City Council Authorized Bids For New Fire Station and City Hall

By Sam Poe
Saturday, May 10, 2014 | 9:05 PM
https://hbtv.us/news/?story_id=2116

The Haleyville City Council met for their bi-monthly meeting Thursday evening.  The change in meeting time had been previously approved by the council, due to a conference the mayor was attending in Mobile during the regularly scheduled time. Councilmen Royce Benefield and Richard Bittinger were absent from the meeting. The following items were approved.

• regular council minutes from 04/21/14 (Drew Thrasher abstained from the vote due to being absent at that meeting.)
• lease of the Harden Hanger at the Haleyville Airport- P.R. Hughes will lease the hanger on a month-to-month basis until a new building has been completed for the company due to the recent fire. The lease is $650 per month.
• lease of a dozer for work at the new Haleyville Sportsplex- The city accepted bids from two companies for the lease. Warrior Tractor in Northport submitted the lowest bid at $9,900 per month. The council agreed to lease the dozer for one month at that cost.
• authorization for bids for a new Haleyville Fire Station and Haleyville City Hall, pending the sale of Haleyville City Hall

Mayor Ken Sunseri has hired the following temporary seasonal employees: (3rd year lifeguards) Conner Kiser, Devon Knight, and Tori Pendley at $7.75 per hour; (2nd year lifeguards) Tori Pace, McKenzie Holley, Audra Rye, and Kailee Strawbridge at $7.50 per hour; William Page and Kenneth Price for the Street and Sanitation Department at $9.50 per hour, pending pre-employment physicals. Mayor Sunseri may also be hiring seven additional lifeguards if they pass the Lifeguard Training Tests.

During remarks from the audience, Barry Richards commended the Haleyville Police Department, Haleyville Fire Department, and all other responding agencies during his recent accident.  Mr. Richards stated he is very grateful to the individuals who came during his time of crisis.

Mayor Sunseri and the council also heard remarks from a Haleyville firefighter who has concerns about the location of the new Haleyville Fire Station. He stated he has been on the department for more than 45 years, and every second counts when responding to a call. The council is currently looking at two pieces of property for the station. One is just adjacent to the current fire station, and the other is located on the empty lot, just in front of the current CVS Shopping Center.  Mayor Sunseri stated there are many factors the council has to consider while making this decision, including timely responses, price, cost of construction, and location of many of Haleyville's major industries (North Industrial Park). No final decision has been made on this issue, as the sale of the current Haleyville City Hall and Haleyville Fire Station are still pending. The council then entered executive session to discuss the matter. City Attorney, Jeff Mobley, stated the matter meets the required criteria for the council to enter executive session, and no further business was discussed or voted upon after the conclusion of the executive session.