City Council votes to begin renovations at City Hall

The Mountain Brook City Council — at its regular meeting for Monday, June 22 — voted to make some improvements to city hall, apply for federal dollars to help pay for emergency expenses caused by COVID-19 and commission a study of a long-standing flooding problem at Mountain Brook Junior High.

• The city will pay Meadows Contracting Inc. $107,751 to make some improvements in the service mall area at City Hall on Church Street. The work, which should begin in 4-6 weeks, will involve the renovation of the existing transaction windows and counters. The changes are intended to make city personnel feel safer, especially when court is in session and they are handling money, said City Council President Virginia Smith. For example, the renovation will include the addition of bullet-resistant doors and windows. 
• The city will submit an application for financial assistance through the federal CARES Act COVID-19 Disaster Relief program. The application is submitted through the Jefferson County Commission. The expenditures submitted for reimbursement were used to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 emergency and were not accounted for in the city’s budget, according to information in the agenda packet.
• The council voted to accept a professional services proposal from Schoel Engineering to study a long-standing problem with flooding at Mountain Brook Junior High. William Thomas of Schoel told the Council that the study would likely be done in three or four weeks. The flooding stems from the installation of a detention pond on the campus in about 2000, according to the proposal from Schoel. The pond almost immediately was overtopped by storms, but it is believed that the pond can be modified to alleviate the flooding. Mountain Brook Schools has agreed to pay for half of the cost of the study, which will cost $16,500, said MBS Director of Facilities Tommy Prewitt. “It's really needed,” he said. “Since February. we have flooded three times back there.”
• The Council appointed three people to the city’s Board of Landscape Design. Brooks Sanders will serve through June 12, 2023, replacing Stephen Gidiere, whose term just expired June 12. David Lyles and Mary Evelyn McKee will serve as supernumerary members of the BLD through June 22, 2023.
• The Council also gave approval to Maurice Papapietro of Brick & Tin restaurant, located at 2901 Cahaba Road, to temporarily set up five tables for seating outside the restaurant on the Culver Road side. The eatery reopened in May but seating inside the restaurant is limited by the state health rules still in place due to COVID-19.  “We are just trying to get back as many of our seats as possible to lake up what we lost inside,” Papapietro said. He told members he was inspired by Golden Age Wine and a similar arrangement they began recently after receiving Council approval.

OTHER BUSINESS

• The Council authorized the execution of an agreement with a contractor, Alabama Guardrail Inc., that will install 475 feet of wooden guardrail along Mountain Brook Parkway starting west of Overbrook Road for the sum of $35,625.
• Members passed a resolution authorizing the installation of a 35w LED street light with 2ʼ arm on Sedley Drive.