Hoover can't become complacent, mayor says in 2022 state-of-the-city address

by

The city of Hoover can’t be complacent with the status quo but must continue to push forward with new ideas, new development and redevelopment to keep Hoover a great place to live and do business, Mayor Frank Brocato said in his recent 2022 state-of-the-city address to the Hoover chamber.

Over the last 50 years, city leaders have taken risks, worked hard, stepped out on faith and made things happen, Brocato told the chamber crowd at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel.

That’s why Hoover is now a city of more than 90,000 residents and the sixth largest city in the state, Brocato said.

“It’s because we had city leaders that had vision, but they had the fortitude to act on that vision as well,” he said. “They made it a place where people want to live and work, and it’s up to us to keep Hoover in that great position.”

Brocato said Hoover has had some great developments over the years, but he wants to continue to focus on building mixed-use communities that incorporate both residential and commercial uses as well as recreational green space that can be accessed by walking, biking or golf carts.

He mentioned how Signature Homes recently donated 43 acres of parkland along the Cahaba River that eventually will be expanded into 130 acres of parkland, giving people access to hiking and biking trails and canoeing on the Cahaba. That’s in addition to the 73-acre Black Creek Mountain Bike Park that Signature Homes donated in Trace Crossings.

“It’s an incredible investment, and we’re so grateful for that,” the mayor said. “These are the types of developments that will continue to allow us to do well, and it’s those types of developments that will make our children and grandchildren stay here in Hoover, Alabama.”

Other new developments that are putting amenities close to where people live include Tattersall Park, The Village at Brock’s Gap and Stadium Trace Village, Brocato said. Stadium Trace Village has an entertainment district that soon will include an amphitheater and space for arts groups.

Brocato said he is looking forward to the Everlee development off Alabama 150 between Ross Bridge and Lake Cyrus that will include 2,350 homes and 250,000 to 500,000 square feet of commercial space.

And he praised action by the Hoover City Council to negotiate a deal to keep land off Morgan Road known as the Trigger Creek property in the city limits but delay residential development there for at least seven years. That same deal also resulted in U.S. Steel agreeing to donate 100 acres off Alabama 150 for a school site, should the Hoover Board of Education deem a new school necessary in that area.

REDEVELOPMENT

The mayor also said the city must seize opportunities to work with private property owners for redevelopment of existing areas.

“We’re making great headway with owners of the Riverchase Galleria and Patton Creek,” Brocato said. “Both are involved and excited about redevelopment opportunities on their properties. Ultimately, we believe the conversations will result in dramatic changes for both properties. Keep in mind though that this does not happen overnight.”

The city’s economic development team worked with Revere Control Systems, which has outgrown its campus off Rocky Ridge Road, to stay in the city and occupy the vacant former Winn-Dixie shopping center at the intersection of Interstate 459 and John Hawkins Parkway. That will keep 100 well-paying tech jobs in the city, create more than 50 new jobs and fill a large, vacant building at an important gateway to the city, Brocato said.

The mayor also praised the owner of the Bluff Park Village shopping center, Ken Harden, and owner of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain, Naseem Ajlouny, for working with the city to redevelop and bring new energy to that part of town.

Change can’t happen with just city leaders, Brocato said. It takes participation by those in the private sector as well — people who are willing to reinvest in their community to make it better, he said.

CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES

The year 2021 had its challenges, with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, a major tornado in Greystone and historic flooding in various parts of town, Brocato said. But the new year brings a sense of hope and expectation, he said.

There were numerous positive things to celebrate in 2021, the mayor said.

The Hoover Metropolitan Complex, one of the biggest economic drivers in the city, had a $68 million economic impact in fiscal 2021, with more than 175,000 visitors that included thousands of travel sports teams from across the country and visitors to nearly 150 community events such as trade shows, business expos and job fairs, Brocato said.

