By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
PINSON – The Pinson City Council heard a report from Captain Chris Horn, who gave several updates and introduced a newly promoted first responder.
Horn began with a brief report. He said that for the month of May there were 843 calls made, totaling 5,353 calls for the medical and fire district. He said that they are testing hydrants and advised the public to run their water slightly longer than normal as they work to flush them out.
He spoke about the recently established Tri-Cities Training Facility where they’ve been holding classes despite some budget issues.
“We’ve got classes ongoing,” he said. “The board has put a stop on any more building or anything going on down there right now because we’re $63,000 over budget of what they allowed out of this year’s budget. So the classroom that I was going to get started to get the foundation done, they’ve stopped me from doing anything until we look at the budget for next year.”
He mentioned that they have been working to get paving for a nearby road where trucks have been parked on mud. Mayor Joe Cochran quickly made a motion to have the city pay for the paving to be done for $8,000, which was unanimously approved by the council.
Horn expressed his gratitude for the action and followed by reminding the public about the oncoming summer heat, advising that pets and children should never be left unattended in cars, even for short periods of time. He explained that there was an incident in which a parent left a child in a car shortly but left their keys in the locked vehicle, which prompted a call to the district.
He also reminded the public that the district still has smoke detectors to give away.
“There’s no reason for no one to not have a smoke detector in their house,” he said. “Call our admin office and we’ll get our crews and we’ll get busy. And they’re free.”
The annual golf tournament is coming up on June 31 at the Grayson Valley Country Club. He then introduced newly promoted Lt. Austin Osborne, who spoke to the council.
“I look forward to serving the Center Point Fire District and the city of Pinson and all the other cities to the best of my ability,” he said. “I look forward to providing leadership much like y’all are doing up here.”
He said that the district will begin holding CPR classes and one called “Stop the Bleed,” which focuses on how to stop hemorrhagic shock.
“We have a lot of traumatic incidents and so this class really helps teach lay people how to stop traumatic hemorrhage and bleeding,” he said.
This class is new to the district and city staff in Pinson will have an opportunity to take it, added Horn.
During the mayor’s report it was announced that work has begun on installing signage around the Rock School Complex to clarify directions to different parts of the building.
Recycling pickup by Waste Management has also resumed after the plant in Birmingham was temporarily closed due to damage from a fire, said Mayor Pro Temp Robbie Roberts. The recycling service was a point of discussion in a past meeting where some frustrations were expressed at the lack of pickup.
Cochran said that they have requested that the company credit one month of recycling on their bill. It was also announced that the splash pad at the Bicentennial Park has been reopened after temporarily closing due to technical problems.
The meeting ended with the council going into executive session to discuss the name and reputation of an individual and pending litigation.
In other business, the council:
- Approved a request to rezone a property from C-1 to HC (Highway Commercial),
- Appointed Natalie Roberts to the library board, and
- Approved the purchase of metal cladding for the Rock School Complex in the amount of $8,640,
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp@gmail.com.