Leah Ingram Eagle
The inductees of the second class of the Chelsea Hall of Fame were announced during the April 5 Chelsea City Council meeting.
Ryan Adams, SGA sponsor at Chelsea High School and student Kate Peterson announced the seven inductees who will make up the 2022 class.
Adams said the Chelsea High School SGA is a student run organization and one of their goals is to connect the high school to the Chelsea community.
“One way we try to carry out this goal was the establishment of the Chelsea High School Hall of Fame in April 2021 when we honored six inductees into the inaugural class,” he said. “We recognized the collaboration of current student leaders with those who played an integral part in shaping our school and its lasting culture.”
Adams announced the second class to be inducted into the the Chelsea High School Hall of Fame
- Tapper Wood, 1999 state champion golfer
- Ryan Flamerich, 2009 valedictorian
- Pastor Aaron Knight
- Gary black, former middle school teacher
- Mary Anne Moore, former english teacher
- Earl & June Niven, former Chelsea mayor and first lady
SGA president Kate Peterson said that in addition to the hall of fame, the scope of the group has drastically expanded in the last two years.
“We have established the back to school adult softball tournament, revitalized the community bonfire during homecoming week and organized multiple awareness campaigns,” Peterson said. “Ambitiously, we want to do more, so if anyone is interested in sponsoring the SGA, you can find more info on Facebook and Instagram."
Sponsorship packets will be available for pickup at Chelsea City Hall and the Hall of Fame induction event will be held on April 27.
Two candidates running for judgeships in the May 24 election addressed the council and audience. Phillip Bahakel, who is running for Shelby County District Court judge and Jonathan Spann, who is running for Shelby County Circuit Judge, both spoke about their campaigns.
Mayor Tony Picklesimer spoke about the March 30 tornado event that went through the Chelsea area. He said that not only Chelsea residents were adversely affected, but also neighbors in unincorporated Shelby county.
“We want to offer our heartfelt sympathies to those who had property damage,” he said. “Fortunately I’m not here naming people that were injured because we didn't have any serious injuries [in Chelsea] which we feel very fortunate about. This was an opportunity for our Chelsea Fire and Rescue to do what they normally do and that’s to shine and be heroes.”
Chief Joe Lee said the Chelsea Fire and Rescue Department has had an eventful last couple of weeks. They responded multiple times to assist the Cahaba Valley Fire Department in the recent large brush fire in Dunnavant Valley that burned over 700 acres. They have also recently responded to multiple brush fires in Chelsea.
“Outside burning should not take place during windy days, during a dry time of the year, and they should never be left unattended,” Lee said. “Not following these rules can often lead to situations like what took place in Dunnavant Valley last week. While there were no injuries or loss of homes from this fire, had the fire departments not worked so diligently to prevent those things, the outcome could have been much worse.”
Regarding the EF1 tornado that took place on March 30, the department immediately went to work assessing damage and looking for victims. There were no major injuries or loss of life from the event. He said about 30 properties sustained damage and 17 of those included home damage.
Items approved by the council included:
- Amending the city’s personnel policy manual to include Good Friday as a paid holiday
- Declaring city property as surplus and authorizing its sale.
- Authorization for the mayor to execute a lease agreement with the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board.
- Approval for the mayor to secure a loan at Cadence Bank
- Amending the zoning ordinance to include a definition of Short-Term Residential Rental and only allow STR in B-2 (General Business District) zoning
- Annexation request from Ruch Investments, LLC for a portion of their property located at 261 Cross Road Drive consisting of +/- 2 acres.
- Annexation request from Calvin and Katrina Lemley for property located at 612 Dorough Road consisting of +/- 3.2 acres.
- Annexation request from Billy and Cheryl Naugher for property located at 124, 285, & 351 Crest Farm Drive consisting of a total of +/-15.62 acres.
- Approval to pay the city’s bills
Upcoming dates
- April 8-9: Seedling at City Hall Friday 3-7pm; Saturday 9am-4pm
- April 15: City hall closed for Good Friday
- April 19: City Council meeting, 6pm
- April 25: Planning commission meeting, 6pm
- May 1: Splash Pad at Melrose Park opens
- May 3: City Council meeting, 6pm
- May 17: City Council meeting, 6pm
- July 23: Bulk trash day
