Birmingham to Try New Recycling and Trash Pick up Process
Walt Gibbons, director the public works department, said the goal for starting a pilot program is April 1, and it is set to last for six months. Read more.
Birmingham City Council
Scales Seeks Birmingham Council’s Attention to Eastern-Area Crime
Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales came across Linn Park today to speak to the Birmingham City Council, pleading for help for what she said are rising instances of crime in the East Precinct. Read more.
New Birmingham Ordinance Could Bring Shared Bikes, Scooters and Such Back to the City
UPDATED — Birmingham City Councilman Darrell O’Quinn completed a 2-year journey Tuesday with the passage of an ordinance that sets the stage for companies that provide rental scooters and bikes or other personal transportation vehicles to operate in the city. After discussion and then a delay on the vote until the end of the meeting, the ordinance passed unanimously. “As chairman of the transportation committee, one of the first committee meetings I had actually was inviting in mobility providers to tell us how they operate,” O’Quinn said. “We have been watching this industry unfold and evolve across the country, observing some of the missteps that were made, trying to make sure we don’t encounter the same pitfalls here.” Read more.
Birmingham Council Approves Sending Up to 297 Neighborhood Reps to Conference
Despite some concerns of excessive spending, the Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to send up to 297 neighborhood representatives — up to three from each of the city’s 99 neighborhoods — to this May’s Neighborhoods USA Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Read more.
Birmingham Council Reallocates Unused CrossPlex Funds to Repave Roads, Under Protest
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to reallocate money from a completed capital project at the Birmingham CrossPlex to citywide road repaving, rebuffing the protests of District 8 Councilor Steven Hoyt, who called the proposal “unfair.” The $468,532.78 in question was left over from the construction of detention ponds, fountains, a walking trail and fencing at the CrossPlex; that money will be added to a $6.7 million repaving project the council approved in December. Last week, city engineer Mike Eddington told the council that the project was completed two years ago, and the money has sat untouched in that project’s fund since then. Hoyt attempted to delay a vote on the reallocation by several weeks, arguing that funding should not be taken away from the still-developing CrossPlex. “Ain’t nothing complete out there, and you all know that,” he said. Read more.
Mural Disagreement Delays Grant to Five Points West
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and District 8 Councilor Steven Hoyt clashed Tuesday over a proposed grant that would fund five new murals in Five Points West, in addition to several other programs, The argument resulted in a two-week delay and threats from Woodfin to scuttle the grant entirely. The grant, part of Woodfin’s Bold — Building Opportunities for Lasting Development — program, would give the Five Points West/Crossplex Business Alliance $26,500 to provide a variety of services, including training, talent and recruitment programs for local businesses, a new business office for meetings and training to be developed in tandem with Main Street Alabama, façade and signage improvements for small businesses and the collection of data “regarding all businesses and commercial properties in the Five Points West Commercial Corridor.” But Hoyt, who had called for the item to be delayed when it appeared before the council last month, took issue with one clause in the proposed grant requiring the business alliance to develop five murals in the Five Points West business district. Read more.
Birmingham and UAB Partner to Offer Free Tuition to City Graduates
The University of Alabama at Birmingham will offer full tuition scholarships to some graduates of Birmingham City Schools as part of a new partnership with the City of Birmingham. The city and UAB announced the scholarship program Thursday morning at a press conference. “It makes a down payment on our city’s economic competitiveness,” Mayor Randall Woodfin says. The Birmingham Promise Scholarship is part of a city initiative that plans to offer graduates of Birmingham schools full tuition to all in-state public universities and colleges. UAB is the first academic partner to support the Birmingham Promise with a scholarship. UAB estimates it’ll contribute $250,000 the first year, according to a spokesperson for the city. The Birmingham Promise Incorporated does not yet have an estimate on how much it’ll contribute. Read more.
Birmingham City Council Delays Vote on Five Points West/CrossPlex Grant
The Birmingham City Council on Monday delayed voting on an item granting funding to the Five Points West/CrossPlex Business Alliance under the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development (BOLD) initiative. The grant, proposed by Mayor Randall Woodfin’s office, would give the Five Points West/CrossPlex Business Alliance $26,500 to use for a variety of initiatives, including the creation of five new murals, the development of a training and resource program for the area’s business community, the establishment of a business office for the alliance, and the collection of data regarding businesses and commercial properties in the Five Points West commercial corridor. Read more.
Birmingham City Council Settles Suit With One Self-Storage Developer, Extends Moratorium
The council voted unanimously to extend the city’s moratorium on new self-storage developments by 90 days. But it also voted to settle a lawsuit from one developer, paying out up to $125,000 and allowing construction on a self-storage facility near Vulcan Park to continue. Read more.
Five Points South Wins Entertainment District Designation
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to name Five Points South an “entertainment district,” making it one of only three areas in the city where it’s legal to drink alcohol in public. The effort was spearheaded by the Five Points Alliance, a consortium of neighborhood business owners and residents. John Boone, the alliance’s vice president, told the council that the ordinance would help the alliance with planning large community events, such as the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and Taste of Five Points food festival. Read more.