Calhoun County Special Meeting and Commission Meeting April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021
Lee Evancho

Work Session

The regularly scheduled work session was canceled for this date. 

Special Meeting

A special meeting was held with Dr. Kathy Murphy and multiple deans of Gadsden State Community College. Dr. Murphy is the new president and wanted to address the County Commission. She first wanted to commend the previous president, Martha Lavender, on creating a great foundation. She also wanted to  note that she intends to meet Chancellor Jimmy Baker’s challenge of Aspire 2030 and to support Alabama, and the communities the college serves. One of the items she addressed as a coming change is the building of an Advance Manufacturing Center. This will improve workforce development and will be located on the Gadsden Campus. She also talked about the importance of history, but also of removing obsolete buildings. She specifically addressed the removal of  Mitchell Hall, the Real Time Accounting building, and another building on the Wallace Campus. They will also be reevaluating the programs offered and making sure they match what current students are interested in. She is proud of the Calhoun County Ayers Campus in Anniston and wants to work on creating a truly collegiate experience for all Gadsden State students. She wants to move away from the “attend class and leave” mentality and engage more with students. To accomplish this there will be more activities and they are entering into talks of bringing a sports program back. At the end of Dr. Murphy’s address commissioner Fred Wilson presented a certificate to Dr. Murphy and formally presented the proclamation that April will be National Community College Month. 

Commission Meeting

1. Call to Order 
2. Invocation by Brian Rosenbalm 
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Adopt Agenda – Unanimously Accepted
5. Proclamation:  Community College Month – Gadsden State – Completed in special meeting
6. Elected Official/Department Heads Comments – No Comments
7. Adopt Minutes – Unanimously Accepted
8. Public Hearing – Vacation of a Portion of Clark Drive – No comments
9. Old Business
   1. Nuisance Abatement:     (1)  5400 Long Avenue, Anniston – Rissler – Unanimously Accepted
   2. Nuisance Dismissal:   (1)  5203 Glade Road, Anniston – Riley – Unanimously Accepted
   3. Nuisance Invoice:   (1)  514 Airport Road, Oxford – Stovall – Invoice amount $514 – Unanimously Accepted
10. New Business
    1. Road Vacation Resolution – Clark Drive (District 4) – Unanimously Accepted
    2. Bid Awards:
       1. Nuisance Demolition/Removal – First bid given to Wendy Thornton and second bid given to Bell Contracting – Commissioner Hess wanted to note that these structures had been deemed unsafe and their removal was to better the neighborhoods. –Unanimously Accepted
       2. Solid Waste Services – No agreement could be reached. Bids received were higher than current price arrangement. A resolution was requested to reopen the bidding process. Unanimously Accepted
    3. Contract Extension and Ratification Resolution – Waste Management – An agreement was reached to continues services through June 30th so there would be not interruption of service during the bid process. Unanimously Accepted
    4. Surplus Property/Donation Resolution – Sheriff Matthew Wade has requested that the service weapon of Detective Pat Medders be donated to him upon his retirement on May 1st. His service weapon was a Glock 22. – Unanimously Accepted
    5. GovEase Contract Amendment – Amendment is to remove properties from the bad tax list that is currently billing out at a $12 fee. –Unanimously Accepted 
    6. FY2021 Byrne Criminal Justice Grant Application Resolution – A request was made from the Calhoun County District Attorney to apply for this grant that is for three years and would not exceed $500,000.- Unanimously Accepted
11. Public Comments
    1. Glen Ray spoke over concern for the health needs of Calhoun County. He asks that the commission look into supporting the health needs and facilities available for mental health. He noted he has spoken to the Anniston City Council and also wanted to reach out to the Commissioners. 
    2. Ben Little spoke and stated he was confused and disturbed by the bid that was awarded to Jay Jenkins to work on the County Courthouse. Mr. Little is requesting public release of information and wanted to know if the Commissioners were aware of Mr. Jenkins facing two felony charges. He then asked if it was true there were felony charges pending. 
    3. Audrey Maxwell director of tourism for Calhoun County spoke regarding race week as well as upcoming tournaments and various sporting events. She wanted to thank the Commission for making Calhoun County a great place for visitors. Commissioner Hess also wanted to mention that the horse trails and camping areas are still in progress and will be coming soon.
    4. Kristofer Butcher and Jessica Epperson with the National Park Service spoke about the expanding partnership with the county. Installation of a NPS Freedom Riders National Monument branded kiosk in the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center 24 hour vestibule is scheduled to take place soon. They are also having multiple events coming soon. There will be a virtual lighting event on May 14th and the release of the Junior Ranger booklets on May 1st. They will also be hosting a movie night this summer and have exhibits at the Anniston Bus Depot on Gurnee Ave. 
    5. George Robinson spoke to verify that the resolution to vacate had been received. The County attorney did confirm it had been received. He then went on to say what a good job the commissioners were going and how fair he felt they were. 
    6. The final piece of information shared was that during the free landfill day last Saturday there were 723 visitors. This is a quarterly event. 
12. Adjourn – Unanimously Accepted

Next Meeting:  May 13, 2021, 10:00 a.m.