By Nathan Prewett
For the Tribune
CENTER POINT — Center Point Mayor Thomas Henderson presented a proclamation that declared May “Building Safety Month”. He and members of the council said that the proclamation was passed to raise awareness of the importance of safety and recognizing building codes.
“This is to make sure that people understand the importance of building codes in the state of Alabama and in the city of Center Point,” said Henderson. “And the make the citizens safe and protect them as they have projects to build.”
Before the resolution was passed, Chris Davis spoke during public comments. Davis is running for District 59 in the Alabama House of Representatives and said that he is a native of Center Point. He outlined his platform and asked that people consider voting for him in the June 5 primary election.
Afterwards, the proclamation was declared. Barlow cited a past incident in Trussville a number of years ago in which a deck was built by a citizen but collapsed during a party.
“People think it’s a heavy hand but it’s not,” said Council President Roger Barlow, “It’s for your protection and making sure we have safety.”
The resolution was supported by Chief Building Inspector Ricky Hinkle, who said that it follows in the footsteps of Governor Kay Ivey’s proclamation in 2017.
Later in the meeting the council voted to request an opinion from the state attorney general regarding the renewal of an agreement with Advanced Disposal. In a meeting on March 22, the council voted in favor of extending its contract with the company. The request by the council asks the attorney general to give an opinion on the fees garbage collection.
In his report, Henderson brought up a question that had been asked about streetlights in the city. He said that 40 lights have been identified and 35 have been installed in the northwest. On the northeast side, 41 locations have been identified with 21 installed. He said that eight lights have been updated with LEDs on Center Point Parkway.
He said that the city has, for some years, been looking for a space big enough to create a dog park and that such a space has been found on Saturn Lane near Center Point Parkway. It was donated to the city and is approximately eight acres in size. He also said that it could possibly have a community garden there or at Reed Harvey Park as well.
Councilor Bobby Scott reported on the April 20 Community Cleanup with volunteers from Erwin Middle School, the Center Point High School Football team and from city departments.
Councilor Linda Kennemur announced that the next neighborhood watch meeting has been changed to coincide with a presentation that the Office of Justice Programs will give on May 2.
On May 2 at 1:30 p.m., the Office of Justice Programs will give a presentation on its study of Center Point requested by the council. Henderson said that the study will present possible solutions on improving safety in the city, which has been a subject of discussion and occasional controversy in past meetings. The public is invited to listen to the presentation at City Hall.
Shelby Andrews, who is representing Center Point in Ms. Alabama Pageant, will receive a sendoff after the next council meeting as she goes to the state pageant to compete.
During the pre-council meeting, Barlow brought up the possibility of hiring an economic development coordinator. He described the position as being something that could “aggressively promote” the city. He said that the possibility could be discussed in a future meeting.
In other business, the council:
- Granted a business license to Moon Day Spa
- Accepted a proposal from John Plumbing for replacing sewer pipes for the storm shelter connections ($12,856)
- Passed Resolution 2018-26 granting $500 to Sisters United for the “Youth Expo” program
- Passed Resolution 2018-28 “ascertaining, fixing and determining the amount of assessment for 1400 Huffman Road
- Accepted a proposal for $10,257 by Stone and Sons as part of ongoing efforts to install Christmas lights throughout the city
- Approved an ordinance that amends the schedule of fees for building and construction permits.
The next Center Point City Council meeting will take place on May 10 with pre-council at 6:45 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m.