Citizen questions public officials who missed BHS Meet the Pirates event
Donna Thornton, Editor
The Boaz City Council awarded a bid for paving and lighting work at the former Boaz Outlet Center Property Improvements Project at its meeting Aug. 11.
The bid, for $4,385,731.51, went to Lambert Contracting Inc.
Specifics of the award call for the work to begin no later than 30 days after all paperwork is finalized, and gives Lambert a maximum of 210 working days to complete the project.
Three residents on Mount Vernon Road asked to speak to the council about various concerns.
Logan Pippin asked about a recent Zoning Board of Adjustments meeting regarding the proposed cold storage building in the Mount Vernon Road-Henderson Road area. He asked if there was a vote and what the result was.
The Aug. 7 meeting was to hear a building height variance request from Bennett Snyder at ECS-Boaz-Devco LLC, to allow construction of an approximate 209,517-square-foot cold storage facility that would be 56 feet 8 inches high, with rooftop equipment, screened by a roofed penthouse at a maximum height of 70 feet 9 inches.
The property’s M-1 zoning allows for maximum building height of 45 feet.
City attorney Christi Knowles said there had been some confusion about the number of votes needed, and that there will be future meetings to discuss the proposed building. She said it looks like there were three votes of yes, one no vote and one abstention.
She said there is opportunity for more information from the company, because its representatives also left the meeting not knowing if the commission voted for it.
She said public notice will be given for any future meetings.
Deborah Rhoden praised the recent Meet the Pirates event, saying there were probably four times the number of people who voted in the last city election at that event. She said she was extremely disappointed she didn’t see more public servants there. She said she saw some candidates, but not many public servants.
Council member Mike Matthews was there, she said, but it was an important event and she would have liked to see more of those in public office there.
Council member Fran Milwee said historically the event was for athletes and their families. Council member David Ellis said he was attending a birthday party for a family member who has overcome a number of recent health challenges.
The council approved accounts payable vouchers for July 25 to Aug. 4 totaling $119,057.90, and declared a list of items as surplus property, authorizing the city clerk/treasurer to sell and/or dispose of them.
Council members also adopted a transportation plan pursuant to the Rebuild Alabama Act for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
