By Crystal McGough, copy editor
CLAY – The Clay City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night declaring the week of March 9-15, 2020, to be American Legion SSG Michael W. Hosey Post 205 Week in the city of Clay.
Resolution 2020-02 states, “WHEREAS The American Legion was charted by World War I Veterans on March 15th, 1919 to serve their fellow wartime veterans …
“WHEREAS American Legion Department of Alabama Post 205 was charted on March 12th, 2019 …
“WHEREAS American Legion Department of Alabama Post 205 is named in honor of U.S. Army SSG Michael Wesley Hosey, a beloved local resident and 2001 graduate of Clay-Chalkville High School, who was killed in action on 17 September 2011 in Urozgan Province, Afghanistan …
“WHEREAS the American Legion SSG Michael W. Hosey Post 205 Family has contributed significantly in its first year to the Clay community … (and) pledges itself to continue its growth and to continue serving the City of Clay and Northeast Jefferson County …
“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Clay, Alabama that the week of 9 through 15 March, 2020 be declared American Legion SSG Michael W. Hosey Post 205 Week in the City of Clay.”
The council also approved Ordinance 2020-03, establishing procedure for the appointment of additional election officers for absentee ballots.
“You are required to have three,” City Manager Ronnie Dixon told the council. “It will be our office workers. In the last election, we only had two absentee ballots, so it’s not a big deal, but it’s something that we have to do for the quadrennial elections.”
In other news, Dixon said that a heliport will be created at Cosby Lake as soon as the weather allows, to make accommodations for air ambulance services. The city will paint a heliport “H” on the parking lot near the dam at Cosby Lake. The original plan was to have it completed by Feb. 28, but in order to apply the paint, there has to be three days of no rain with temperatures over 50 degrees, Dixon said.
“The fire department has nowhere to land one that’s official,” Dixon said. “So since we have asphalt there, we’re going to paint an H with a yellow circle … It accomplishes two things: it gets the fire department a listed heliport, and it allows us to have an impervious surface around the lake so that we can have cars parked there sometimes.”
Dixon also announced that the city made its regular contributions of $35,000 each to Clay Elementary School, Clay-Chalkville Middle School and Clay-Chalkville High School.
“All the principals thank you,” Dixon said to the mayor and council. “They have specific plans for (the money).
The next meeting of the Clay City Council will be Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at Clay City Hall. Pre-council will begin at 6 p.m. and the regular council meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.