Mayor Kenneth Nail hands the signed Smith Lake Dam evacuation plan over to Cullman County EMA Director Phyllis Little.
HANCEVILLE – The Hanceville City Council welcomed Cullman County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Phyllis Little this week. Little presented the EMA’s updated evacuation plan for areas of the county that could be affected by a catastrophic failure of, or high-volume discharge from, Smith Lake Dam (Lewis Smith Dam). The council authorized Mayor Kenneth Nail to act by signing off on the plan.
The evacuation plan is a contingency for potential trouble, and does not represent any known imminent danger to the dam. Under a federal mandate, the EMA is drawing up contingency plans for all dams in Cullman County, including Duck River and even Sportsman Lake.
Read more about the plan here: http://www.cullmansense.com/articles/2017/02/23/cullman-county-ema-issues-new-emergency-plan-smith-lake-dam
Before she left, Little thanked the council and city authorities for their assistance with the “depopulation” (destruction of infected chickens) of selected chicken houses in north Cullman County, in which inspectors found cases of avian influenza. Hanceville provided equipment needed to transport water to the sites.
The council also approved a downtown development planning agreement with the North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments (NARCOG), authorizing a $3,000 payment and authorizing Nail to enter into a developmental plan with the organization.
NARCOG is a tri-county (Cullman, Lawrence, Morgan) organization that, according to its website, “provides for the creation and operation of regional planning and development commissions which have among their many purposes to ‘carry on continuous, comprehensive planning for the region, assessing needs, resources, and development opportunities and formulating goals, objectives, policies, and standards to guide physical, economic, and human resource development.’”
Following this, the council voted to accept a bid from Hagemore Heating and Air for an American Standard central air conditioning unit to be installed at the Hanceville Civic Center. Hagemore was the low bidder at $30,800, and came with positive recommendations from both the fire and police chiefs for previous work. The City will contract a separate provider to install wiring for the unit.
In other business, the council approved payment of all regular bills, plus a bill from the County Road Department for street patching, and a bill from the County Garage for vehicle repairs. Police Chief Bob Long reported that the City’s new patrol vehicles have arrived, and are receiving their striping and internal equipment. They will be placed into service incrementally over the next few weeks, as they are finished.
Fire Chief Roger Green reported on Hanceville Fire Rescue’s assistance of Blountsville during the J.B. Pennington High School fire. HFR provided the ladder truck that allowed firefighters to reach the roof of the building, and had at least four firefighters on the scene each of the three days, logging 42 hours of service.
Council members, along with Long and Green, announced upcoming community events:
- Swamp Johns dinner at Hanceville Fire Station 1- April 15, 4-7 p.m.
- City Wide Yard Sale- April 15
- Free Landfill Pick-up – April 17-21
- PALS Clean-Up – April 22, 8 a.m.
- Senior Fish-O-Rama- April 28, 7 a.m.
- Kids Fish-O-Rama- April 29, 7 a.m.
The Hanceville City Council meets in Hanceville City Hall on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. with work sessions at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
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