host posted on August 10, 2011 09:30
By Melanie Patterson
North Jefferson News
FULTONDALE — Fultondale Mayor Jim Lowery addressed concerns Monday about rebuilding after the April 27 tornado that ripped through parts of the city.
Resident Amy Huffstutler, who lives in the devastated Glendale subdivision, asked Lowery during a city council meeting for an update on the latest news about redeveloping Glendale.
“We’re in the early stages of that,” Lowery said, adding that the city is considering rezoning some areas for commercial use. He said some of the neighborhood is already zoned for commercial use.
City Inspector Darryl Aldrich said 25-30 houses have been condemned in the city.
“We said originally that we wanted everybody who wanted to, to come in and rebuild,” Lowery said. He said that offer was still on the table, and that roughly 80 percent of residents were going to rebuild or repair, while about 20 percent have decided to move elsewhere.
Huffstutler and her family are among those repairing their home, but she said she did not want to invest more into her house than it would be worth. She said it depends largely on how Fultondale decides to redevelop the area.
Lowery said the city must have permission from homeowners in order to do work on private property.
The city in late July decided to take over cleanup efforts itself instead of renewing a contract with DRC, which was doing the physical labor of cleaning up debris.
To date, 9.2 million cubic yards of debris has been removed in Alabama and inspectors have examined more than 49,000 structures across the state, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) press release.
In other business, the council:
• agreed to allow Lowery to enter into a $30,000 loan agreement with the Commercial Development Authority, which provides funds for establishing new business
• adopted the provisions of Act 2011-676 under the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which changes how employees and municipalities pay into the retirement system
• approved the audit for the year ending Sept. 30, 2010.
The next regular city council meeting is Aug. 22, 11:30 a.m., at Fultondale City Hall.