Birmingham City Council approves money for paving, hears about Titusville housing
The Birmingham City Council, at its regular meeting for April 11, voted to move ahead with funding more than $9 million for paving projects in the city.
As part of its consent agenda, the council voted to authorize Mayor William Bell to enter into a contract with Dunn Construction Co. of Birmingham for about $9.6 million worth of resurfacing projects for 2017.
The money for the paving was already approved as part of a $150 million city bond issue that was approved by voters in 2012, according to a council news release following the vote.
The funding will pay for the first year of the five-year City-Wide Smart Resurfacing plan, according to the release.
The bid from Dunn was the lowest of the two bids the city received, according to the text of the resolution.
The resolution was recommended by the city’s director of planning, engineering and permits.
It was also recommended by the council’s Budget and Finance Committee, Council President Johnathan Austin said.
“Street pavements and resurfacing are vital toward neighborhood redevelopment efforts, and it’s important that we keep that momentum going,” Austin said in the release.
Other actions
The council also voted to accept a bid of about $498,000 from Tate Contracting & Excavating from Dora for the city’s 2017 pavement patching contract.
The council also approved funding for the Growing Kings nonprofit, which provides mentoring, pre-trial diversion and workforce development training for young men in the city. The funding is not to exceed $51,250 in one year. The organization works primarily with young men ages 9-19 in Birmingham City Schools, according to its website.
Team Titusville Land Rush
During Mayor William Bell’s weekly presentation to the council, officials from the Birmingham Land Bank Authority announced an initiative called Team Titusville Land Rush, which is designed to give residents of that neighborhood the first opportunity to obtain properties available there.
BLBA staff will focus on the Titusville community for the next 60 days.
“We want the community to have the first right of refusal for these properties in their neighborhood,” Bell said in a news release.
Phil Amthor of the mayor’s office said that BLBA staff will be available to help residents fill out applications at the Titusville Library on Sixth Avenue Southwest on Tuesdays, 2-4:30 p.m., and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon.
“Our plan is to go to neighbors of abandoned lots and make sure they have a chance to acquire the property through BLBA,” Bell said in the release. “Same with churches who may want to acquire properties around their church campuses to reduce blight.”
Among the properties being reserved are those eligible for owner-occupied housing. In addition, vacant lots desired for side lots, gardens or other kinds of green space will be reserved for current homeowners in Titusville.
For more information about properties available in the city, go to the BLBA web site.