Shades Creek pedestrian bridge moving forward

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Mountain Brook City Council members met on Oct. 8 for a short pre-meeting that mainly addressed projects in the Parks and Recreation Department.

The first discussed was the bridge over Shades Creek in Jemison Park. Contractors are in the process of installing the bridge, which was discussed for many months by the council, and the Friends of Jemison Park and the city are looking to prepare landscaping when the bridge is nearly finished. 

Friends of Jemison Park President Sim Johnson said they would like to plant a naturalistic flora along the stream bank that would help restore the area. While contractors have done well, he said “they have run all over it [the area] multiple times.” This has compacted the soil, and he would like to bring in a professional to manage the area and design the future landscaping. 

The Friends and Johnson landed on Golightly Landscape Architecture for the project, and the scope would be $3,000. Under the agreement, Johnson proposed the Friends and the city would split the cost.

Johnson said the stream bank “isn’t going to be planted very fussy, that’s not what the park is,” but it needs to be done naturally and correctly. Plants will be native to the area and include small trees, bushes and ground cover.

Johnson said he would like to have coordination between the Friends, Golightly and the Parks and Recreation Department so everyone is aware of who will be responsible for the upkeep and management over the course of the planting and in the coming months. The Friends will also be collecting donations in the upcoming weeks for additional materials along the pedestrian bridge, and if the amount is sufficient, he hopes to have a maintenance plan for the future.

Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Shanda Williams also presented an update for the field restroom at Mountain Brook Elementary. The original plan was to build the restroom directly on the playing field, but because that area is a floodplain, it must be built higher on a mound. 

C.S. Beatty Construction sent in a quote for the work to create the mound, which came in at $35,300. Williams said this was $15,000 to $20,000 higher than the original bid the company sent to the city, but because they were the only response from the five requests the city sent out for a bid, this is the only option.

According to the meeting packet, Craig Beatty, with C.S. Beatty, said they would track the time and expenses of the project and if the fees came under the estimated amount, the company would “donate the difference back.”

The council approved both project fees, and:

  • Recognized members of Boy Scout Troop 53, who had more than 40 Scouts present at the regular meeting. 
  • Approved the minutes of the Sept. 24 regular meeting of the Mountain Brook City Council.
  • Authorized the execution of a service agreement between the city and Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.
  • Authorized the execution of a service agreement between the city and Birmingham Zoo, Inc.
  • Authorized the execution of a service agreement between the city and Prescott House.
  • Authorized the execution of a service agreement between the city and Jefferson/Blount/St. Clair Mental Health Authority.
  • Authorized the execution of a service agreement between the city and Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
  • Ratified the execution of a field use/maintenance agreement between the city and the Levite Jewish Community Center.
  • Authorized the chief of police or his designee to destroy the weapons, drug and other evidence and auction such other items as may be permissible.
  • Announced a public hearing, which considered an ordinance rezoning a parcel recently annexed into the city from its temporary zoning of Res-B to permanent zoning of Res-A, 2700 Lockerbie Circle, for the next council meeting. 

The next meeting will take place on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., with a pre-meeting scheduled before.