By DREW GRANTHUM/Staff Writer

The Maplesville Town Council voted unanimously in its Jan. 5 meeting to repair damage to the awning over the Maplesville Police Department caused by a storm.

The awning was destroyed in a storm on Dec. 23, Maplesville Police Chief Todd Ingram said.

“It caught everyone by surprise,” he said of the storm. “We opened the storm shelter and had cars pushed off the road. We didn’t have power for like three hours.”

The damage caused by the storm left the awning unsalvageable, Ingram said.

“It tore it off,” Ingram said. “It’s gone.”

Mayor W.C. Hayes said he surveyed the damage as well.

“It tore all the brackets,” Hayes said. “The brackets were hanging down from the wall when I came up here.”

Hayes said he spoke with the insurance company about replacing the awning, and that it would take three weeks to arrive once ordered.

“We got a price today on putting that awning back on the police department, and we have a $1,000 deductable,” Mayor W.C. Hayes said. “We have turned it over to the insurance company, and it’s $2,320 to put it (up).”

The council also announced the installation of “Do Not Block” road signs on Mulberry Street. The signs were purchased and installed in response to complaints from residents about tractor-trailer trucks parking/driving through yards near the South Coast Paper plant.

In other business, the council:

• Voted to approve a 2-percent raise for all (six) full-time city employees, with Councilwoman Hilda Atchison abstaining due to a family connection with one of the candidates.

• Voted to approve the construction of a utility building for the Maplesville Fire Department in the amount of $4,000, with the understanding the city will be reimbursed through a grant. Councilwoman Patty Crocker abstained from the vote due to a connection to the company building the storage unit.

• Unanimously voted to send a letter to a resident within the town notifying the resident of an ordinance violation regarding a property nuisance.

• Unanimously voted to approve the purchase of batteries for seven automated external defibrillators, at no more than $400 a piece. Four will be provided for police usage, two for school usage and one for fire department usage.

• Unanimously voted to approve a nine-month, 25-cent raise for city worker Josh Franklin, effective Jan. 12.

• Unanimously voted to approve the purchase of 50 bags of Quikrete Conrete Mix for the repair of Oil Tank Road and Reynolds Street.

• Unanimously voted to allow the Chilton County Solid Waste Authority to use the Maplesville Public Library for meetings every third Wednesday of the month, dependant on if Hayes is asked to chair the authority.

• The council adjourned into an executive session for general reputation and character. After the executive session concluded, the council voted to schedule a special called meeting for Jan. 12 at 5 p.m. to interview and vote on the senior center manager position. Two applicants were chosen to interview during the executive session.