Residents cite concerns at Center Point council meeting

By Bethany Adams,
For the Tribune

CENTER POINT — During the pre-council portion of Center Point’s City Council meeting, Council President Roger Barlow presented a proposal from Great Southern Recreation for the construction of a splash pad. The project has been discussed before, but was previously decided against.

“There’s still no building to house the chemicals or those other things,” Councilor Leesburg pointed out. “I don’t see that in his proposal.”

Barlow explained the project would not be up for a decision during the meeting, but he wanted to present the possibility before arranging further proposals. He assured the council he would inquire about Leesburg’s concerns before taking further action.

During the public comments portion of the meeting, resident Donald Halsey apologized for the comments he made during the previous council meeting. He then requested that the council consider being more open during the meetings in order to help residents understand what is being discussed.

Barlow invited anyone with questions about proceedings to call City Hall.

Halsey also inquired about the financial information he previously requested for the Patterson House. Barlow apologized for not providing it yet and promised that he would provide it soon.

On behalf of other residents, Halsey asked the council to consider having public hearings for any decision which would cost the city over $50,000.

Resident Ric Weide inquired as to whether the city could provide information on the number of accidents which have occurred since the instillation of the camera traffic enforcement system, which officially began in November.

Barlow replied that he did not believe that the cameras had been up long enough in order to provide an accurate representation.

Resident Sharon Wilbourn brought up the lack of lighting within the city. “To me, the city should… somehow light Center Point up,” she said. “It deters crime, it gives them less places to hide.”

“We’re working on the Parkway to find out where we can put… lights on poles that are already equipped to handle the light,” Barlow said. “Since you said that last time, I’ve looked; there’s not a street light on the Parkway.”

Wilbourn also asked if the council was working with the city of Birmingham to address the crime which happens outside of the city limits. “It still affects us,” she said. Mayor Tom Henderson assured her that they work with the East Precinct.

Resident Ted Jordan presented a number of concerns, including the worn-down state of the city’s parks and a leak at the senior center. Mayor Henderson assured him that the city is working on the parks and that the leak would be fixed.

“When you see something, call,” Barlow told the audience. “You don’t have to wait until you come to a public meeting to do it.”

Later during the meeting, the council approved a resolution to award the bid for the Patterson House parking lot. While Councilor Leesburg expressed concerns about putting more money into the project before it could be used for events, Mayor Henderson said that all the work that needs to be done has already been approved.

The council also voted to allow Jefferson County to use City Hall as a voting precinct for a special election that will take place on March 7.

Later, Barlow expressed an interest in purchasing surveillance cameras which could be placed in commercial or residential areas. He cited concerns from community members over instances of gun fire in various neighborhoods.

“If we could get a general area where that’s coming from, my goal would be to catch somebody, but it might be a deterrent, at least,” he said, proposing that the cameras be purchased with the money made from the traffic camera system.

The council also voted to authorize an agreement through which they will share responsibilities for the Polly Reed road Project with Jefferson County.

Mayor Henderson announced that the Congressional District Committee recently met and reviewed a list of legislative priorities which he said would be posted on Center Point’s website. The items include a jurisdictional consolidation act and an act which would treat parking violations as civil fines rather than criminal.

Henderson also announced the opening of Fire Wok on Center Point Parkway at 11 a.m. on Monday with a ribbon-cutting at 10:30.

The next Center Point City Council will be held on Thursday, February 9 at 7 p.m. with pre-council at 6:45.