November 2022 | Volume 16 | Issue 1
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
SERVING HOMEWOOD, HOOVER, MOUNTAIN BROOK, VESTAVIA HILLS, TRUSSVILLE AND THE U.S. 280 CORRIDOR
THE 280 CORRIDOR’s COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE 280LIVING.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
Novi Vineyards
GEARING UP FOR
GROWTH
Chelsea couple Lisa and Lee Moffett fulfills winery dreams.
See page A14
Under the Lights
Highlights from the middle portion of the high school football season.
See page B4
INSIDE Sponsors .......... A4 City .................... A6 Business ........... A11 Chamber .........A16 Community .....A18
Schoolhouse...A20 Events...............A21 Sports................ B4 Opinion.............B16 Calendar...........B18
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Shelby County Schools plan for next five years By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
E
ach year, Shelby County Schools is required to update its five-year capital plan for each school in the district. Its purpose is to meet the needs of the school community based on the student population,
including building necessities both inside and out. In September, the Shelby County Board of Education approved the latest capital plan that includes projects going from fiscal 2023 until fiscal 2027. Projects that are estimated at $50,000 or more have to be included in the plan.
“The timelines are a little bit vague, but it’s designed where you know what you plan to do for at least the next two years,” said David Calhoun, assistant superintendent of operations. “These are planned projects, but they do not take into account when pipes
See GROWTH | page A26
Parents arrive at Oak Mountain Middle School for after-school pickup on Oct. 14. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Transparency
Hoover council at odds over changes in video recordings
By JON ANDERSON
A screenshot of the Oct. 3 Hoover council meeting. Illustration by Ted Perry.
For more than five years, the Hoover City Council has been recording and broadcasting its meetings on a city YouTube channel, and those meetings were available for anyone to review at any time. That’s no longer the case. At some point this year, videos of previous Hoover public meetings were removed from public access on YouTube. The city also stopped broadcasting and video recording the public
comment section of council meetings at the end of the meeting. Those two decisions have drawn criticism from some council members and members of the public. A majority of council members — Steve McClinton, Mike Shaw, Sam Swiney and Casey Middlebrooks — said they were not consulted before videos were first removed. No elected official is taking responsibility for
See TRANSPARENCY | page A25