City to annex industrial park site

Published 4:41 pm Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Aerial view: The city of Clanton will annex 520 acres off Highway 145 near Interstate 65 Exit 212. The site was purchased jointly by the city and county for an industrial park. (File photo)

Aerial view: The city of Clanton will annex 520 acres off Highway 145 near Interstate 65 Exit 212. The site was purchased jointly by the city and county for an industrial park. (File photo)

Clanton’s City Council on Monday approved the annexation of a proposed industrial park site into the city.

The property, which includes about 520 acres, is off Highway 145 near Interstate 65 Exit 212.

The city and county jointly purchased the property with the intent of turning it into an industrial park.

The annexation will allow the city to provide water and sewer services to the site.

The Chilton County Commission had previously agreed to the annexation.

The property will be zoned Manufacturing 2.

In other business, the Council:

•Appointed Councilman Bobby Cook and Keith Maddox, Neil Fetner, Freeman Ellison and David Clackley of Clanton Police Department to a committee to study the possible installation of a firing range on 60 acres of city-owned property adjacent to the wastewater treatment facility.

•Discussed entering into an agreement with the Chilton County Board of Education for the construction of a fire drill tower at LeCroy Career Technical Center. The center already hosts firefighting classes. Clanton Fire Department Chief David Driver said the city does not have a drill tower and lost points because of that on the latest round of ISO rating. Driver said a tower would cost $300,000 to construct, but that the school system may be willing to split the cost with the city. Council members questioned having city-owned property on land controlled by another entity, and asked Driver to inquire about whether the school system would be willing to sell a small parcel of land to the city. Driver said he would report back to the Council at its next meeting, on May 9.

•Approved an application for a restaurant retail liquor license from Bertolone Italian Café in downtown Clanton.

•Approved the hires of Jarred Campbell, Jordan Campbell and Ezekiel Wyatt as part-time summer help in the sanitation department.

•Approved to advertise for three on-call firefighters.

•Approved to cancel the city’s agreement with NexCheck debt collection since the city now has the capability of collecting through the Municipal Intercept service at no charge to the city.

•Heard from Krystine Gish of the Chilton County Humane Society about the success of a spay/neuter program to which the city gave a recent donation. Gish said 256 people have taken advantage of the program.

•Heard from Jessie Binion with West End Neighborhood Watch that the second annual May Day event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on May 14.

•Heard from a resident with property off Jackson Avenue about water standing on the property. Mayor Billy Joe Driver said there is no immediate solution to the problem without causing a problem elsewhere in the area but said he will continue to look into the issue.

•Approved minutes from the April 11 meeting.

•Approved paying necessary bills.

•Tabled a discussion of a code enforcement officer job description.