By Terry Schrimscher
CLAY — Pickleball players will descend upon the City of Clay Thursday, March 28, as the city plays host to the 4th annual Alabama Open. The tournament will take place at the city’s Pickleball Complex and is open to players of all ages and skill levels.
“Start time for the competitive matches is 8 a.m. Thursday morning,” said City Manager Ronnie Dixon. “Tomorrow is when all the officials come in and they do the training and that kind of stuff.”
Dixon said as many as 600 players have registered to compete in the tournament. Competitors will be visiting Clay from at least three different countries and 17 states, according to Dixon.
The Alabama Open takes place at the City of Clay Pickleball Complex located at 6745 Old Springville Road. The tournament is not a sanctioned event, according to the website, but will have referees for all doubles matches. Matches include singles brackets, doubles brackets for men and woman and a mixed doubles bracket.
The Council also approved two resolutions for public nuisance issues. One resolution declared junk on private property to be a nuisance, which is the first step the city must take in order to alert the property owner for abatement. The second resolution authorized weed abatement on another piece of property. The city will mow the grass and bill the property owner for the work.
Dixon announced two new businesses in the Clay community. Pizza Hut has announced it will open a Pizza Hut Express restaurant in the city a commercial property near the intersection of Tyler Loop Road and Sweeney Hollow Road. The location will also feature a package store. The city has approved plans for a Mavis Tire location which will begin construction in approximately six weeks. The business will be located on Old Springville Road near Clearview Baptist Church.
The City of Trussville will host a Bible Reading Marathon May 1-5. Twelve representatives from the city of Clay will participate and read scripture on May 3 and 4.
In other news, the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast will be held at Grayson Valley Country Club on May 3 at 8 a.m. Guest speaker at the breakfast will be Tony Cooper, former Executive Director of the Jimmie Hale Mission in Birmingham.
The next meeting of the Clay City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 9, 2024 at City Hall.