Also, UAB Medicine treated more than 78,000 patients at a COVID-19 drive-through vaccination site in the parking lot of the Hoover Met Stadium in 2021, he said. The city will continue working to partner with UAB to serve the community, he said.

The city was happy to be able to host the SEC Baseball Tournament again in 2021 after the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and will continue working to keep that event in Hoover, Brocato said. The city is excited to host the softball portion of The World Games at the Hoover Met this July, the mayor said.

“During that time, the eyes of the world will be directly on the city of Hoover,” he said. “We’re ready, and we anxiously await the opportunity to seize that important moment.”

The city approved 6,300 building permits in 2021 with a total value of more than $481 million, and 1,988 new business licenses were approved (an increase of more than 800 from 2020), the mayor said.

The Hoover Police Department has continued to do a fine job of serving the community, Brocato said. Over the past five years, homicides are down 41%, robberies are down 23%, burglaries are down 30% and auto break-ins are down 7%, he said.

It’s a testament to how well-trained the Police Department is, he said, noting the opening of the $4 million Frank and Pam Barefield Training Center last year. Brocato also noted that the city added four new police officers in a dedicated police precinct at the Riverchase Galleria with the hopes that those officers will become part of the fabric of the mall and implement good community policing practices there.

“This mall is still the desired shopping destination in our state,” Brocato said. “Our partnership with the Galleria plays a key role with the overall success of the city of Hoover.”

For some reason, police officers across the country have been vilified, but it’s an honorable and noble profession that takes brave and dedicated people to fill that role, Brocato said.

“Let me be clear about this — in the city of Hoover, Alabama, we appreciate our police officers, we honor our police officers, and we stand behind our police officers,” he said.

The Hoover Fire Department also had a great year with the opening of Fire Station 11 in Trace Crossings and achievement of earning accreditation, Brocato said. It was a two-year effort that makes Hoover the only municipal fire department in the state to achieve accreditation and one of only 291 in the nation, he said.

Hoover’s 911 center had a record year, answering 184,000 phone calls, making 130,000 dispatches and almost 1.5 million radio transmissions, Brocato said. Those “first first responders” help deliver babies, provide life-saving medical instructions to people, help evacuate buildings when necessary and work hard to protect police officers, firefighters and paramedics by making sure they receive the right information, he said.

The mayor said the city also is awaiting results of a feasibility study concerning an arts center, which should help city leaders determine what needs to be in such a center.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Brocato also took time in his address to honor some individuals, including Chau McLendon, who has owned and run Chau’s Alternations on Lorna Road since 1985.

McLendon was born in Vietnam but fled that country in 1980 when Communists took over. She was one of the 2 million “boat people” who fled Vietnam between 1975 and 1995 and, after a 9-month delay in Indonesia, made it to America to be with her sister in Alabama.

She had very little clothes, barely spoke English and no transportation, but she was determined to make it, Brocato said. She opened her alteration business in 1985 and has operated it successfully ever since, serving many notable people, including a Miss America, dozens of Miss Alabama winners and “at least one bald-headed mayor,” Brocato said. McLendon, a devout Christian, regularly collects clothing and donates it to the needy, he said.

The mayor also recognized Jayst Dorion, an Inverness resident who graduated from Spain Park High School and the Fire Academy at the Riverchase Career Connection Center last year. He already has earned two firefighter certifications, obtained his basic emergency medical technician license from the EMT school at Jefferson State Community College, earned a scholarship to the Alabama Fire College and recently interviewed for a job with the Hoover Fire Department.

Both McLendon and Dorion are prime examples of the type of residents the city wants and needs to continue to move the city forward, Brocato said.

The mayor encouraged those in the audience to reflect on and learn from past wins and losses, dream big with a vision for the future and take risks to push forward to achieve that vision.

“The pursuit of excellence is never easy, but it is obtainable,” Brocato said. “Will we continue to set the bar high or live off the glory of the status quo? I know my answer. What’s yours?”