By Crystal McGough, Associate Editor
IRONDALE – Mayor James D. Stewart Jr. awarded four winners of Irondale’s Martin Luther King Jr. Public Service Project contest at the city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Steward had proposed this idea to encourage citizens of Irondale to get out and serve their community in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Everybody’s very familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King,” Stewart said. “If it wasn’t for Dr. King, I probably wouldn’t be in this spot right now as the mayor for the city of Irondale, so I really pay homage to him for all the things that he’s done to be able to help us be able to have the right to vote, as well as to be able to have equal accommodations just like everybody else in America. What we decided to do is to celebrate his holiday because he was a man of action, and he was an individual who believed in service.”
On Jan. 3, the council approved public funds from the mayor’s 2022-23 FY Discretionary Fund to be used for the contest, and each of the winners received a $1,000 check from the city of Irondale to put toward their project.
The winning projects were 5-S Project: Seniors Serving Seniors Sick and Shut-in; Wildflower and Butterfly Garden at “The Bend” on 1st Avenue; ARC Landscapes LLC, redoing the stone bricks on 20th Street; and Operation 911 Address Plates for the Holiday Gardens neighborhood.
“On behalf of the group, the 5-S project, we want to thank Irondale City Council, the Foundation, and the mayor for accepting our proposal,” Carol Dangerfield said. “We hope to spread joy to some of the seniors that are sick and shut in.”
As for the Operation 911 Address Plates, Mayor Stewart explained that this idea was originally formulated by the fire department in order to make house addresses more visible to first responders.
“Mr. Claude Perry kind of took it upon himself to be able to provide reflection plates in Holiday Gardens,” Stewarts said. “So when the fire department or the police department is called out to an address, if you don’t have your address on your box … it’s kind of difficult for them to be able to figure out who it is. Also, at night, if it’s not reflective, then they still have a very difficult time.”
Perry teamed up with Irondale Fire Department’s Lt. Brasher to make this idea a reality.
“We hope that this project will be vital to the community,” Perry said. “We hope to implement this program as soon as possible. If you’re not from the Holiday Gardens area, please consider doing the same thing we’ve done because 911 is an emergency.”
Additionally, Stewart said that during the next week, the city will be collecting donations of toiletries, tarps, and gift cards to places like Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes to serve the tornado victims in Selma, Alabama.
“Even if you wanted to bring a sheet of plywood, we’ll take that, as well,” he said. “But those were some of the things that they were asking for; those are some of the things that they really need to be able to make it through this time.”
The city will accept donations through Jan. 24, and Stewart plans to take those items to Selma on behalf of the city of Irondale.
The city council held three public hearings concerning zoning changes at the following addresses: 601 St. Patrick Circle, 5238 Amber Hills Road and 5370 Grantswood Road.
After more than an hour and a half of comments from the public, both for and against these zoning changes, the council put them to a vote under “New Business.”
Ordinance 2023-02, to rezone the property located at 601 St. Patrick Circle from a C-1 Commercial District to an Inst-2 Institutional District failed to pass unanimous consent for consideration. This item can be reconsidered at a future meeting.
Ordinance 2023-03, to rezone the property located at 5238 Amber Hills Road from an R-2 Residential District to an I-1 Light Industrial District also failed to pass unanimous consent for consideration. This item can also be reconsidered at a future meeting.
Ordinance 2023-04, to rezone the property located at 5370 Grantswood Road from an O Office District to a C-1 Commercial District passed unanimous consent and was adopted.
The council also approved the following:
- Ordinance 2023-05 Chapter 4, Buildings and Building Regulations, Article 1. – In General, Sec. 4-11 entitled “Masonry required on structures in certain zoning districts” is amended to clarify Ordinance 2007-18 adopted by the City
- Resolution 2023-R-09, approving public events for 2023 (Councilor Cindy Cuellar abstained)
Mayor Stewart informed the public of some upcoming events, including a meeting at city hall on Jan. 26, at 6 p.m., to take suggestions from the community about things they would like to see at the new library. There will not be discussions about the location of the new library at this meeting, as it is only to address what amenities people would like to be considered.
Additionally, the city will be hosting a community event called “Irondale: We Got Game” at the Irondale Civic Center (formerly the Zamora Temple), where people can come out to enjoy a wide variety of card and board games.
The next regular meeting of the Irondale City Council will be Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at Irondale City Hall, beginning at 6 p.m.