Hoover mayor: City not entertaining large-scale annexation requests for houses

The city of Hoover is not entertaining any large-scale annexations that will be a detriment to the Hoover school system, Mayor Frank Brocato emphasized to the school board this morning.

The Hoover City Council has been considering multiple annexation requests in recent months, but most of them have been from individual homeowners trying to bring existing single-family homes into the city limits.

Brocato said he thinks the city ought to consider those annexations because it helps the city fill in holes in the city limits that cause logistical problems with public safety and garbage services.

However, “we’re not in the business of entertaining any large-tract annexations where multiple homes will be brought into our city,” Brocato said. “We know that can’t happen.”

One exception is a pending request from four sisters in the Douglas family for 17 acres off Patton Chapel Road next to Hoover First United Methodist Church. The sisters want to sell 12 acres for development into a 42-house subdivision and develop the other five acres for commercial use.

However, the plans there are for a residential community that is restricted to homeowners at least 55 years old, which should not have an impact on the school system, Brocato said. Plus, in the past, some plans were submitted for that property that were unacceptable to the city, but the city had no control over it because the land is currently outside the city limits, he said.

The mayor said his philosophy is that Hoover schools are the cornerstone of the city, and city and school officials must cooperate to ensure that the school system’s needs are met.

“We all have to push in the same direction and work together,” Brocato said. “We all know that there’s a need for more schools in our city, so how do we get there? We’re going to work hand in hand with each of you to reach that goal.”

Brocato was speaking at a school board work session that included all five school board members, Superintendent Kathy Murphy, City Administrator Allan Rice, Hoover Chief of Operations Tim Westhoven, Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis, Assistant Superintendents Ron Dodson and Tera Simmons, school system Chief Financial Officer Tina Hancock, school board attorney Whit Colvin, city attorney Phillip Corley Jr. and Councilmen John Lyda, Casey Middlebrooks and Derrick Murphy.

School board member Earl Cooper said it’s remarkable that city officials understand the big picture when it comes to the impact of growth and development on the school system. The level of cooperation between the city and school system right now is better than it has ever been since he first joined the board in 2008, he said.

However, “those ones and twosies add up over time,” in terms of annexing individual homes, Cooper said.

Lyda concurred, noting that after one couple near Ross Bridge had their home annexed on May 1, numerous adjacent neighbors filed annexation petitions as well. Expanding the footprint of the city is dangerous, he said.

Rice said Councilman Curt Posey, who is chairman of the City Council’s Annexation Committee, has indicated the committee will not consider any more residential annexation requests until at least September.

Councilman Derrick Murphy said school and city officials have been talking about addressing the school system’s capacity problems, but “it’s time to put gas in the tank and drive the car.”

Superintendent Kathy Murphy said nobody wants to stymie growth in Hoover, but “we’re going to have to have additional capacity for students.”

She said she and Dodson met with three architectural firms this week and asked them to study several options, such as building an additional wing at Hoover High School or, alternatively, a new high school with maybe 1,200 students. That includes an option for a new high school with athletic fields and another option for a magnet school without athletic fields, she said.

They asked the firms to come back with proposals for the options, including the costs associated with them, so school officials soon should be able to have more definitive conversations about those options, she said.

“We are thinking forward, working forward and being very thoughtful about what might be the next steps for us as growth continues to happen,” she said.

School board President Stephen Presley said land needs are part of the equation.

Current state regulations require that high school sites have at least 30 acres, plus one acre for every 100 students, which would mean at least 42 acres for a high school with 1,200 students.

The regulations also require at least 10 acres, plus one acre for every 100 students, for a middle school site, and at least five acres, plus one acre for every 100 students, for an elementary school site. That would mean at least 22 acres for a middle school with 1,200 students and at least 17 acres for an elementary school with 1,200 students.

However, those are minimum requirements.

Kathy Murphy said the level of cooperation and engagement from the current city administration has been refreshing. “It really is terrific,” she said.

Access roads to Hoover High School

The school board and city officials this morning also discussed the city’s request for the school board to donate about six acres of land for new access roads to Hoover High School.

There was much discussion about whether the roads would become dedicated public rights of way or be private roads operated by the city or school board. School board member Craig Kelley said he wants the school board to be able to block off the roads in the event of an emergency.

Police Chief Nick Derzis said he generally is not in favor of blocking off roads, particularly near a school. The Police Department and school system have had a positive working relationship over the years, and he feels the campus security plans that already are in place are good.

City officials are eager to proceed with construction of the road that will go just south of Trace Crossings Elementary School, so city and school board attorneys are going to draft a document for the school board to consider in a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, that will allow work to begin, Colvin said.

School officials also had concerns about the proposed relocation of Alabama Power electrical distribution lines across other school board property, so Westhoven presented another option that is being shared with Alabama Power that would interfere less with potential future use of the property by the school board.

This article was updated at 7:46 p.m. to correct minimum state requirements for school sites. Acreage requirements cited by school board President Stephen Presley during the meeting were incorrect.