Center Point City Council moves forward with new library plans

By Sam Prickett

For the Tribune

CENTER POINT — The Center Point City Council moved forward with its plans for a new public library during its Dec. 21 meeting, finalizing details of its purchase of the library’s future site and beginning discussions of the library board’s eventual makeup.

The city’s purchase of the Hilldale Baptist Church’s former campus — part of which will become the new library — is expected to close on Dec. 28, with the city taking possession of the property on Dec. 29. The council voted unanimously Thursday night to approve a post-issuance compliance policy for the bonds it took out to purchase the property. According to council president Roger Barlow, payment for the bonds will cost the city “a smidgeon under” $12,000 a month for 20 years.

Barlow said he hoped the city would move “fairly quickly” after the sale of the property was finalized, saying that there were already plans to have an architect assess what changes would need to be made to the property to transform it into a library.

Barlow also handed out reading materials to his fellow councilors regarding the “technical procedure” of setting up a library, noting that there “are some very specific items that need to be addressed under the Alabama Public Library service act.”

One of the requirements for the new library will be the establishment of a five-member library board, which Barlow said ideally would feature at least three members from Center Point, with the option for two outside members.

“I think we can tap into some resources from outside the city that wouldn’t be available to other (otherwise),” he said.

Councilor James Howell said he supported Barlow’s idea but suggested that priority be placed on finding that expertise within Center Point. Barlow replied that part of his reasoning came from difficulties in finding involved citizens.

“I’ve been in the planning and zoning (committee) for many years, and it’s tough to keep those slots full,” he said.

“Critical and Viable” Participation

During his presentation as chairman of the annexation committee, Howell urged citizens to become more involved.

“Center Point is a unique city, (but) my concern has always been the lack of participation, of city involvement in City Hall,” he said.

He gestured to the sparsely populated council chambers.

“I would like to see these chambers filled up from back to front,” he said. “To me, citizen participation is a very critical and viable part of what makes this city move.”

Howell discussed a recent meeting with Rolanda Hollis, the Alabama state representative who was elected to replace Rep. Oliver Robinson after his retirement last year. Part of their discussion, he said, involved annexing properties into Center Point, though he did not specify which properties they had discussed. He said that discussions of annexation would continue “over the next fiscal year that’s coming up.”

Howell said that he planned to meet with Hollis again in January, and that they both planned to bring along five of their constituents each to the meeting. He asked the meeting’s attendees for their contact information so that he could contact them to participate.

“You have the power to change the face of Center Point, and that’s what this is all about, giving Center Point its own unique identity,” he said. “We’re kind of caught between Trussville and Birmingham, (but) you can be a part of that movement.”