By Crystal McGough, copy editor
PINSON — The Pinson City Council passed a resolution Thursday night to purchase 34 acres of flood plain land off of Sweeney Hollow Road, for the purpose of conservation. Resolution 19-38 authorizes the city to purchase the property for the amount of $27,200.
“Most of you are familiar with this area: if you are leaving Pinson, going towards Chalkville on Sweeney Hollow, this is the property on the right side – that would be the south side – from Silver Lake Road all the way around to, I think it’s Green Drive,” Mayor Hoyt Sanders said. “It’s 34 acres, it’s mostly flood plain, and this will allow us to purchase that and preserve it. We certainly don’t want to do anything to worsen or exacerbate flooding that does occur, particularly from that point down, or really even Sweeney Hollow upstream.
“In any case, this will continue having that area available to us as absorption and natural, and then there might even be a possibility long-term, with grant money, that we could do some sort of device that would act as a detention pond. That’s a little bit down the road, but nonetheless …this will preserve it, once it’s acquired, and we can go from there.”
The council also passed Resolution No. 19-39, which appointed and reappointed members to the Zoning Board of Adjustments.
Frank Campbell was reappointed for a full term, from Jan. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2023.
Marvelyn Deese and David Gillan were each reappointed for 3-year terms, beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, and ending Dec. 31, 2022.
Joey LeMaster was reclassified from a supernumerary member to a seated member for a 3-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2020, and ending Dec. 31, 2022. LeMaster will be replacing DeWane Leard.
“The only minor change, Joey LeMaster will move from a supernumerary, which is an alternate seat, up to a fully seated member, which provides a vacancy as one of our supernumerary members,” Sanders said. “So the requirement is that you do live in the (city) limit for that board, unlike the planning commission. If you or someone you know is interested in sitting on our BZA, just advise someone on council.”
Sanders offered a first reading for football field lighting additions, presenting the council with a proposal from Craft Electric Co., Inc., in the amount of $1,828.39.
“Some of them on the boosters asked … about us coming up with a way to light the group banners that are on the south side of the field house,” he said. “So Craft has provided an estimate for that and I present that, just for first reading.”
Additionally, Councilor Joy McCain offered a first reading of options for an interactive art mural to be painted on the exterior of the north side of the Rock School Center. The city is looking to hire Birmingham artist Dewon Moton to paint two sets of life-size angel wings, a large one for adults and a smaller one for children, which passersby can take pictures in front of.
“There’s a big white wall right there; it’s the perfect place,” McCain said. “We’ve been thinking about doing stuff like this for a long time. A lot of the cities are starting to do that, and I’ve been seeing it everywhere.
“It’s kind of like the wings in Oneonta,” she said. “They painted some wings up there to remind humanity that we are angels of the earth. It’s interactive art, so when you take a picture, you’re part of the art.”
McCain added that the Alabama League of Municipalities has been having people send in photos of murals from their cities to be published in the Alabama Municipal Journal.
In other news, Sanders and the council commended PVHS Principal Mike Turner for recently being named Principal of the Year for District 5 in Alabama.
“That further cements all the positive things going on at the high school,” Sanders said. “We give our sincere congratulations to Mr. Turner.”
The council also announced that the Pinson Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony will both take place on Saturday, Dec. 7. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and the tree lighting will be at 6 p.m.
The Dec. 19 meeting of the Pinson City Council has had adjustments made to both time and location. It will now take place at the Palmerdale Homestead Community Center at 1 p.m.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the council will be Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, at Pinson City Hall. Pre-council begins at 6:30 p.m. and the regular council session begins at 7 p.m.