By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
PINSON – Several upcoming community events were discussed during a meeting of the Pinson City Council on Monday, Oct. 3.
The meeting date was changed from Thursday, Oct. 5, as it was in close proximity to what may be the largest of the events, which is the Alabama Butterbean Festival, set for Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7.
“Come out,” invited Councilman John Churchwell, “And, as I say, we’ve got more vendors and so forth than we had last year that are planning to be here and some new that are planning to come back. So, just make a note of that and be here with us.”
Mayor Pro Tem Robbie Roberts anticipates a large gathering that might beat out last year’s numbers.
“This might be one of the largest we’ve ever had,” he said. “I’m not sure exactly what the full count is but I know this is the largest we’ve had in quite a while, so this might be the largest Butterbean ever as far as the vendors and stuff goes.”
Councilwoman Glenda Kirkland mentioned a Veterans Day luncheon set for Nov. 10, with the band, Three on a String, to deliver a performance. More details will be provided in the future, Roberts said.
Afterwards, the council decided to change the date of the Pinson Christmas Parade from Dec. 5 to Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. The theme of this year’s event will be Candy Cane Christmas. Anyone who wants to recommend a grand marshal may contact the city through Facebook or call 205-680-5556.
Applications to participate in the parade will be opened on Monday, Oct. 9.
Roberts announced that a Zoning Board of Adjustments seat is available and that residents interested in being appointed by Mayor Joe Cochran may reach out to his office. There is also a seat available for the Pinson Public Library board and may be applied for through Director Allison Scanlon or the city.
Additionally, the council voted to authorize a line of credit in cases of emergencies.
“In the past, we’ve had a half-million dollar line of credit that’s available to the city that’s available to the city should we find ourselves in an emergency type situation,” explained Roberts. “Basically this would be a continuation of that but we have to reset these things every two years.”
Roberts added that the adjustment of the interest rate is different from the previous time. He could not recall the previous rate but said that the new one is 1% over prime, which he said was good for the city.
Operations Director Eric Winfrey announced that Pinson has been awarded a $100,000 grant from Innovate Alabama for WIFI expansion, though this was below their request of $260,000. Next will be to form a budget on how to implement the funding, he said.
He added that there are more grants aimed at internet expansion that are possible to be received. This is part of a statewide effort to provide more internet services, especially in rural and underserved areas.
“They want to provide this free internet service,” he said. “It comes all the way from the feds down to the state and down to us, and so anytime they want to fund those things for us we want to take that opportunity.”
He said that he hopes for expanded services to spread to the schools.
In other business, the council:
- Authorized receiving bids for renovations to the Rock School auditorium.
Pinson City Council meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month at City Hall on 4410 Main Street. Live-streamed meetings can be seen on the city’s Facebook page.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.