PELL CITY – The City Council and a developer agreed to share the cost of installing new, bigger water lines in the Funderburg Bend Road area.“I think it’s a win-win situation for the city and the developer,” Mayor Adam Stocks said at last Thursday’s council work session.
Stocks was out of town and was not present at Monday night’s council meeting. The council, however, unanimously approved the partnership to install a 12-inch water line with the developer in the Funderburg Bend Road area.
Under the agreement, the city will pay for the materials and the developer of Waterside LLC Condominiums will pay for the work. It will cost about $200,000 each, work and materials, city officials say.
Stocks said 12-inch ductile iron pipe is expected to be installed from Alabama 34, down Funderburg Road to Skyline Drive.
Councilman Greg Gossett said the materials are expected to be paid for with 1998 bond money, which can only be used for water related projects for the city.
Gossett said the larger line is necessary for a new well site off Funderburg Bend Road, near Skyline Drive. A water tank will also be constructed across Alabama 34, directly across from Funderburg Road.
“We had to do this anyway, but the developer agreed to share in the expense,” Gossett said.
Stocks said the new water line, well and tank will serve the entire eastern community of Pell City. He said the new 12-inch line will also increase the fire flow in the Funderburg Bend Road community.
At Monday night’s meeting, the council also approved accepting the only bid submitted for a rescue boat for the Fire Department. Rescue One Boats was the low and only bidder at $19,288, which includes a $10,000 trade-in allowance for two boats the Fire Department now owns.
The new rescue boat is designed for rescue and body recovery operations, as well as shoreline fire emergency calls for Logan Martin Lake.
Fire Chief Mike Sewell said the Fire Department currently owns a 1997, 19.5-foot cruiser and a 1990 ski boat, which are not designed for rescue operations or fire calls. One of the stipulations in the solicitation of bids was that the company must accept the two boats as a $10,000 trade-in toward the purchase of a new rescue boat.
Sewell said the new rescue boat is 16 to 17 feet long and equipped with a monitor gun, which will shoot water 92 feet out.
He said the Fire Department averages about seven calls each year on Logan Martin Lake.
In other matters Monday night, the council:
O Approved Kim Wesson to the Jefferson, Blount, St. Clair Counties Mental Health Authority.
O Approved rezoning property at 1109 Wolf Creek Road South, owned by Jeanette and Lloyd Gulledge, from R-1, Low Density Residential, to R-A, Residential Agricultural.
O Approved a resolution for the final plat approval to sector three of the Morningside Subdivision.
O Approved a proclamation declaring June 1-8 as Dystonia Awareness week. Dystonia is the third most common neurological disorder, causing muscle spasms. Dystonia affects more than 300,000 people in the United States. Although there is no known cure for Dystonia, treatment is available.
O Announced the council will interview municipal judge candidates next Monday at 2 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.
