By Terry Schrimscher
SPRINGVILLE — In its final meeting of 2020, the Springville City Council met virtually due to risks associated with coronavirus. The regular meeting scheduled for December 21 was rescheduled to Monday, December 28, to accommodate the move online.
During the meeting, Fire Chief Richard Harvey detailed some of the COVID-19 statistics for St. Clair County and the rest of Alabama. According to the State of Alabama Department of Public Health, St. Clair County has confirmed 975 positive cases in the last 14 days. Currently, the department lists 50,954 confirmed cases in the state over the same period. To date, the state lists 351,804 total cases and 4,737 deaths since data tracking began.
In total, St. Clair County has 67 confirmed deaths from the virus and four more are listed as probable, according to Harvey. The county is listed as a high-risk area by the department.
Due to the change in meeting dates, the council retroactively approved Resolution 2020-41, designating Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as official paid holidays for city employees.
In new business, the council approved several items addressed in the December 14 work session. The council approved the expenditure of up to $1,700 to pump grease out of sewer lift stations. The process is considered routine maintenance and is covered by sewer fees. The council also approved $8,000 for preventive maintenance on city fire trucks.
One new agenda item was added to allow the Springville Library to spend $5,000 of technology grant funds with $1,250 coming from a local matching grant. The expenditure will be reimbursed by an Alabama Public Library Grant but the money has to be spent by the end of the year to receive the grant funding.
Due to ongoing safety precautions surrounding the spike in coronavirus cases, city offices are closed to walk-in traffic but staff will be available for phone, email and internet meetings. Drive-through services are still open, where applicable. City Council, zoning and other committee meetings will be virtual through the end of January.
