Photo provided by city of Hoover
Photos submitted to the city of Hoover show stormwater flooding a residential property on Napier Drive in Hoover, Alabama, on separate occasions.
The Hoover City Council on Monday night declared stormwater drainage projects in five areas of the Bluff Park, Shades Mountain and Green Valley communities to have a “public purpose,” clearing the way for the city to take action for remedies.
Residents in those areas for years have been complaining about repeated stormwater flooding problems. The city hired engineering consultants to study the issues, and proposed fixes were suggested. Some improvements have been made in recent years, but no action was taken on many of the complaints.
Former Mayor Frank Brocato and the previous city attorney repeatedly cited state law that prohibits the city from doing work on private property unless the work is determined by the City Council to have a “public purpose.”
The previous City Council did declare some projects across the city that spilled over onto private property as having a public purpose, such as when stormwater activity on private property impacts or damages public roads or structures. But many other potential projects were either determined to be the responsibility of private property owners or left undetermined.
New Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis said during his campaign he believed many residents were left hanging out to dry and that the city had neglected its responsibility to take care of problems. On Monday night, Derzis noted some residents had “raging rivers” flowing through their yards. “What a mess it was.”
Now, with a new mayor and new City Council, the city is going to do the right thing and fix these problems, he said.
The areas where projects were identified as having a public purpose Monday night were Chester Street, Glenwood Road, Lester Lane, Laredo Drive and parts of the Green Valley community in the vicinity of Napier Drive, Paulette Drive and Charlotte Drive.
New City Engineer Scott Promer said problems in these areas included collapsed stormwater pipes, uncontrolled stormwater flow over land, inlet overtopping, sinkhole formation, roadway ponding and system surcharging.
Heavy downpours in October 2021 resulted in widespread stormwater flooding that prompted residents to begin repeated complaints to city officials.
Matthew Smith, a resident on Paulette Drive in the Green Valley community, told the City Council then that while that particular incident was notable, it was not an isolated incident. His community had flooded nine times that year, he said. City officials had neglected their responsibility to oversee stormwater management in the city, he said.
Residents from multiple communities across the city echoed those concerns, and the issue became an issue in the city election last year.
Smith returned to the City Council Monday night and thanked this new council and the mayor for taking action, saying residents have put up a hard fight to get to this point.
“This is the standard of excellence that we;ve been hoping for, wanting and praying for and needing,” Smith said. “There’s a difference between being a politician and a leader. Right now, I see nothing but leadership up here. It’s a drastic change. We thank you all for it immensely. I look forward to seeing the progress move forward with this issue being addressed once and for all.”
Smith asked that residents be kept informed of timelines for the work that will be done. Promer said city officials will do that, including any traffic disruptions due to work in the roadways.
Promer said some of the projects already have had engineering and design studies done and should be ready to have construction started in four to six weeks. Others still have design work that needs to be done, he said.
Some of the projects closer to construction are the Laredo Drive project and the Green Valley project around Napier Drive, he said.
All the jobs must be put out for bid, but Promer said he believes there is enough money in the miscellaneous drainage budget for 2026 — $3 million — to handle them.
In other business Monday night, the City Council:
- Approved an agreement for legal services with the Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick law firm, with payments estimated to be about $1.25 million per year, including $680,000 for general representation, $235,000 for risk management matters, $145,000 for special projects, $65,000 for Municipal Court appeals, $62,000 for stormwater legal services, $50,000 for non-risk management matters to be litigated, $15,000 for workers’ compensation matters.
- Approved an agreement to pay the Balch & Bingham law firm $240,000 a year, plus a $40,000 initial payment, for “external affairs” services — essentially lobbying services related to state and federal government.
- Approved an agreement to pay Waggoner Engineering up to $170,000 a year for professional engineering services
- Agreed to allow Dutch Bros. Coffee to build a drive-through coffee shop in the parking lot of The Plaza at Riverchase shopping center at 1855 Montgomery Highway. The shop will be between Hobby Lobby and Jersey Mike’s Subs.Approved an agreement to hire the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to conduct investigations as needed, such as when there is an officer-involved shooting or a conflict of interest
- Approved an agreement to change overtime pay for police officers so that receive overtime for any work over 80 hours in 14 days instead of any work over 40 hours in seven days. The change coincides with a pilot program that moves certain officers to 12-hour shifts and allows officers to have a three-day weekend every other weekend, Chief Clay Morris said.
- Agreed to hire Martin Sports Properties to run the FanFest at the SEC Baseball Tournament for $150,000, plus potentially another $50,000 for add-on services if desired by the city.
- Agreed to give PWD Equity Partners until April 17 to close on the purchase of the Lorna Professional Building the city owns at 3021 Lorna Road in exchange for an additional $10,000 payment.Set a public hearing for March 23 to consider whether to declare the property at 3766 Abbeyglen Way as a public nuisance due to a large amount of garbage in the yard
- Set a public hearing for March 23 to consider an ordinance to allow the Fire Department to charge a fee for non-emergency requests for lift assists at assisted living centers, nursing facilities and other health care providers
- Approved a special license for Beef O’Brady’s to sell alcoholic beverages in its parking lot in The Grove shopping center at 5519 Grove Blvd. as part of its St. Patrick’s Day celebration this weekend.
