By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
Leeds – During a meeting of the Leeds City Hall on Monday, Oct. 17, the city council approved an offer to move the Main Street program to the train depot before agreeing to a suggestion by Councilwoman DeVoris Ragland-Pierce to begin live streaming meetings.
Before the meeting began, Councilman Kenneth Washington requested that the council go into executive session, the topic being for a particular individual. The session lasted for more than half an hour before the council returned.
Among the items on the agenda was a resolution to make an offer to the Leeds Main Street program to lease a space for a new meeting room at the Historic Train Depot for no cost.
As with the previous meeting, Miller said that the depot would be ideal as it would reportedly provide office space, a storage area, and has “high visibility.” He added that the depot would still be available to the public and the Leeds Historical Commission.
Ragland-Pierce said that specifications would need to be included in the offer regarding things such as times of availability at the depot. City Attorney Scott Barnett said that amendments can be made to the offer before any decision is made by the Main Street board whether or not to accept.
The specifications were added to the resolution and were passed.
Just before the floor was opened to public comments, Ragland-Pierce suggested meetings be live-streamed and called to vote on the matter.
“We want to make sure that we’re totally transparent with our citizens on what we’re doing, the decisions that we’re making,” Ragland-Pierce said.
Miller did not oppose the idea and said that it would have to be added to the agenda, which it was as 22-10-07. Developmental Service Director Brad Watson said that additional equipment may be needed and estimated the cost to be less than $5,000.
Councilman Eric Turner suggested investigating getting services at lower costs or for free. The council then unanimously approved the motion by Ragland-Pierce.
Among public comments was Susan Carswell, chair of the Historical Commission, who asked for clarification on what the city offers to the Main Street program in terms of space. Miller replied that one office space is being offered.
Afterward was Leeds Main Street Director Amber Vines, who said there were “things we wanted to iron out” about the potential move to the depot. She said that she requested a meeting before the council met but did not receive a response and that the board of the program could have provided information.
Miller told her that they can modify any specifications before deciding to accept. Before she stepped away, Vines asked for clarification regarding the Office Lounge, a building that owner James Carroll is trying to reopen and who asked about permitting for construction during public comments at the last meeting.
Vines asked if the building was being considered to be turned into a restaurant, but Miller told her that that was not the location that was being looked at.
Later, Carroll himself said that he had turned in the paperwork and talked with professionals to have the building be ADA-compliant. However, he stated that he was having problems with the permit process, saying it had been taking too long since it closed several years ago.
“I think the city ought to look at a new way of permitting,” he said. “A new way of fast forwarding the way they permit.”
Carroll said that he had been trying to work with a contractor to repair the roof of the building, though Watson replied that the contractor did not have the required license and that architectural plans have to be presented as mandated by state law.
A discussion followed for some length in which Carroll said he had not received responses from the city whenever he reached out. He also said that he turned in drawings to the city for certain modifications to the bathroom but that they had been lost. On a final note, he said that he would speak to an architect and return with the plans.
In other business, the council:
- Approved a request to rezone Cahaba Mobile Park from B-2 (General Business District) to RMHP (Residential Mobile Home Park District) to allow for contiguous zoning designations for all parcels of the park,
- Tabled a resolution to declare a property on Moton Street to the next meeting,
- Passed the 2022-2023 budget with the exclusion of line item 01-5012 or appeals (to be addressed at another meeting),
- Authorized the repurchase of cemetery lots at Cedar Grove Cemetery,
- Authorized the release of funds for Main Street, and
- Adopted and ratified the September 2022 city payables and expenditures.
Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.