June 9, 2021
Lee Evancho
Work Session
The Weaver City Council met for a work session on June 8th, 2021. The members present were Jeff Clendenning, Nick Bowles, Wayne Willis, and Clint Burns. The first subject discussed was the Buckhorn development delays. The Health Department of Alabama presented the company doing the development with a list of items to be completed. This list was completed and submitted back to the Health Department on Tuesday after Memorial Day. The Health Department has submitted a new list of items to be completed before construction can be completed. There is an additional company that is also completing development at the lake. That company has received the go-ahead and is currently under construction. Mayor Willis has reached out to K.L. Brown for assistance with allowing the development to proceed for both companies.
The next subject also concerned Buckhorn Lake. The former restaurant has been purchased for the intended purpose of being an event venue. The owners have also asked to purchase the lake from the city. At this time the city is not pursuing selling the lake because it was donated to the city. They also want to maintain care of the lake and ensure it is available for residents to use. If the owner would like to pursue discussions of purchasing the lake then they have been asked to come to a city council meeting and/or work session to discuss it formally. As of right now, the new event venue owners are trying to work with the city on the best way to ensure privacy for events being held, while also understanding the lake is a public location. There is talk of gating the venue property on the day prior to an event, the day of the event, and the day after the event. This would ensure setup time and cleanup time. The hope is to keep the property ungated allowing access to walk around the lake when the venue is not in use.
The CARES money is still processing and is expected soon. The exact payout and timeframe is unknown; however other neighboring cities are receiving funds.
Discussion was held on using a portion of the funds to create a Frisbee Golf area at the Weaver Park. The plan is to have a nine hole course. Baskets cost between $500-$1000 per basket. Jeff Clendenning is heading up the research and planning of this project.
There is still a plan to pave five miles of road in Weaver. Individual estimates are being created for each road.
Six applicants applied and tested for the laborer positions with the city. Joey Conger, public works director, will be conducting interviews. Mayor Willis stated that he would like to staff five positions. Two positions would be meter reader positions, two would be for basic labor positions, and one position for care of the park, restrooms, trail, and lake maintenance. All positions would be subject to need and all would be cross trained for multiple laborer duties. During the hiring process applicants will be made aware that they could be used for a variety of positions that fall under the “laborer” position.
A part-time position is being created for the Senior Center. The full-time employee will be retiring soon and the full-time position will not be filled. The new part-time position will also be used for administrative backup as needed.
Resident Rick Robins addressed the city council regarding issues with the pipes under his driveway. He was was trying to determine who was responsible for the maintenance. Jeff Clendenning explained that the pipes are installed by the homeowner and therefore not maintained by the city. Mr. Robins asked if it” was not the city’s position to keep drainage clear?” He then went on to explain that the drainage became “messed up after the storms filled the ditches with gravel”. He also provided a picture of the area in question. Mr. Clendenning, again explained that the city would not be able to maintain the pipes; however he did think the city would be happy to clear out the ditches on either side of the driveway. Mayor Willis expressed concerns that cleaning out the ditches could actually cause a greater issue with the pipes and that the pipe could collapse. Mr. Robins also noted that the commercial Dollar General drivers often backed over the ditches causing further erosion. He agreed that the pipes collapsing was a concern. Mr. Clendenning did state that the city would look into cleaning out the ditches, but stressed that may not help if the pipes themselves had started to collapse.
City Council Meeting
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
- Jeff Clendenning – Present
- Nick Bowles – Present
- Clint Burns – Present
- Wayne Willis – Present
- Tim McRae – Not Present
- Cathy Mosser-Hamby – Not Present
Agenda – Unanimously Accepted
Minutes – Unanimously Accepted
Department Reports
- Public Works – Presented by Mayor Willis – Joey Conger will be back to half days this week. He is recovering from surgery and undergoing physical therapy. He will be conducting interviews for applicants for the laborer positions.
- Administrative – No report
- Chief of Police – Chief Bush had no report other than to state that the written May report that was turned in previously.
- Fire Chief – Chief Bunn had no report other than to state that the written May report that was turned in previously.
- City Council Comments
- Jeff Clendenning – Compliments were given to the Weaver Graduation ceremony. Mr. Clendenning thought it was very well done and compliments were given to Dr. Nelson.
- Nick Bowles – No report
- Clint Burns – No report
- Mayor’s Report – Mayor Smith and Nick Bowles wanted to note the line of duty passing of Baldwin County Deputy Bill Smith. Deputy Smith was the fire Chief of Weaver for 18 years. He was credited for bringing a focus to training and to maintaining equipment. Mayor Willis wanted to stress how much he would be missed in this community. *Deputy Smith sacrificed his own life attempting to rescue swimmers.
Old Business – No business
New Business – No business
Public Comments – No comments
Adjournment – Unanimously Approved
