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Photo by Jon Anderson
221003_Fire_Station1_site
The Hoover City Council authorized Mayor Frank Brocato to enter into a contract for the city to pay $1.3 million for this former bank site along U.S. 31 in the Green Valley community so the city can relocate Hoover Fire Station 1 there.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
221003_Fire_Station1
This is the location of Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1953 Braddock Circle as of Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, when the Hoover City Council voted to buy land along to relocate the fire station to a site along U.S. 31.
The Hoover City Council on Monday night authorized the mayor to enter into a contract to pay $1.3 million for a former bank property on U.S. 31 in the Green Valley area so the Hoover Fire Department can relocate Fire Station No. 1 there.
The property, owned by Village Stations Inc., is between Salvatore’s Pizza & Pasta and the Stone Creek Dental Care building and has 120 feet of frontage along U.S. 31, City Administrator Allan Rice said.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said the city for many years has been trying to find land to relocate Fire Station No. 1.
The existing station, which is behind the Hoover Court shopping center, is the oldest municipal building the city has. It was built by volunteer firefighters and used as both a fire station and meeting place even before the city incorporated.
While it has been renovated and expanded over the years and functioned well for 50 to 60 years, it’s still old and not as functional, modern and visible as city officials would like it to be, Brocato said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
221003_Fire_Station1
This is the location of Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1953 Braddock Circle as of Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, when the Hoover City Council voted to buy land along to relocate the fire station to a site along U.S. 31.
“We’ve had to do a lot of different things to just kind of make it work,” the mayor said. “This is a great opportunity to purchase property and build something our citizens would be very proud of and our firefighters would be very proud of.”
While most firefighters are content with the current station, it’s not designed like a fire station would be designed today and doesn’t have the same living arrangements and conditions all other Hoover firefighters enjoy, Brocato said.
The former bank property the council authorized the mayor to enter into a contract to purchase is just a couple of hundred yards from the existing station by the way the crow flies, but it’s much more visible and has great access to U.S. 31, he said.
Rice said there is plenty of room to build a fire station there and said the $1.3 million negotiated price is much better than the original $1.8 million asking price.
Councilman Casey Middlebrooks was the lone vote against authorizing the mayor to enter the contract on behalf of the city.
Middlebrooks said he is in favor of purchasing the site but was concerned about the details of how the city would pay for the land and construction of a new fire station.
Brocato, Rice and Chief Financial Officer Tina Bolt said there are multiple ways the city could pay for the land and fire station construction.
The city is receiving $8.9 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money that could be used for the station, but the city also should end fiscal 2022 with more than $10 million in excess revenues that could also be used for the fire station, Bolt said.
Middlebrooks said he would prefer for the council to have discussions about how all the money will be used before voting to spend any of it, but the other five council members present (Councilman Steve McClinton was absent) were ready to move forward with the real estate contract.
Councilman Mike Shaw said he was concerned if the city didn’t go ahead and get a contract, someone else might get a contract before the city could act. Rice noted that the city has up to 75 days to back out of the deal before it closes and could potentially even have longer than that if more time is needed for discussions.
Meanwhile, Brocato said the existing Hoover Fire Station No. 1, which has a lot of historical value to the city, possibly could be a good and fitting home for the Hoover Historical Society, which now takes up space in the Hoover Public Safety Center.
In other business Monday night, the Hoover City Council:
- Agreed to pay the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority $72,707 for transit services rendered in fiscal 2022, which ended Sept. 30. A similar amount was budgeted for fiscal 2023, but final details of a service agreement for 2023 have not yet been worked out, Councilman Curt Posey said.
- Agreed to provide a quit claim deed for the swimming pool and tennis courts in the Birchtree community to the Birchtree Swim & Racquet Club to clear up issues over who actually owns the property. The belief for many years was that the city owned the property and was leasing it to the private club to operate and maintain. However, Rice said city officials now believe the deed was never properly recorded, the agreement between the city and the club was never properly executed and the lease between the two parties was not properly honored. Monday’s action should give the club a clear title to the property and allow it to borrow money for improvements, City Attorney Phillip Corley Jr. said.
- Authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement with TimeClock Plus for a new system to document city employees work hours.
- Concurred with Mayor Frank Brocato’s appointment of Mary Saggus, Kelly Vinson and Susan Wilson to the Hoover Beautification Board and watched as Brocato appointed 20-year Beautification Board member Sara Perry as a “lifetime member” of the board as she rotates out of her regular board appointment.
- Declared properties at 3076 John Hawkins Parkway, 425 Shades Ave. and 2051 Woodmeadow Drive as public nuisances due to high weeds and/or grass.
- Delayed consideration of a request to annex property at 5332 Old U.S. 280 until the city can document the property owner has agreed to pay fire dues. The property is owned by South Central Bell Telephone, according to city records.
