By Nathan Prewett
HOOVER – A meeting of the Hoover City Council on Monday, Oct. 2 was devoted largely to discussing a property on Sulphur Springs Road that has been considered for being declared a nuisance and drawn concerns from neighbors.
The property is located at 4846 Sulphur Springs Road, which one resident said had a clogged pipe when the council opened a public hearing for it and another property at Birch Tree Drive. The resident, Matthew Winter, said that a resolution approved in the past by the city to clean out the pipe.
“This was a problem that went unrepaired for many years even though it had been approved,” he said, adding that rains in 2021 caused a “large” sinkhole to occur on Marywood Lane due to the failing infrastructure there. The debris from the sinkhole found its way to the pipe and driveway on Sulphur Springs.
The building is unoccupied due to the issues, he said, and rains continue to pose problems. Another resident, Katie Thomas, then spoke.
“I’ve driven by this place for two years since this happened,” she said. “What we see is water coming out of the backyard, running down a step or two from the backyard and into the driveway and it is at least two feet, the dirt. [The owners] pushed the dirt as best they could. They had to move out of this house because they can’t live there. There’s no question that what came downhill came from city infrastructure and ended up in their property.”
She said that the property that had caused the issues had not been properly maintained. After discussion it was decided that the issue would be looked at further to see the city’s role in any damages and that the city attorney, Phillip Corley, would speak with the owners.
In other business the council:
- Granted an alcohol license to Barristers Tavern,
- Granted an alcohol license for Moss Rock Festival,
- Authorized Mayor Frank Brocato to enter into an agreement with Jefferson County for a community grant of $15,000 for the Hoover Senior Center,
- Authorized a renewal agreement with Liberty Mutual Insurance for the Hoover Historical Society General Liability and property insurance policy,
- Authorized a renewal agreement with Ace American Insurance Company for the Public Park and Recreation Board for directors and officers insurance policy,
- Authorized an annual renewal agreement with Civic Plus for 45 government user licenses for service request and work order management tool and marketplace app,
- Authorized an annual renewal agreement with Civic Plus for a department header package annual fee and an SSL certificate annual fee,
- Accepted a request for proposal and authorized an agreement for event cleaning services,
- Authorized an agreement with Alabama Power Company for electric service at 6000 Stadium Trace Drive,
- Authorized an agreement with Alabama Power Company for electric service at 1000 RV Trace,
- Authorized an agreement with Alabama Power Company for electric service at 2020 Valleydale Road,
- Authorized an agreement with Alabama Power Company for electric service at 200 Municipal Drive,
- Terminated a tax abatement agreement for Lake Homes Reality project,
- Accepted a change order for the Highway 150 Turn Lane to Whisperwood Drive project,
- Accepted a change order for the Inverness Center Drive Sidewalk project,
- Amending a line in the budget for an administrative services specialist position in the fire department to a grade nine and job classification for the position to be changed to administrative and communications coordinator,
- Amended the municipal code to lower the tax of groceries by one half of 1%,
- Declared a weed and other vegetation nuisance at properties on Birch Tree Drive and directed its abatement.
Hoover City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 100 Municipal Lane. Livestream recordings can be found on the city’s YouTube channel.
