By Terry Schrimscher For The Tribune
SPRINGVILLE — The Springville City Council met for the first regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday night, December 6.
The first item on the agenda was an agreement to build a new section of Camp Road located near the city’s Youth Baseball Complex. The cost of the road project is projected to be $131,000, split equally between St. Clair County and the City of Springville.
“The intent of this is to create a more safe environment at that park area,” City Attorney James Hill said.
Hill explained the new section of road would replace an existing portion of Camp Road, creating a new intersection with Village Springs Road further down than the current location near the Archer’s Cove neighborhood.
Council members Herbert Toles, Wayne Tucker, and Tim Walker expressed concerns about future expenses to the city, which would be required to maintain the roads once built. The council members expressed concerns on road construction quality, traffic flow, and future traffic light installation as projected traffic from the growing Archer’s Cove neighborhood increases over the next decade.
“The people of Springville need to know what we are getting and what it is going to cost them in years to come,” said Tucker.
“This is about, at the end of the day, safety,” Mayor Dave Thomas said. “More so than traffic flow or traffic counts or subdivision access. What really started all of this, years ago, is the safety of our children out there.”
The city hopes the new road will alleviate some of the current traffic flow around the youth ballpark, where cars are often parked along the side of Camp Road, creating dangerous situations for families as cars enter too quickly from Village Springs Road.
During the meeting, representatives from D R Horton, the developers of Archer’s Cove, offered to shoulder the city’s expense for paving the new road and conducting a new traffic study with the county—including the cost of a future traffic light if necessary.
The council approved the construction and maintenance agreement pending review and amendment by City Attorney Hill.
In other business, the Council approved a new animal control ordinance amending existing orders. The new rules would make provisions for dog owners using electronic leashes and fences.
The Council also approved financing from Metro Bank for $57,200 for two trucks for the Springville Fire Department. The total price for the two trucks is $88,000. The city has $31,000 in the existing budget.
The city also held a public hearing on an ordinance to rezone 6099 US Highway 11 to B3-Downtown Business District and approved the ordinance.
The council approved a resolution to amend the budget to include employee health cost increases and approved up to $9500 in training cost reimbursements for a potential new hire for the fire department.
The council also approved $10,635 to purchase a right of way for construction on the four-way stop and approved a resolution to declare storage containers in city parks as surplus.