By Scott Buttram, publisher
TRUSSVILLE — A major thoroughfare in Trussville will get a speed limit reduction and the Trussville Tree Commission is preparing to give hundreds of free trees away to citizens in honor of Arbor Day.
Those were two of the highlights in the Trussville City Council regular meeting on Tuesday night. The meeting went quickly, but the council moved a lot of business forward through the consent agenda.
Additionally, the council recognized Trussville City Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year Hannah Lutz and Secondary Teacher of the Year Charlotte Booker. TCS recently honored both for their outstanding service to Trussville students.
The council unanimously approved reducing the speed limit on U.S. Highway 11 from Deerfoot Parkway north to the city limits just past the entrance to Carrington. The current speed limit is 55 mph and the vote lowers the speed limit to 45 mph.
The reduction in speed was approved and recommended to the council by the Public Safety Committee. Trussville Police Chief Eric Rush cited the development along the northern stretch of road which includes two of the city’s largest neighborhoods, Carrington and Stockton, as factors in lowering speed limits.
Earlier Tuesday, the Tribune reported that Leola W. Manuel, 82, of Trussville, had died following a crash at Carrington Drive and Gadsden Highway on Monday.
Rush also pointed out that the 55 mph speed limit dropping to 35 mph in the Paine Elementary School zone, while legal, isn’t optimal. He said, coming south in Hwy. 11, the transition from 45 mph to the 35 mph school zone is safer and makes more sense.
Ralph Mitchell of the Trussville Tree Commission also addressed the council as they passed resolutions for the upcoming Tree City Week from Feb. 19 – Feb. 25 and Arbor Day on Feb. 24. It will be the commission’s third Arbor Day celebration and tree giveaway.
Mitchell thanked Mayor Buddy Choat for reinvigorating the Tree Commission and the council for their financial support. Mitchell said the commission combined their city budget allocation with grants from Sen. Shay Shelnutt and Alabama Power to obtain 230 3-gallon bucket trees and 300 bare root trees to give free to residents on Arbor Day.
The tree giveaway will be from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Mall under pavilion on Feb. 24.
A recent survey of the protected trees that form the oak canopy in the Cahaba Homestead Historic District listed 498 trees. Mitchell said the commission worked with the surveyor to identify the historic district boundaries and the number of protected trees rose to 569 in the recount.
Mitchell said 32 trees have been replaced with about 60 to go. Approximately 22 to 23 trees need to come down and the commission plans replace all of them.
Mitchell and fellow Tree Commission member David Dobbs will be guests on Tribune Unscripted at noon on Thursday to discuss the Arbor Day tree giveaway and update the audience on the tree survey in the historic district.
In public comments, Jim Wolfe addressed the mayor and council regarding concerns about the condition and width of Edgeview Avenue.
Edgeview Avenue is one of several roads expected to see an uptick in traffic as residents in adjoining neighborhoods will use it to access the loop road being created around the Main Street-North Chalkville Road intersection.
Wolfe pointed out the narrowness of the road in some spots and the overall condition as traffic is already increasing in the southwest sector.
Mayor Choat said he already had city personnel looking at the situation with the road to determine the best course of action.
“It’s fairly narrow in some places, quite honestly,” Choat said.
Recommendations will be made to the council when the report is complete.
Choat said later that Alabama Power is currently moving and resetting more power poles in relation to the loop road moving forward.
Additionally, the mayor said that he had been notified that ALDOT plans to repave U.S. Hwy. 11 from I-459 to to Waterson Parkway in Trussville. The entire project will reach all the way to Roebuck in the city of Birmingham. That project is anticipated to begin in May.
The council voted to go into executive session to discuss a commercial development and real estate. They then adjourned without additional action.
The following actions were taken by the City Council;
Consent Agenda
· Appoint Richard Alhquist to the Tree Commission, succeeding Eric Frederick, with term ending February 28, 2026
· Appoint Sheree Mitchell to the Tree Commission, with term ending February 28, 2027
· Reappoint Tree Commission members David Dobbs and Jenna Jones, with terms ending February 28, 2027
Engage Sain Associates on an as-needed basis with a $70,000 cap for the year.
Regular Agenda (Resolutions, Ordinances, etc.)
· Proclamation Honoring Teacher of the Year Charlotte Booker Hewitt-Middle
· Proclamation Honoring Teacher of the Year Hannah Lutz Paine Elementary
· Proclamation Declaring Trussville Freedom Celebration Day a Citywide Event July 4th 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
· Proclamation Recognizing Tree City Week Feb. 19-25
· Proclamation Recognizing Arbor Day Feb. 24
· Ordinance to Lower the Speed Limit on a Portion of Gadsden Highway Deerfoot to north city limits from 55 mph to 45 mph.
· Resolution to Transfer Education Trust Fund Money to the City Board of Education
Accounts Payable
· Alabama Vegetation Management Conference for Assistant Public Works Director Justin Ferguson & Heavy Equipment Operator Jonathon Hicks, February 27-28 in Tuscaloosa. $400 registration fees plus accommodations
· South East Field Training Officer Association Conference for Police FTO Cpl. Bobby Tomlin, May 12-16 in Orlando. $275 registration fee plus accommodations
· Interview & Interrogation for Detectives Course for Police Detective Michael Pressley, March 25-29 in Gatlinburg, TN. $575 registration fee plus accommodations
· Hold the Line-K9 Conference for Police Sgt. Nate Holloway, Cpl. Casey Shelnutt, Officer Steven Jordan & Officer Rodney Pierce, April 9-12 in Myrtle Beach, SC. $1360 registration fees plus accommodations
· Municipal Clerks Spring Institute for City Clerk Dan Weinrib, April 17-19 in Tuscaloosa. $265 registration fee
· Hired Isabella Hall as full-time Firefighter (Grade 19FF – Step 1), effective January 27, 2024
· Promoted Jim Nolan to Information Technology Project Manager (Grade 34 – Step 8), effective January 27, 2024
· Promoted Evan McCleskey to Landscape Crew Leader (Garde 20 – Step 1), effective January 27, 2024
· Hire Richard Swartz as a full-time Firefighter Paramedic (Grade 21 FF – Step 1), effective February 24, 2024
· Hire Jackson Trotman as a full-time Unclassified Laborer for the Fire Department (Grade 7 – Step 4), effective February 24, 2024
· Approve job change for full-time Public Safety Dispatcher Candice Phillips-Warner to full-time Court Clerk (Grade 13 – Step 10), effective February 10, 2024