By Crystal McGough, copy editor
CLAY — Clay Councilor Don Baker served his last meeting on the Clay City Council Tuesday night, March 19. Baker previously announced at the March 5 council meeting that he would be resigning from the council as a result of selling his house in Clay. He and his wife have plans to build a house outside of the city. Baker has held Place 2 on the council since November 2016.
“As everybody knows from the last meeting, it’s a sad day for me,” Baker said. “What I would like to very heartfelt say is, looking to my left and all the way down to the very far end to (city attorney) Mr. Summers down there, I couldn’t think of ever serving with more honorable people and people that truly care about the city of Clay. I just can’t fathom some of the things that are said, and a lot of my Facebook responses in the past have been defensive in nature. Knowing you guys like I know you, knowing myself like I know me, I just don’t do well with that. Never have, never will. But it’s been an honor and a pleasure serving with you guys. I know that Clay’s going to move in the right direction in the future and that everybody’s heart is in the city of Clay.
“With that being said, I’ve been here since 1987…been a great place to live. I’ve raised three children here. It’s home, it truly is home. The schools are fantastic. It depends on what you go to school for…it doesn’t, in my opinion, take a village to raise a child. It takes a family, if it’s single parent or whatever, it takes that to raise a child. It takes the village to help, and this village has done a magnificent job in our community. Beautiful parks, the city’s for the most part very clean, our public works department works very hard. With that being said, it truly is sad for me. It’s sad moving out of a place from where I’ve been over 30 years. Life takes different turns, and so be it. This will always be home.”
Mayor Charles Webster and the members of the city council all expressed heartfelt appreciation to Baker.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you,” Webster said. “I know where your heart’s at, too, and I know you meant what you said…You’ll always be a friend and I thank you for what you’ve done. Thank you for your service here.”
Councilor Becky Johnson was moved to tears during Baker’s farewell speech.
“We’re really going to miss you,” she said. “You’ll always be part of us. Thank you for what you’ve done and I’ve enjoyed serving with you.”
“Don, I appreciate your service, brother,” Councilor Bo Johnson said. “I appreciate you being such a cool guy.”
“Ditto on Don,” Councilor Dennis Locke said. “We appreciate you.”
“Same thing here, Don,” Councilor Ben Thackerson said. “I know you served on the park board a little while. You probably have the record of cooking burgers for football games.”
Baker told the council that, before he leaves, he would like to make one request from the council concerning his former neighborhood, Paradise Valley.
“There is just one thing if I could ask,” Baker said. “I’m going to speak for the neighborhood that I used to live in, and I think that Paradise Valley feels very strongly the same way. After the tornado came through there, I’m going to say this publicly, the mayor (former mayor Ed McGuffie) just about immediately turned his back on that neighborhood. I don’t mind saying that publicly and I’ll say it to his face. It made me very angry. I think that neighborhood probably needs to get a little extra TLC along the way…I would like to see some focus put on that area, that neighborhood, not because I’m there, because I’m not going to be there. But those are some very good people down there. Some good neighbors and some good friends.”
The mayor and council have 60 days from Baker’s last day to fill his seat on the council. Webster said that anyone interested in the position can submit a resume at Clay City Hall.
“We’ll take applications in and I’ll review them, and then I’ll make a recommendation to the council to approve somebody and they’ll vote on it,” Webster said.
In other city news, Locke announced that letters from Santek Waste Disposal will be going out to residents this week and should be received by Thursday or Friday. The letters will include information on services and pick-up days, as well as an apology for any confusion caused by the early drop-offs. Those who have not yet received their Santek garbage cans can expect to receive them as originally planned, the week of March 25. Residents must have been subscribing to Republic Services in order to get a can from Santek.
City Manager Ronnie Dixon said that the Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss the proposed garden homes subdivision off Dug Hollow Road at it’s meeting Thursday night, March 21, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be at Clay City Hall and will be open to the public. There will not be a public hearing at that meeting, however. The P&Z recommendation will come before the Clay City Council on April 9.
Dixon also said that opening day for the Clay Ballpark is April 6.
“We have 13 teams from four-year-olds to 12-year-olds,” he said. “We wound up with only five girls signed up for softball, so we won’t be offering softball.”
Under unanimous consent, the council approved Ordinance 2019-01 and Resolution 2019-04. Ordinance 2019-01 is listed as a flood damage prevention ordinance.
“In order for people who live in a floodplain to receive federal flood insurance coverage, the city has to enact an up-to-date ordinance based on the FIRM (Flood Insurance Rate Map) maps that FEMA does,” Dixon said. “So, FEMA finished those last year…we are in three floodplains here: Cahaba River, Turkey Creek and Five Mile Creek. So, we got a lot of maps, but we’ve got very few people that are in an actual floodplain, and none in a floodway. But in order for them to receive the federal flood insurance, then we need to pass this ordinance to be in compliance with FEMA regulations.”
Resolution 2019-04 is a resolution declaring personal property to be a public nuisance on the properties of:
5530 San Marcos Drive
5627 Roberts Drive
6860 Markham Drive
7210 McFrancis Road
7501 Stoneycreek Drive
“We have dealt with each one of these houses before,” Dixon said.
The next Clay City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 9, at 6:30 p.m., immediately following a pre-council session at 6 p.m.
