Council considers Leadership Mountain Brook proposals
High school juniors and seniors presented their city improvement projects before Mountain Brook City Council on May 12. The class is taught by MBHS teacher Amber Benson and Hannon Davidson of the Chamber.
The proposed projects were:
New Lighting for Mountain Brook Parkway- Christina Harmon, Madeline Marx and William Tynes proposed new lighting fixtures to light Mountain Brook Parkway bordering Jemison Trail. Working with Friends of Jemison Trail and Alabama Power Company, they selected lights that would better lights on existing poles on what is considered an entrance to Mountain Brook. The City leases the lights from Alabama Power who maintains them, so they proposed a $640 increase in the annual lease to improve these lights.
Police Department Exercise Equipment- Griffin Cope, Louis Wade and Jake Ferguson proposed furnishing new exercise equipment for Mountain Brook Police Department with specific pieces selected from Wright Exercise Equipment at a 15 percent discount. Aliant Bank has given a donation for the equipment, and the group asked the Council for funding to cover the remainder of the $11,000 cost in next year's budget.
Blue Light System- Jake Fleisher, John Buchanan, Anne Merrick Hamilton and Mary Parker Wetzler proposed the installation of two “blue light” emergency call boxes at the new Cahaba River Park to help prevent future risk of drownings. The group said that dispatcher miscommunication and resulting delayed response time from cell phones creates a need for use of the phones. They asked the Council for an estimated cost of $6,500-10,000 in next year's budget for the boxes plus covering around $110 monthly phone and power costs for them. City Clerk/CFO Steve Boone said that he thought the project could possibly be funded by the City 991 budget.
City Flag- Lindsey Kirk, Haley Fenn, Brooke Littleton and Jordan Tynes proposed flying a new city flag on 11 existing flag poles around Mountain Brook. The group worked with Graham Nash at Mountain Brook Sporting Goods and an artist on a flag design that would showcase the area’s natural features and community values. They arrived at a simple design with a majestic tree and the words “Mountain Brook” printed above it and “Established 1942” below it. The group requested $1,150-1425 from next year's budget to cover the design and production cost of the flags.
Following the presentations, City Council President Virginia Smith said that the Council would discuss all four items at its upcoming budget meetings.
In addition to the presentations at the council meeting, Joseph Davidson, Frances Carson and Turner Hull are looking to replace and enhance damaged exhibit signs about wildlife along Jemison Trail as a part of the class.