CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman City Council on Monday authorized Mayor Woody Jacobs to enter into an agreement with Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc. for installation of a place for parents who cannot care for their infants to drop them off anonymously at Cullman Fire Station Number 3 on Alabama Highway 157.
On its website, the manufacturer said of its product, “Designed with innovative safety features and installed on the exterior walls of fire stations and hospitals, each box ensures the safe and anonymous surrender of infants. The exterior door locks automatically when a newborn is placed inside, and an interior door allows medical personnel to promptly and securely retrieve the baby, ensuring immediate care and protection.
“Every year, countless infants are heartbreakingly abandoned in the United States. While each situation is unique, parents are continuously finding themselves in times of crisis, facing emotional and practical challenges that can lead to desperate and unsafe decisions. These tragic stories underscore the urgent need for a secure and compassionate alternative that provides parents with a safe and anonymous option for child surrender and gives children the possibility of a brighter future.
“Since 2016, Safe Haven Baby Boxes have provided a discreet and secure option for parents to surrender their newborns. By raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law, operating a national 24-hour hotline, and carefully designing and implementing Baby Boxes in fire stations across the United States, Safe Haven Baby Boxes help ensure that no child is left without care and no parent feels like they have no options.”
Cullman Fire Chief Darren Peoples told The Tribune that he was unaware of incidents of infant abandonment in Cullman, but “nationwide there’s been a positive response to mothers having a way to help their children in bad situations, to give them a safe haven.”
Spring Cleanup
The council announced its annual spring cleanup for March 24-28. City sanitation crews will offer curbside pickup of furniture, appliances, mattresses and other bulky items. In order to focus on bulk item pickup, crews will not be picking up brush, limbs or yard waste, and the City requested that residents not put such items out during that week.
Hazardous materials dropoff
Sanitation crews will not take construction materials, cross ties, tires or hazardous materials, but Councilman Johnny Cook announced that the City will hold a hazardous materials drop-off day at the Sanitation Department on March 22. Residents may bring oil, pesticides, paint, old gas cans and other items to the sanitation facility on that day.
On its second reading the council passed an ordinance to annex 21 acres of N31, LLC property located on U.S. Highway 31 North and Alabama Highway 157 adjacent to the Noble Ridge subdivision as a high-density residential district. The zoning of the district would allow any residential construction from single-family dwellings to apartment buildings, but Council President Jenny Folsom, advised by City Attorney Luke Satterfield, said that current plans call for “single-family homes, but smaller lot size.”
The council also passed resolutions to:
- Apply for Rebuild Alabama Act grant funds for roadway improvements on Graham Street Southwest
- Enter into a contract with Sain Associates, Inc. for wayfinding signage for the Omniplex Sports District
The council also approved a special event request from Jessica Atchley of Victim Services of Cullman for a Fire Truck Pull event on May 3, 2025 in the WildWater parking lot at 1707 Main Ave. SW.
The Cullman City Council meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, at 7 PM in the City Hall auditorium. The public is invited to attend.
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
