June Newsletter - City of Alabaster

CITY LEADERS...
Rick Walters
Ward 4
As another school year has ended, I would like to congratulate and thank the parents and students
who will be moving up or perhaps on to the next phase of their life. Whether or not we participate in formal education
at the next level, I believe we can all agree that it is the most important opportunity we can give our children. I am
pleased to hear of the progress our Alabaster Board of Education is making towards that goal. Please join me in giving
them your full support as we work to make room for them in our newsletter.
The Dog Park is a running a little behind schedule due to some poor soil that has to be replaced before construction
of the building can begin. We are told it will move the opening back to sometime in July. The Library addition however
is on schedule. The next step will be to open up the connecting wall between the library and the new addition. That will
require that they temporarily close the children’s section of the library. The process should not take long and it will
mark one of the final steps towards completion of the project.
Finally I look forward to seeing everyone at CityFest on June 2nd. The Alabaster Arts Council has a great lineup
scheduled and it should prove to be another successful event, with fun for all age groups and families. The annual
event will draw thousands of people from outside our city and I know your gracious hospitality towards them is a big
reason why it is so successful. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you – until next time Keep in Touch!
Scott Brakefield
Ward 6
It’s been a busy month of May for our Parks and Rec Department. They have successfully navigated
another baseball/softball/soccer season. Not to mention, they did a great job of hosting the ACCC Softball Tournament
at Veterans Park. If you get a chance, please let them know how much you appreciate their efforts. With close to 1,000
kids in Spring sports, its challenging to meet every demand, scheduling conflict, etc., but I personally believe our Parks
& Rec Department does a tremendous job. Now that City Sports have come to a close they will immediately shift their
focus to the task of preparing Municipal Park for the 10th Annual City Fest. If you had the opportunity to visit our
Parks for a game this Spring, I hope you purchased something from the Concession Stand. Our Concessions are run by
the Alabaster Sports & Entertainment Foundation. This is a non profit group that takes those proceeds and puts them
back into our Athletic Programs at THS. Since ASEF took over our Concessions 3 years ago, we have not fielded any
complaints, and they have contributed close to $90,000 over the past 3 years to THS athletic programs. Thank you
ASEF, parents & students that take the time to work the Concessions and give back to our programs! Lastly, I wanted
to say a big thank you to the Alabaster Arts Council. This year marks the 10 year anniversary of City Fest. What a
tremendous event that allows us to showcase our community. Make sure to come out and support this great event on
June 2.
Tommy Ryals
Ward 7
walters@cityofalabaster.com
brakefield@cityofalabaster.com
ryals@cityofalabaster.com
If you travel on Fulton Springs Road from Hwy 119 to Hwy 31, you probably noticed the new traffic
lights at the intersection on Hwy 31. I would like to thank our City Administrator, George Henry,
for his help in making this happen. This is a VERY dangerous intersection, and we’ve had multiple serious accidents
here over the years so hopefully the new lights will help. We actually planned for awhile now for the intersection to
cut straight through from Fulton Springs Rd., across old Hwy 31 and the private property there directly to “new” Hwy
31, eliminating the little “detour” at the end. However, for multiple reasons, mostly financial, it has not happened. The
developers of the new Alabaster Exchange have verbally committed to helping us out with that straightening project
whenever that comes together. The lights will be moved to the new intersection at that point. The idea is to create
another major access route from South 119 to the interstate and the shopping centers, taking some of the load off 119.
Ideally, all of Fulton Springs Rd. would be widened as well. Kent Dairy Rd. would continue past the Post Office and
connect with Fulton Springs Rd. at some point. I know the County wants to do this (it’s a county road) but, as is the
case more often than not, it takes a lot of money. Anyway, this new band aid will help those of us in the southern part
of Alabaster who risk our vehicle and life every day trying to shoot across that intersection on our way to I-65.
Mr. Henry is also trying to work his magic at another dangerous intersection at Hwy 80 and Hwy 119 where we have
been trying for years to get a signal. The wheels of government are semi-rusty sometimes. See you at CityFest.
SEE YOU AT CITYFEST JUNE 2 MUNICIPAL PARK! June, 2012 7