By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
LEEDS, Ala. – Thanks to a series of funding, the Leeds Historical Society has been able to make renovations and updates to the home of the Leeds Museum, said the society’s director, Randy Ray, during a meeting of the city council on Monday night.
Ray delivered an overview of the impact on the J.W. Bass building, which houses the museum, saying that the funding has allowed repairs to the chimney and updates to museum displays.
“Beyond funding, the City’s support in branding, website development, and grant writing has been innovative and incredibly helpful,” Ray said in his remarks to the council. “This type of partnership is not common everywhere, and it makes a real difference.”
Ray segued into a mention of the upcoming Downtown Historic Walk. Whereas past versions of the event were themed around Leeds in the 1950s, the April 11 occasion will focus on the 1960s.
“As students of Leeds history, we know this spirit of cooperation is not new,” he said. “When city leadership fosters collaboration, great things happen.”
In regard to the updated museum displays, Ray elaborated further.
“We are reimaging displays to tell stories versus putting up an artifact,” he told the Tribune. “We want to tell a story about the artifact, the story about the picture so that when people are walking through the museum they’re understanding what they’re looking at in context and why it’s there. That’s not been what we’ve done in the past. That’s been more a collection of artifacts. Now it’s a collection of stories.”
Ray said that the society received $75,000 from the Alabama Historical Commission, $10,000 from the Daniel Foundation and $60,000 overall from the City of Leeds.
Afterwards, Mayor Eddie Moore read aloud a proclamation declaring April to be Leeds Heritage Month.
The proclamation states that Leeds was incorporated on April 27, 1887, and that its history “reflects the perseverance, faith, and enterprise of the citizens who built and sustained this community…”
The efforts of local citizens and organizations to preserve the city’s history were honored.
In his report, Councilor Cary Kennedy mentioned that progress has been made in cleanup efforts for streets. Stop signs are also being placed, he said. Moore added that the budget was increased $2 million for streets and sanitation.
Councilor Dale Faulkner said that equipment is underway to tear down unoccupied houses in the city.
During public comments, Motors on Main Street organizer Shandi White requested $10,000 from the council to sponsor the event, saying that funds will go towards operational expenses as well as nonprofit organizations for veterans.
Afterwards, she and B&B Construction owner Vance Ballard proposed a fencing project around part of the Leeds Gazebo Park for children to safely play in.
“This improvement also contributes to the economic vitality of Leeds by increasing the likelihood that those using the space are also patrons of nearby businesses immediately before or after their visit,” says the proposal written by White. “This natural flow supports small business revenue and generates additional tax dollars for the city while strengthening the overall downtown experience.”
If approved the project will be performed by the Incubator Foundation that White co-founded and will be funded by a private grant.
Moore said that both will be considered.
In other business the council:
- Approved a catering contract for the Senior Center
- Approved a contract for cemetery maintenance for an amount not to exceed $21,650 and
- Declared public works and fire department equipment as surplus.
Leeds City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.
