Spring Garden resident, Savannah Leighton was presented with a key to the city, on Tuesday, by Piedmont Mayor Bill Baker and the Piedmont City Council.
After being honored for her appearance on NBC’s The Voice earlier this year, the 16-year old then performed the country hit My Church by Maren Morris.
Leighton will perform at the upcoming Taste of Cherokee event scheduled for Tuesday, June 27th, at the Gadsden State-Cherokee arena.
Piedmont’s skate park will soon find a new home. After hearing from local resident, Nikko Dellena, who spoke on behalf of the youth who frequented the former location, the council agreed to relocate the park to a suitable location within Veteran’s Park.
Addressing concerns over noise complaints at the old park, Dellena assured the council that he and the other skaters will work to ensure that the new park will be family friendly for all those that attend and live nearby.
The former skate park had been removed to make way for Piedmont Rescue Squad’s much needed expansion.
Expressing concern over a social media post by Mayor Bill Baker on Monday, Piedmont resident and parent, Leslie Smith spoke to the council about safety at the Piedmont Aquatic Center.
In that post, Baker stated that due to the recent incidents at the aquatic center, children who couldn’t swim would be required to wear a flotation device, which will be available for purchase.
Smith said that she was concerned that the “swimmies” mentioned by the mayor may not provide enough safety and in turn create a sense of false security for both parents and children. She added that this could then lead to even more incidents.
Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Formby responded, “We’re not dictating what children wear,” adding that officials were only trying to remind parents to be safety-conscious.
In other business, the council updated the city utility department’s standard service policy. The change will increase the security deposit for customers with a high-risk credit score to $150. The security deposit for customers with a low-risk credit score will remain at $75.
Bills for payment were approved in the amount of $664,295.95.
Due to the July 4th holiday, the next regular Piedmont City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11th, following the work session, which is set for 5:30pm.