Volume 4 | Issue 9 | January 2017
Gubernatorial Goal
Former Councilor David Carrington “seriously considering” running for governor in the 2018 election.
See page A14
Key to Success
Rebels’ Luke Champion is one of the first student-athletes to benefit from enacted homeschool policy.
See page B6 ION
SECT
en Wom IN SS E N I S U B
IAL SPEC
PAGE B12
INSIDE Sponsors ......... A4 News ................. A6 Business .........A12 School House ..A20
Sports ............... B6 Events ..............B10 Real Estate...... B21 Calendar ......... B22
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2017
A LOOK AHEAD F
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, A25
By EMILY FEATHERSTON
or any city, there are years when the focus is supporting ongoing projects or maintaining economic stability. And then there are years for major change. Vestavia Hills comes into 2017 after a major changing of the guard, with four new City Council members moving into the first full calendar year of their term. New faces mean new perspectives, but Vestavia was already on track for a major year of change before the council even took office. In the final months of its term, the 2012-16 council set in motion several major projects, including moving forward with a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 31, the construction of a westerly entrance to the former Altadena Valley Country Club property and the repaving of nearly 30 miles of residential roads. The second phase of the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex upgrades is already underway, as well as other various improvements to city parks, but 2017 has much more in store for Vestavia’s parks and recreation facilities. As City Manager Jeff Downes put it, 2017 may be remembered as “the year of parks and recreation.” That is because the Community Spaces Committee, formerly known as the Wald Park Planning Committee, finished its years-long effort to create a master plan for the city’s recreation spaces, and in the coming year, those concepts will likely turn into plans and decisions that will have long-lasting impacts on the city.
See A LOOK AHEAD | page A25
FACILITIES UPGRADES, A26
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, A27