Fairhope City Council Postpones Public Hearings, Buys Fire Truck, Discusses Reopening Party
In a 30-minute meeting, the Fairhope City Council postponed public hearings, approved an environmental assessment of the Clock Corner, extended a debris contract and bought a fire truck.
FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The Fairhope City Council, in a 30-minute meeting, postponed public hearings, authorized an environmental assessment of the Clock Corner property, extended a disaster debris removal contract and approved the purchase of a fire truck.
Public Hearings Postponed
The council passed a resolution postponing all public hearings of the City Council, the Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustments and Appeals until further notice. The resolution cited limits on public gatherings and social distancing guidance from the Alabama Department of Public Health and orders from the governor. The council will announce at a future meeting when hearings will resume.
Council President Jack Burrell said public participation is suspended during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
Clock Corner Assessment
The council authorized Burrell to negotiate and sign a professional engineering services contract with Goodwin, Mills and Cawood for an environmental site assessment, including groundwater testing, of the property at the northeast corner of Fairhope Avenue and Section Street, known as the Clock Corner. The contract may not exceed $10,000.
The city previously agreed to buy the roughly 1,000-square-foot property, which includes the clock, for $525,000.
Debris Contract Extended
The council authorized Mayor Karin Wilson to sign a one-year extension of Bid No. 020-18, Disaster Debris Removal and Disposal 2018, with Crowder Gulf LLC, under the terms of the original contract and the unit prices in the bid tabulation.
New Fire Truck
The council approved buying an E-ONE Custom Rescue Pumper for Fire Station No. 1 at a total cost of $517,157. The truck is available through the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s nationally bid contract FS12-19, so it did not have to be bid locally.
The purchase is a joint venture between the city and the Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department on a 60/40 split, with the city paying up to $331,000 from impact fees and the volunteer fire department paying up to $200,000. Burrell described the fire department’s contribution as gracious.
Reopening Celebration Discussed
Councilman Robert Brown said he had spoken with Sherry Sullivan about holding a party to celebrate residents returning to work. Burrell called it a wonderful idea and suggested the city could close streets and have bands downtown.
