Brundidge to sound whistle on Thursday

Published 11:00 pm Tuesday, July 2, 2013

At 2 p.m. on the Fourth of July, the noon whistle in Brundidge will sound in celebration of the 237th signing of the Declaration of Independence and in support of the July 4 National Bell Ringing led by No Greater Love. The non-profit organization seeks to provide a sense history and of what it means to be an American.

The NGL organization is encouraging all Americans, wherever they happen to be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, to ring a bell, sound a siren, shake car keys or tap something on glass and “let freedom ring.”

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Brundidge Mayor Jimmy Ramage said the city’s well-known noon whistle will be used at 2 just for July 4 and he hopes all community members participate in their own way.

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Prior to the council’s regular meeting, a public hearing was held to give the public an opportunity for input into the city’s request to ADECA to extend the Community Development Block Grant water lines project in the Caldwell subdivision to include the south side of Clayton Street and several short stubs on Darby and Ann streets.

Brundidge City Manager Britt Thomas said the CDBG water lines project came in about $24,000 under budget. Rather than return the funds, the city is asking ADECA to allow an amendment to the project that would utilize the funds to extend the project, which would improve the water quality to other areas of the subdivision.

There was no public opposition to the extension. The city council approved a resolution requesting the extension to include the specified areas.

Jeanna Barnes, Pike County Emergency Management Agency director, presented the county’s Emergency Plan and discussed it with the council members. Barnes said the Pike County Commission had already adopted the plan that would include disasters caused by technology, nature and humans.

The council voted to partner with the City of Troy in its efforts to purchase a van for its senior center with Alabama Department of Transportation grant funds if approved.

The van that is currently used to transport clients of the Robert E. Barr Nutrition Center is a 2006 model. Any match money required for the grant would be the responsibility of the City of Brundidge.

The Rev. Ed Shirley, pastor of Brundidge United Methodist Church, opened Tuesday’s council meeting with prayer and gifted the Brundidge Volunteer Fire Department with a Firefighters Bible. The council observed a time of silence in memory of the 19 firefighters who were killed Sunday battling a blaze in Arizona.

In other business, the city declared a copy machine surplus and to be sold on gov.deal.

The Brundidge City Council meets at 4 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Brundidge City Hall. The meetings are open to the public.