By Crystal McGough, copy editor
The Pinson City Council passed a resolution on Thursday, June 20, 2019, to recognize the coach and team members of the 2018-19 Pinson Valley High School Special Olympics team for their “outstanding work and dedication” during the 2018-2019 season.
The resolution states that “extra-curricular activities, such as sports, allow young people the opportunity to learn the valuable skills of Teamwork and Cooperation while developing their Athletic Talent, and…the 2018-19 Pinson Valley High School Special Olympics team and participants had an exceptional season receiving: gold medals in long jump, softball throw, women’s javelin, 50 meter dash, 100 meter run, 4×4 Relay, silver medal in basketball, and bronze medal in men’s javelin, and…these students represented Pinson Valley High School, the City of Pinson, and all of Jefferson County with superior skills and in a sportsmanlike manner.”
None of the Special Olympians were able to attend the meeting Thursday night, due to vacations and other commitments, so the council will have a special recognition of the team members and their coach at the July 18 Pinson City Council meeting.
The council unanimously passed its budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, which begins in July, in the amount of $3,375,000.
“This includes a 3% cost of living for employees and a 2% market adjustment for the clerk and public works director,” Mayor Hoyt Sanders said.
The council also passed a motion to approve funds covering four requests for city assistance to the city’s schools. These funds are for the 19-20 fiscal year. Councilor Shannon Galamore abstained from voting because she is a teacher at PVHS.
Pinson Valley High School was approved for $2,247.83 to cover the cost of an in-school discipline counselor, as well as $10,831 for band instruments and $12,505.50 for a new sound system for the football stadium.
“The new sound system, here’s the plan,” said Softball Booster Board President Joe Cochran. “Buy a complete new sound system for the stadium, which is a multi-use facility, obviously. It’s not just for football; it’s for band, it’s for everybody that uses this facility. It will be a much more sophisticated system, much better speakers, better sound reproduction and a much more elaborate control system, which will be beneficial especially during band competitions and things of that nature…
“At that point, we would take the old system, which still has three surviving good speakers, and move that to baseball, who desperately needs it. They currently have a very antiquated poor system and we would like to move that down there. That way they have a system, they can walk in and flip a switch and they’re operational. So it serves more than just the stadium. It actually serves the purpose of helping baseball.”
For the elementary school, the council approved $6,370 for paving parking lots for cars and busses.
Under “Old Business,” the council passed a motion to purchase and install a light at the Silver Lake end of the Rock School Center. The cost of the light is $4,593.10, with installation priced at $1,750 and an estimated monthly Alabama Power charge of $47.11.
The council also approved a motion to purchase dedication plaques for Pinson City Hall, the Pinson Community Center, the Pinson Public Library and the Pinson Bicentennial Park.
Additionally, a resolution concerning the demolition of property at 4094 Spring Street and 4422 Main Street was passed unanimously. The city accepted a proposal from Jones Valley Construction for the demolition of 4094 Spring Street, in the amount of $9,000. They also accepted a proposal from Eastern Tree Service for the demolition of 4422 Main Street, in the amount of $6,800.
Under “New Business,” the council passed Resolution No. 19-24 to advertise for occasional/on-call debris removal bids. All bids should be submitted by 3 p.m. on July 30, 2019.
Mayor Sanders acknowledged Councilor Dawn Tanner for achieving her Emeritus status with the Certified Municipal Official program. Tanner is the second member of the Pinson City Council to achieve the Emeritus status, following Councilor John Churchwell, who was in the first class and was the 25th council member in the state of Alabama to achieve that status.
“When we began, back in the day, they only had Basic, and I think Advanced had just come out when we formed 15 years ago,” Sanders said. “…The three levels being Basic, Advanced and Emeritus. So congratulations, Dawn, and we appreciate your dedication to do that training.”
The next Pinson City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 2 p.m. The meeting has been moved from Thursday, July 4, in recognition of Independence Day.