Resident Richard Evers talks about possibly improving Shady Lane Drive. / W.C. Mann
HANCEVILLE – The Hanceville City Council held its regular meeting Tuesday, two days early, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Matters on the table included questions about the ways in which city hall pays its bills, a request for improvements to a city road and the fate of the city’s pool.
In the absence of Mayor Kenneth Nail, Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Sawyer led a discussion based on concerns about how Hanceville’s bills get paid. Council members were worried about the current procedure, under which they are asked to approve the payment of some bills that the City has already paid. City Clerk Tania Wilcox explained that certain bills have to be paid quickly after they come in, and that some bills come in with due dates that fall before the next meeting. She noted one recent bill that was not processed until after the deadline, leading to a $250 late charge.
The council considered solutions such as holding weekly meetings, in order to approve the payment of bills as soon as possible after they arrive, or online payment of any bills for which such payment is allowed. In the end, the council decided to delay any decision on the matter until after the Christmas season, agreeing to place the item on the agenda for January.
Next, resident Richard Evers came forward to request a feasibility study for possible improvements to a roughly half-mile section of Shady Lane Drive from Alabama Highway 91 to the city limits, including the installation of a drainage system on the north side of the street with new pavement over the drainage system to widen the currently 15-foot wide roadway. Councilwoman Kim Brown made a motion, approved by the council, that Hanceville ask the Cullman County engineer to investigate conditions on the street and recommend possible solutions and costs. As the current street budget is committed to improvements on Edmondson Road., such improvements would have to be funded as part of next year’s budget.
After that discussion, the council took up issues with the city’s pool. Park Director Ashley Dye was present to explain that the pool currently has both black mold and black algae growing in it, saying the only permanent solution is to re-plaster the pool.
“There’s a few other things you can do,” said Dye, “but it would only fix the problem for anywhere from six months to a year, and then the problem is going to resurface.”
Dye said she shopped around for quotes on re-plastering, and found that estimates fell in the range of $65,000 to $85,000.
Dye set forth one possible solution to the pool problem that seemed to interest the council members: replacement of the pool with a splash pad. According to information she presented, some of the City’s pool equipment, such as pumps, could be reused for the pad, saving the City a considerable amount over building a pad from scratch. She also pointed out that cleaning chemicals and other maintenance for a splash pad would cost only a small fraction of the upkeep of the pool. Without the use of any existing equipment, construction of the pad would cost around $25,000; with the use of some of Hanceville’s current pool equipment, Dye said that cost would go down.
The council voted to have representatives of Hobbs Architectural Fountains of Atlanta come to Hanceville (the company has already agreed to do this at no cost to the City) to examine the site and current equipment and put together a proposal for a splash pad project.
The council also gave its compliments to all of those who were involved in Hanceville’s recent Christmas tree lighting, and received a report from the Hanceville Civitan Club president on the upcoming Cullman County Christmas Parade. Look for more on that coming soon from The Tribune.
Hanceville City Council’s next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, with a work session at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
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