VINEMONT, Ala. – The Vinemont Town Council on Tuesday evening and discussed the addition of two pavilions and a food pantry.
Council members said the two pavilions were approved by a previous council more than 20 years ago. One will be located near the community center and one at the sports complex.
“The one at the community center needs to run south from the existing bathrooms. It would be about 42 feet long and about 24 feet wide,” said Mayor Radginal Dodson. “The roof would match the existing roof on the bathroom facility and we figure you can put eight 8-foot tables in it.”
There is a shed near the bathrooms, but it will be moved elsewhere. The estimated cost of the first pavilion is between $13,000-$15,000.
As for adding a pavilion at the sports complex, the exact location has not been determined. Several members of the council favor putting a pavilion over a bleacher area.
Public Works Director Mike Graves said, “If we put a shaded roof over our bleacher area, where people sit in their lawn chairs, that would act as a pavilion plus protect against foul balls and everything else.”
The council said a major consideration regarding the placement of a pavilion at the sports complex is truck access to the ball field’s lights.
No estimate was given for the cost of the second pavilion.
No decisions were made Tuesday night regarding the pavilions. The council said it will revisit the topic at its June meeting.
The Town is also working toward the addition of a food pantry. Keeping the pantry stocked and location are the two biggest concerns, but Dodson said it was suggested to him that the pantry be put in the shadiest area possible.
“I checked with the lawyers,” he said. “The Town cannot use Town money to buy food to put in this thing. It’s against ethics and such as this so it’s going to have to be a donation type situation.”
The Town is hopeful that the community will help keep the food pantry maintained once it’s built and placed.
“I think there is a demand in this community for this situation. It’s been exhibited to me that there are folks in this town that are hungry and they are only this high (gesturing). That’s the ones that hurt me,” Dodson said. “It’s immaterial where this thing is put as long as it’s put somewhere, and I am absolutely positively that there are people in this town that could use this and probably would use this if they knew it was somewhere.”
Councilwoman Shirley Arnett said she has the materials and resources to have the pantry completed possibly within a week. One location being considered for the pantry is next to the storm shelter near the community center, but the council made no decision.
Graves said he is still awaiting an announcement from Governor Kay Ivey before making any decisions about the summer ball season.
He said, “The said Friday that hopefully by mid-week they would have a decision made.”
Current guidelines would not allow the selling of concessions at ballparks, but Graves said he believes he has a solution to that.
“I don’t think that’s financially feasible for us to open a sports complex without a concession stand. We went and looked at the restaurant guidelines and we feel we can meet those pretty easily. Every concession stand in the state is not built like ours, so they have to deal with a variety of situations and that’s why I think there has been a blanket recommendation of how it’s done.”
Graves also reported that he and Town employees have been busy during the COVID-19 crisis. They have been mowing, cleaning up the town and making repairs to the senior/community center. They have also sanitized buildings, restrooms and storm shelters each week and will continue to do so.
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