BCC hears request for historic district nomination

Published 6:46 pm Wednesday, May 19, 2021

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Members of the Brundidge Historical Society addressed the Brundidge City Council Tuesday night asking for the city’s support in making nomination to the Alabama Resister for a historic district in Brundidge.

BHS President Lawrence Bowden said the groundwork for the nomina-tion was laid in 2001 when a private study was done in order to erect a communications tower in the city.

Bowden said a historic district is an area or neighborhood that has a con-centration of buildings that features a high degree of historic character and integrity and represents an important aspect of an area’s history.

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“For the BHS to make nomination, a current survey of the structures in the 2001 study will have to be done,” Bowden said. “Kathy Sauer and Lynn Sutton have agreed to lead the efforts to revisit all the structures to determine if, after 20 years, they still qualify. If so, the nomination would then be updated and submitted.”

Bowden asked for the city’s support of the nominating efforts and also to bring community awareness of the efforts necessary in completing the nominations.

“We want our citizens to be aware as to why people are walking around the city and in the neighborhoods taking photographs of buildings and homes,” Bowden said. “We also want our citizens to know that listing on the Alabama Register places no requirements or restrictions on the struc-tures that are listed.”

Working from the council agenda, the council voted in support of a change in the personnel policy as it relates to the Brundidge Police De-partment.

Brundidge Police Chief Marquez James requested a 12-hour shift for his officers and a four-day workweek.

“That would give our officers two weekends off each month,” James said, adding that would facilitate the hiring and retention of officers.

The council voted in favor of the personnel policy change as requested.

The council voted to reappoint Carter Davenport to the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library Board for the term May 2001 to May 2025.

The opening of the city’s Galloway Park and Ramage Park was a topic of much discussion among the council members.

Council Member Marilyn Rodgers, District 5, opened the discussion by saying she is not in favor of opening the parks at this time.

“We are short of law enforcement at this time,” she said. “What if some-thing happens at one of the parks and the officers are involved somewhere else? There has to be some kind of structure in place before we open the parks.”

The council members all agreed there has to be structure to the opening of the parks, not just a place to play ball.

“Ball is not a pacifier,” Mayor Isabell Boyd said. “The city can’t be a ba-by-sitting service.”

Council Member Byron Gaynor, District 4, made a motion to table any action on the opening of the city parks. The council voted in favor of the motion.

The council members who attended the recent League of Municipalities Convention, Gaynor, Rodgers and Latesher Hall, District 2, said they greater insight about the workings of city government from the work ses-sions and ideas about what other cities and towns are doing from council members from across the state.

The council reviewed, considered and accepted FY2021 Budget Amendment No. 1.

The council also agreed to support the Brundidge Historical Society’s nomination efforts to the Alabama Register for Brundidge as a historic district.

The Brundidge City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tues-days of the month at Brundidge City Hall. The meetings are open to the public.