By Keith McCoy
City City Hall 3
The Mountain Brook City Council — at its regular meeting for Monday, Oct. 26 — voted to apply for a Rebuild Alabama Act grant to help fund the city’s construction of the Caldwell Mill Road bridge.
The grants are administered by the state of Alabama using money from the gas tax. The grants are as much as $250,000 and require no match from recipients.
Applications are due by Nov. 30, said Blair Perry of Gresham Smith, an engineering and planning firm that works with the city.
The city’s application for the grant last year was rejected, Perry said.
However, the bridge is now close to being “a shovel-ready project,” he said. “I think that will be looked on favorably by the (grant) committee.”
Members also sought to help facilitate the rapid growth of Pet Vet Express, a veterinary clinic located at 253 Country Club Park in Crestline Village.
They voted to grant the clinic a conditional use that will allow applicant Mike Mahaffey to move its popular pet grooming service to 208 Country Club Park.
“We've been in the original location for 4 years, and it has grown beyond any expectations that we had,” Mahaffey told the council. “We already have over 2,000 clients.”
He said that the business is booking “two weeks out on grooming” and needs the extra space.
Other business
- The council voted to spend $22,000 to provide iWave air purifiers for stations No. 2 and No. 3 of the Mountain Brook Fire Department. The purifiers are effective in helping to stop flu and COVID-19, said Fire Chief Chris Mullins. He said they also help capture the gases that first responders have on their clothing after they return from a fire.
- Members voted to reappoint Rachel Barton to the Jefferson County Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Authority.
- Members passed an ordinance authorizing the placement of two stop signs on Brookwood Road at its intersection with South Brookwood Road, making the intersection a 3-way stop)
- The council passed an ordinance authorizing the placement of two stop signs on River Bend Road at its intersection with Briar Oak Drive, making the intersection a 4-way stop.
- After requests from residents, the council agreed to make Briar Oak Drive and River Oaks Road a 3-way stop. The council will vote on the measure Nov. 9 after sending out letters to area residents asking for comment about the proposed placement of the sign.
- After hearing a report from Richard Caudle of Skipper Consultants, the council declined to make the intersection of Mill Springs Road and Cold Harbor Drive a 3-way stop. Caudle said the road is “lightly traveled” and that there have been no crashes at the existing stop sign over the last 5 years.
