During the Tuesday night meeting of the Piedmont City Council, city pool fees were set for the upcoming summer season. The council has voted to set the rates at $100 for a season pass, or $5 per person for daily use, as was recommended by Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Formby in the previous meeting.

However, that vote came after a failed motion to reduce the daily rate to $3. Mayor Billy Baker said he thought the $5 fee might be too high, suggesting that the council set the fee at $3, which currently the rate at the Jacksonville city pool. Council Member Ben Keller’s motion to reduce the rate failed in a 4-2 vote with only Keller and Council Member Mary Bramblett voting “Yes” (Council Member Mark Harper was absent). Keller then voted “No” on the $5 rate.

But a reduction came after all. With Keller abstaining, the council passed Council Member Frank Cobb’s motion to reduce the rate to $4 per person for families of 3 or more.
Residents may also rent the pool for private parties for 2 hours on Sundays at a rate of $100 in addition to $20 per lifeguard; two lifeguards are required per 25 swimmers. They may also rent the Cabana area during regular hours when lifeguards are already on duty to avoid paying the additional fee.

Sheriff Larry Amerson spoke to the council about the importance of a Crime Watch program, otherwise known as neighborhood watch, in the City of Piedmont. According to Amerson, such programs are a great asset to law enforcement, deterring all types of crime related activities by providing an intimidation factor for the criminals. The program works best, Amerson said, if a single city block has its own program, led by a block captain and aided, of course, by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Piedmont Police Department.

As a first step, Amerson stressed the need for passionate and motivated individuals to become block captains. Piedmont Police Chief Stephen Tidwell noted a lack of such individuals in past attempts at organizing crime watch programs, but said the he and his department would support this attempt in any way they can.

Bills for payment were approved, totaling $302,567.09. As of March 31st, there was also a total balance of $1,854,162.42 remaining in bond accounts.

Mayor Baker recognized 3 Piedmont High School Students, who were recently awarded scholarships from the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority (AMEA). Exavyer Jackson, Andrew Posey, and Morgan Watkins were among only 33 students to each receive $2,500 toward a four-year university or two-year college.

The next regular Piedmont City Council Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 8th, at 6 pm.

(File Photo)