By Gary Lloyd
HOMEWOOD — The Jefferson County Board of Education on Thursday voted to accept donated property from the city of Pinson for a future practice field.
The board approved the donation of 3.4 acres for a practice field.
The Pinson City Council at its March 19 meeting voted to cede the property to the board.
The property Pinson has ceded to the board is located between Willie Adams Stadium and the south side of Innsbrooke Parkway. Part of this tract will contain the sidewalk that will begin soon as part of a Safe Routes To Schools sidewalk grant the city received, Mayor Hoyt Sanders has said.
The Jefferson County Board of Education in August 2014 voted to purchase seven acres of property near Willie Adams Stadium on the Pinson Valley High School campus for $150,000. The purpose of the purchase from seller Jane Engesser was to provide land for the expansion of athletic facilities.
Residents in Innsbrooke have been upset to learn that the new football practice field will abut to the neighborhood’s entrance. The council is requiring a 35-foot buffer zone between the field and the neighborhood with fencing and vegetation to be put in place to keep the character of the Innsbrooke neighborhood intact while still allowing the practice field to be built.
Lee Weyhrich contributed to this story.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.