By Terry Schrimscher, For the Tribune
IRONDALE –The Irondale City Council met at Irondale City Hall Tuesday night, November 6, for the first regular session of the month. The meeting date was changed in September due to the city’s participation National Night Out events on October 3.
In his portion of the meeting, Mayor James D. Stewart Jr. awarded a proclamation for former mayor Dan Praytor for a lifetime of service. In the proclamation, Stewart mentioned Praytor served as mayor from 1988 to 1992 and as a member of the City Council from 1980 to 1988.
Praytor served the city as a volunteer firefighter for 23 years and served in the Irondale Police Department for eight years. He was wounded in Vietnam and received two Purple Heart medals, a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, a Vietnam Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal.
Stewart also honored Frank Pennington, Public Works Director, for his service to the city.
“He gets the job done,” Stewart said. “The recycling program is tied to Frank Pennington. Frank Pennington was the one who got the $283,000 grant for the city. Stewart presented Pennington with a certificate of appreciation and a $1000 check.
Representatives from Chick-Fil-A were on hand to give an update on the remodeling of the location near Walmart. Although located in the city of Birmingham, the store is the closest location to Irondale. The expanded location is expected to open by Thanksgiving and is looking to hire as many as 100 employees.
Stewart also honored the Shades Valley High School volleyball team for making it to the 6A quarter finals for the first time in 22 years. Stewart posed for photos with the girls and will present them with special awards at a later date.
After the announcements from the Mayor and Council, the meeting moved quickly into three public hearings. All three hearings concerned the demolition of properties deemed to be public nuisances.
Two of the properties marked for demolition in the hearings 1004 Parrish Lane and 5142 Amber Hills Road were also the subject of public hearings and approved for demolition in the October 4 meeting.
A third home located at 421 E. Forest Drive was also deemed unsafe and marked for demolition. No one was present to speak on behalf of the Forest Drive home or the Amber Hills home.
During the hearings, the Council agreed to postpone demolition of 1004 Parrish Lane and give the owner time to work with engineers to begin refurbishing the property and bringing it up to code. The measure will be considered at the first meeting after 60 days have passed.
The Council also approved an agreement with Kemp Management Solutions to provide management services for five city construction projects for an amount not to exceed $28,232 per month. Councilmember Cindy Cuellar voted against the measure.
The city will host the Irondale Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting December 1 in front of City Hall at 6pm. The parade will feature free coffee and cocoa and photos with Santa. For more information or to participate in the event, visit www.irondalecommunityfoundation.com.
The next meeting of the Irondale City Council will be held at 6 p.m. on October 17 at Irondale City Hall. An agenda for the meeting can be found on the Irondale website prior to the meeting.