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Mountain Brook Athletics gains additional field space

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Mountain Brook Athletics has grown over the years, and in doing so, has outpaced its current field space. Brian Lucas, Mountain Brook Athletics football commissioner and chairman of Mountain Brook Parks and Recreation, presented a possible solution to this problem during the city council meeting on April 24.

After meeting with the Levite JCC, Lucas said they are looking for a way to partner with the city and have proposed creating an agreement in which the city could use their football field if it was also maintained by Mountain Brook.

Currently, there are only two janitors taking care of the field, and Lucas said there are some “rough patches” that need to be repaired. Maintenance would include fertilizing, seeding and mowing the field inside the track throughout the year, which would cost approximately $9,400. The LJCC also asked for a $5,000 payment for fall and spring programs, each.

“This is just a perfect fit,” Lucas said, and noted that this location does have a restroom. He did clarify that the city would not have exclusive rights to the field — the LJCC has programs to run on the field as well — and said they are working on scheduling to meet everyone’s needs. Using the field would provide MBA with an additional playing space and allow the programs to be expanded, Lucas said.

Lucas said he had not discussed the possibility of utilizing their gym, but was willing to ask. He’d like to have the field ready to go for fall sports.

“We’re obviously cramped for field space and this seems to be a pretty good space,” said councilman Lloyd Shelton.

“I think it’s a no brainer,” councilwoman Alice Womack said.

The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation was permitted to proceed with preliminary maintenance. A lease — which will designate that the lease is one year in length, in addition to additional details — is set to be approved at the next council meeting on May 14. 

Leadership Mountain Brook students also continued their “City Improvement Project” presentations during the meeting.

The first presentation detailed a Crestline Village mural, which was introduced last year but not started. Students Katie Kehl, Frances Cheatham, Mary Kate Hughes and Virginia Williams decided to pursue the project again this year.

They have chosen an artist, former Leadership Mountain Brook student Mary Grace Tracy, to paint the mural and decided on a preliminary mural design after polling approximately 400 people at the Student Showcase on April 23. The design incorporates elements of the city and would be painted on the blank wall on the side of Crestline Pharmacy.

Classmates James Gillespy, Hunt Cochrane, Kathleen Wilson, Fairbanks White and Anthony Lauriello gave the final presentation, which also fed off of a previous project, the book “Buttons Explores the Brook.” Using a 2-D weatherproof figure of the book’s main character, Buttons the cat, students would create a scavenger hunt throughout the city.

The figure would be inlaid in the ground at significant areas around the city, such as the Old Mill, Emmet O’Neal Library, City Hall, the Civitas statue and the Riverwalk Pavilion and be found using clues posted online through the Chamber of Commerce’s website. Cost estimates ranged from $100 to $1,500 per figure, with the former of the estimates being provided by Sloss Furnaces. Students said the Department of Public Works agreed to install the figures free of charge.

To incentivize the project, students suggested offering Village Gold to the first person to find all the “Buttons,” and then offer a raffle for those who complete it in the first month. Those who complete it after the first month could then be given one of the mayor’s “Million Dollar Bills.”

Councilman Phil Black called it his “favorite presentation,” and council president Virginia Smith said projects with detailed budgets and plans would be considered by the city at the start of the budget planning season at the end of May.

Also during the city council meeting, members:

The next regular city council meeting will be on May 14 at 7 p.m.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 1:15 p.m. on April 25 to include that a restroom is available at the LJCC near the field.

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