Photo by Jesse Chambers
Birmingham City Hall
Birmingham City Hall seen from Linn Park.
Mayor Randall Woodfin told the Birmingham City Council, at its regular meeting for Tuesday, May 7, that he is firmly opposed to a proposal by Sherman Industries to open a concrete batch plant at 3240 Fayette Ave. near Five Points West.
“As mayor of Birmingham, I do not want Sherman relocating to the West End,” Woodfin said during his weekly report to the council. The residents and community leaders that he has spoken to are also opposed to the plant, according to Woodfin. “Never have I approved of such a move or worked to make it happen,” he said.
The opening of the facility “would be harmful to the quality of life” for residents in that area, Woodfin said.
The city and the Jefferson County Department of Public Health announced last week that a public hearing will be held at Birmingham CrossPlex on June 6 at 5:30 p.m. regarding the permit application that Sherman Industries has filed.
Woodfin also asked that the council rezone the land where Sherman wants to open its facility.
The council voted to approve one related item that was already on its agenda — a resolution requesting that the 2019 Alabama Legislature amend the Alabama Air Pollution Control Act to require the JCDPH to have a 60-day mandatory notification process for citizens during the public comment period, as well as mandatory public hearings for entities applying for permits in the Air Pollution Control Programs.
The item was submitted and recommended by City Council President Pro Tem Willam Parker. “The notification process has to be improved,” Parker said.
During his report, Woodfin stressed that neither he nor anyone in his office had any contact with Sherman Industries until May 1, when the company emailed his office to request a meeting, despite what he said were some rumors to the contrary.
Woodfin also said that he fully understood the city’s environmental issues, having lived in North Birmingham until he was 11 years old, long plagued by air pollution from industrial facilities.
“No one has to remind me of where our presidents live or some of the environmental issues or environmental injustices people face in this city,” he said.
For information about the application and draft permit, call 930-1284 or go to jcdh.org.
