Photo by Frank Couch.
OMSP
Oak Mountain State Park is partnering with Shelby County to add bicycle lanes from the north trailhead to the back gate.
The Shelby County Commission is going to file for another recreational trails program grant to expand some trails across the county. According to county manager Chad Scroggins, park usage during COVID-19 has been exceptional.
“We’ve got some additional walking trail connections we will talk about soon,” he said. “At Cahaba Park, we want to finish off some loops as that park is continuing to grow. It’s starting to get some play outside the Southeast region because of some events they've been having out there and that’s a positive for us in that arena.”
Scroggins said utilizing the 80% of federal funding versus 20% of the county funding is always a good thing.
“We’ve also talked with some partners to do some additions to spread out the trail population at Oak Mountain State Park,” he said. “This COVID year, the number of trail users there has gone through the roof.”
Other things going on that Scroggins mentioned during his county manager’s report included the 280 County Services Center, which he said is coming along extremely well and is on schedule; another parcel is under construction on the northwest corner of the intersection of U.S. 280 and CR-43; an upcoming announcement will be made on the new managing director at 58INC.
County CFO Cheryl Naugher gave a quick financial update, stating that the county applied for and received $28 per day funding for inmates and are waiting to hear back on additional CARES Act funding that was applied for on Dec. 23.
For sales tax, the county collected more in December 2020 than December 2019 by about $100,000; For lodging tax, collected $148,000 compared to last year’s $194,000, but only budgeted $115,000 a month so still within budget; Rental taxes are right on budget; Gas tax appeared maybe 4% less comparing Dec. 2020 to 2021 but still within budget.
“All appear to be remaining consistent with the budget we projected,” Naugher said.
County Engineer Randy Cole presented the details of how the funds from the Rebuild Alabama Act was spent last year and the commission approved it. The information will also be posted on the county website and several locations around the county. The commission unanimously approved the annual report for FY 2019-20.
“We expended all the funds submitted to us and then some,” Cole said. “We were planning on doing that, as the project we authorized was larger than the funding.”
Cole said he is also happy about the preliminary census numbers. Once certification is complete, the deck will be reshuffled for gas tax distribution and Shelby County will be at the top to pick up the pieces, he said.
Also approved was an agreement with CSX transportation concerning a 10” water sub-grade pipeline crossing at the intersection of CR-39 and CR-47 in Chelsea. That was the last hold up on the CSX end of the project and work should be able to begin.
Commissioner Lindsey Allison thanked the county staff for getting on the COVID-19 vaccine so quickly. She said she had been bombarded with phone calls about it.
Scroggins said that Shelby County will be prepared to invest money to help in the distribution of the shot and will invest in making sure it is delivered to county residents.
“I think the public needs to know that even though it's not our responsibility, because of the quality of life we have in Shelby County, we want to make it a priority that we are trying to do everything we can to get it to our citizens,” Allison said. “We are doing all we can to get our shots and get them administered.”
“We need a proportionate number of shots delivered,” Scroggins said. A county with 30,000-40,000 people getting the same number of shots as a county with 220,000 people- the numbers don't work out.”
Commissioner Kevin Morris added that there will be two upcoming informational meetings about creating a Southeast Shelby Emergency Medical Services District. They will be held Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Risen Life Church in Columbiana at 6 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 14 at Wilsonville Baptist Church at 6 p.m. The vote will take place on Jan. 26 at the Shelby County Exhibition Center from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bids awarded during the meeting included:
- Bid to Hill Janitorial services for $8,340 for cleaning services
- Bid to American Osment for cleaning supplies
- Bids for gloves, razors to Bob Barker for the jail
- Livescan Plus for fingerprint system in the amount of $21,112 for the jail
Also approved were the Justice for Families Program Grant by the Office of Violence Against Women and a resolution of the county to relinquish its rights to the King’s Fire Collection memorabilia.
The next Shelby County Commission meeting will be held on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. at the Shelby County Administration building in Columbiana.
