported that the department was approved for an increase in a grant for the community safe room. The original amount was $514,000 but the department was granted an increase of $170,380 for a total of $684,380. He said the architect is preparing for bids to go out in order to have construction begin.
Harvey also reported that the department was notified that the Assistance to Firefighters grant program asked for information regarding a formal Memorandum of Understanding. The grant would be for $5,000. The memorandum was passed unanimously.
The Council heard a report from Doug Morrison of the Parks and Recreation board, who said that Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve “is a reality now”. The preserve has been an ongoing project for the city and was approved by the council as a Forever Wild greenspace by the council in March. Morrison said that the board will be meeting with landscape architects in the future and that they will try to get experts in plants, animals and forestry to come to the preserve to study it.
City Attorney James Hill gave a report on a three-year agreement with the St. Clair Sheriff’s Office and the St. Clair County Commission. He said that the agreement allows the city to house municipal inmates in the county jail in which the county and sheriff pays for all things, including feeding prisoners.
One change, however, to the agreement is that the state may implement a program that would allow municipal and state inmates that have previously had Medicaid to have the coverage reinstated “in certain circumstances where healthcare might be required away from the facility.” The agreement was passed unanimously.
The Council then made several board reappointments. These were:
Fred Williamson to the Industrial Development Board for a six-year term.
Billy Joe Green to the Board of Adjustment for a three-year term.
Jason Webb to the Board of Adjustment for a three-year term.
Ray Hardy to the to the Board of Adjustment for a three-year term.
In other business, the council:
- Approved $1,838. 20 to install new tires on engine 533 at the fire department;
- Approved $2,590 for a replacement part at the splash pad;
- Approved $4,455 for installation of a curb and gutter in an alley behind Crawford-Skinner;
- Approved $1,090 to replace beds at Fire Station No. 1;
- Approved up to $6,000 for conduit installation to light the field at the sports complex;
- Approved a $704.84 funding request to the Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System; and
- Allowed a local resident to present a handmade wooden flag to the police department.