Birmingham City Council Highlights 12.19.23
ITEM 40
On Tuesday the Birmingham City Council approved a cost sharing agreement with the Norfolk Southern Corporation to install safety infrastructure at several of Birmingham’s most dangerous railway intersections.
Both the City and Norfolk Southern are contributing $21,670 to make the improvements, which will include “Qwick Kurb” installments that will deter drivers from going around the crossing guards as trains are approaching.
Council President Darrell O’Quinn, who chairs the Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that there have been multiple accidents at the intersections that are being addressed under this agreement. Those include locations on 31st Street SW/Cleburne Avenue, 24th Street SW, and Pearson Avenue/Jefferson Avenue.
“The installed barriers will go along the center line at these railroad crossings to strongly discourage people from putting themselves and others in a potentially deadly situation by trying to get around an oncoming train,” President O’Quinn said. “We’ve seen a significant reduction in the amount of incidents at the crossings where this infrastructure has already been installed, so we’re going to continue putting these up wherever we can. I’d like to thank our partners at Norfolk Southern for their ongoing commitment to helping us reduce these hazardous crossings in our city.”
ITEM 44
The Council approved an agreement with West End Hills Community Development Center to provide community-based programming, STEM after school care, tutoring programs and more at the former Powderly Elementary School building.
The organization has already begun renovating former school building — roughly 16,000 square feet of the old building. Council Pro Tem Wardine Alexander is providing $290,000 from her office’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to help make the project possible.
“I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be able provide this kind of funding for our students in District 7. As someone who received their education in this community, this is a full circle moment for me,” Pro Tem Alexander said. “So many of our students were impacted by the challenges of COVID-19 and there is a learning curve that we’re seeing across the board. Having this facility come back online, and be centrally located in the community, it’s going to be a game changer for our young people.”
Here is the item as it appeared on Tuesday’s agenda:
A Resolution approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute, for and as the act of said City, an agreement between the City of Birmingham and West End Hills Community Development Center, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $290,000.00, to allow West End Hills Community Development Center to provide community-based programs, STEM afterschool care, Pre-K for 3 and 4 year-old children, youth enrichment summer camps, and tutoring programs to enable students to recover from lost classroom time to benefit youth who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency. [Funding Source: ARPA-District #7] (Submitted by City Attorney) (Recommended by the Mayor and the Chief Community Planner)
TRASH PICKUP DATES
Due to City offices being closed on December 25th and 26th, there will be a change to the trash pickup schedule for routes. Those changes are as follows:
Monday routes will be serviced on Wednesday, December 27th
Tuesday routes will be serviced on Thursday, December 28th
Thursday routes will be serviced on Friday, December 29th
Friday routes will be serviced on Saturday, December 30th
