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Construction entrance approved for Foothills Business Park

by

Leah Ingram Eagle

Residents of the Foothills subdivision in Chelsea received some good news at the Nov. 16 city council meeting. 

David Brady, president of RidgeCrest Homes, agreed to create and cover the cost of a construction entrance so crews could avoid using the neighborhood's streets. 

Mayor Tony Picklesimer said at the last planning commission meeting, the majority of the complaints from residents were regarding construction traffic.

“We had been looking for a way to offer a construction entrance into the Foothills that would take away most of the problems people were talking about,” Picklesimer said. “Keith Hager (county engineer) and David Brady met and Hager drew out a potential construction entrance for the project. This will tie up our lot number eight for a period of time and if someone [decides to purchase it] we’ll figure out something else to do.”

A temporary easement will be given to Brady to build a road that goes through the city’s property onto his property. Brady said the plan is to create a dirt/gravel road and extend the current dam to get large equipment across. He said it will be a few thousand feet and cost between $50,000 and $75,000 to construct. 

The mayor said he believes the addition of a Ridge Crest subdivision home behind the current Foothills subdivision will only enhance the value of your homes. I know it will add traffic coming down Foothills trace, there’s no way around that. I think Brady and the RC people have done everything in their power to be good neighbors and to make the inconvenience. 

Foothills resident David Gardner, said that on behalf of the neighborhood, he appreciated this project being reviewed and said this is going to be a win-win for everyone. Two other residents spoke, thanking the city and Brady for working out a solution.

During the mayor’s report, Picklesimer said after some last minute information was delivered to the Criterion Group for the feasibility study, the meeting previously scheduled for Nov. 9 had to be rescheduled. It will now take place Thursday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. during a special called council work session. The public is welcome to attend, but there will be no public comment at the meeting. It will also be broadcast live on the city’s facebook page. 

“Representatives from the Criterion Group and Goodyn, Mills and Cawood will make their presentation to the council Thursday night,” Picklesimer said. “At the conclusion of the meeting, the information will be posted on the city’s website. We will also have about 100 copies here, so anyone who comes to the meeting is welcome to take a copy with them.”

Two members of the Chelsea Fire and Rescue Department were recognized for recent promotions. Chief Joe Lee said they had the opportunity to make some promotions for the first time since he has been with the department. 

The retirement of Captain Don Williamson created a vacancy for a captain and a lieutenant. Chase Armstrong was promoted to captain. He has been with the department since 2006 and handles the health and wellness program, buys and maintains PT equipment and creates workout programs. This year, he has handled station maintenance at Station 31.

Josh Rosetti was promoted to lieutenant. He handles community risk reduction and teaches CPR classes to the public. He also maintains the department’s electronic EMS equipment. 

Leah Ingram Eagle

During the precouncil meeting, Leeangela Garrett from the Chelsea Cat Colony, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, gave a presentation to the mayor and council about their mission to address the stray cat population in the city. 

Garrett said feeding stations have already been placed in two spots in the city (at the Publix shopping center and Taco Bell) and asked permission to set up a third one near Chelsea Fire Station 31 on Chesser Drive. 

“Our objective as a volunteer group is for us to be able to help the city of Chelsea for the care and sterilization of community cats,” she said. “We provide food and water to the stations. On Sundays and Mondays we trap and take them to Alabama Spay and Neuter to have them vaccinated as well as spayed and neutered.”

The council approved the following resolutions: 

Important Dates

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