The wait is almost over for Piedmont residents who have been eagerly anticipating the opening of the new city pool. After several delays, the pool is finally expected to open next month. According to Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Formby, only a few cosmetic items are left to complete, such as painting the parking lot, installing lights, and completing work on the retention ponds. The pool is tentatively scheduled to open at the beginning of May on the weekends only, and on weekdays starting around Memorial Day. Hours of operation will be 9am to 6pm Monday through Saturday. Sundays will be reserved for private rental.
The council is also in the process of deciding what to charge residents for pool usage. Formby recommended a fee of $100 for a season pass or $5 for daily usage, per person. According to Formby, this price is comparable to the rates of other cities, such as Jacksonville. The council is expected make their decision at the next council meeting.
After voting in a previous meeting not to contract with Air Evac to provide emergency flights to the residents of Piedmont, the council listened to a presentation from Tracy Jones, a representative of Air Method of Rainbow City. Unlike Air Evac, Air Method is offering an insurance policy to the individual citizens, instead of the city a whole. For an annual fee of $44.99 per year for individuals and $54.99 for families, subscribers would receive a check in the amount of $10,000 per emergency flight, even if the individual receives a payment from their current insurance provider.
The council voted to authorize Piedmont Fire Chief, Mike Ledbetter to gather bids to replace 22 malfunctioning air breathing packs. The current air packs, which Ledbetter said present a safety hazard to firefighters, are expected to be sold for parts.
Bills for payment were approved for a total of $457,686.24 with Council Member Brenda Spears voting “No.”
Mayor Billy Baker reappointed Kelly Rampy to the Piedmont Housing Authority.
The opening day of the Piedmont Parks and Recreation’s baseball and softball youth league is this Saturday, April 5th. It will begin with a ceremony at 8am recognizing the two newest members of the city’s sports memorial hall of fame. First pitch is scheduled for 9am.
Also, the annual Foothills Road Race is scheduled to start at 9am on Sunday, April 6th, with over 200 cyclists expected to participate.
The next regular Piedmont City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15th, at 6 pm.