A property planned to be the site of the Conecuh Ridge Distillery has been rezoned to the Tourism Development District, the first of its kind in the City of Troy.

The Troy City Council, absent District 5 councilwoman Wanda Moultry, unanimously approved the rezoning of the 76-acre property from residential tot the tourism zoning.

The move was a necessary step for the council to take as the distillery moves another step closer to construction.

Attorney Britton Bonner, representing Conecuh Ridge, told the council Tuesday that the developers expect to break ground on the property by the end of 2019 or in the first quarter of 2020.

“Once we are given the ‘OK’ to release the preliminary renderings of what the buildings will look like, we think you are going to be very pleased,” Britton said.

A public hearing was held before the vote, but nobody voiced any opinions in opposition to or in favor of the rezoning. Some concerns were previously addressed when the issue came before the Troy Planning Commission last month.

The council also approved the refinancing of a bond issue that will save the city approximately $500,000 by lowering the interest rate on the loan to 2.78 percent. The bond issue was used to finance construction of the CGI facility in Troy in 2010.

The council is considering a similar refinancing procedure with a bond issue that financed the construction of the Troy Golden Boy facility in 2011 that, combined with the CGI bond savings, would bring a savings of $1.1 million to the city over the life of the two bond issues. The council had its first reading of that ordinance Tuesday night.

The council suspended the rules to take immediate action Tuesday to authorize Mayor Jason Reeves to orchestrate a land swap with River Bend Estate LLC to allow the city to construct a road near Lowe’s for future development opportunities.

“This is going to be a good thing development-wise and safety-wise with this new road,” Reeves said. “Hopefully once we get the funding this road will connect to the Enzor Road connectors.”

The council had a first reading Tuesday of an ordinance that would allow Troy Fire Marshal Brady Cox to sign warrants, make arrests and investigate crimes involving fires. Troy Police Chief Randall Barr said it makes more sense for Cox to investigate and make arrest in fire-related cases since he works with fires more often than Troy officers. The council could take action on the ordinance at its next meeting.

In other business, the council:

Approved service contracts with several organizations including the Pike County Extension Office, the Pioneer Museum of Alabama, the Christian Love Center, Pike County Soil and Water Conservation, the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and Keep Troy Beautiful. A request to contract for services by OCAP was tabled due to no members being present at the council meeting.

Accepted a grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health to equip the Park Street and Franklin Drive wells to include fluoride in the water.

Approved the awarding of a bid for a 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe to Bill Jackson Chevrolet for $35,500. The truck will be used by the deputy chief.

Approved for the Troy Fire Department to apply for a grant using a grant-writing service, with the city matching 10 percent, and to apply for a Firehouse Subs grant that would be 100 percent funding.

The Troy City Council will meet again on Tuesday, November 12 at Troy City Hall. The executive committee will meet upstairs at 4 p.m. and the council will convene in the City Council Chambers at 5 p.m.