Community support evident at City Council meeting

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During the opening of Tuesday night’s Chelsea City Council meeting, council member Tiffany Bittner shared an update on Chelsea Middle School student Eli Hairston. Hairston was involved in a golf cart accident last Saturday in which he sustained a head injury and had to undergo emergency brain surgery. 

The Chelsea community has rallied around the Hairston family and Bittner said Eli has shown glimmers of hope and has been stable. 

“Specific prayers are for all of his vitals to remain stable, his blood pressure, temperature and swelling to stay down,” Bittner said. “While the family hasn’t asked for anything, a bank account has been set up at Renasant Bank in Chelsea to take donations for the family. A lot of us can relate to this story, and it’s important to come around the family and show our support.” 

Mayor Tony Picklesimer asked the community to continue to pray for Eli and his family, and that he believes something mighty will come out of this.

“They live in the right place to go through this and we can and will step however we can,” Picklesimer said.

Also during the meeting, a proclamation was read to proclaim November as National Hospice and Palliative Care month in the city of Chelsea. This specialized form of healthcare is for people with life limiting illnesses to assist in accommodating the needs of the patient and their family. 

Missy Montz of Encompass Health shared that Encompass recently acquired all of Alacare and now have 28 home health and hospice locations in Alabama. There are local branches that cover Chelsea and Clanton and Hoover and Chelsea.

In council business, ordinances were approved for Shelby County to allow the city almost 60 acres of property belonging to Donald and Charlotte Thornton located next to Dunnavant Valley Greenway off Highway 41. 

Other resolutions approved during the meeting include:

  • Authorizing the execution of a franchise agreement with Charter Communications
  • Establishing a Park and Recreation Board 
  • A lease agreement for  postage machine at City Hall
  • Authorization for the mayor to enter into an agreement with intent to purchase equipment for the new splash pad and playground at the Community Center  
  • Recommendation for a grant application from the Chelsea High School math department to be forwarded to the Grant Committee for review
  • Approval to pay the bills

The next city council meeting will be held Dec. 3 with pre-council at 5 p.m. and the council meeting at 6 p.m.