Hoover school board to meet Friday morning on land donation to city

The Hoover Board of Education is holding a work session Friday morning at 7 a.m. to discuss the potential donation of about 6 acres near Trace Crossings Elementary School to the city of Hoover.

The city is asking for the board's donation of property in exchange for the city building two additional access roads to Hoover High School, said Tim Westhoven, the city’s chief operations officer.

Hoover school board President Stephen Presley said board members are excited about the new access roads and the new sports park the city is building next to them.

However, board members expressed concerns about whether the school board would be able to block the roads at times and about related plans to relocate Alabama Power electricity distribution lines across other school board property.

Alabama Power’s proposal for the relocation of their lines would limit the school board’s ability to use other property it owns near Trace Crossings Elementary, board member Earl Cooper said.

Presley said the school board would like to offer a different option for Alabama Power’s lines, and Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice said city officials would be willing to have conversations with Alabama Power about other options.

Westhoven said other partners in the project to build the new access roads (Signature Homes and U.S. Steel) ought to be included in any discussions about blocking off roads. He doesn’t think it is in anybody’s best interest to install a gate on the roads, he said.

Friday morning’s work session will be at the Farr Administration Building at 2810 Metropolitan Way. The meeting is open to the public.

The school board also has scheduled a special meeting for 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, to vote on the proposed land donation. The city wants to issue a notice to proceed on the road project by June 1, Presley said.