By Ana Good
Three years after it was first imagined, the new Vestavia Hills City Hall will open its doors Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.
The grand opening celebration at 1032 Montgomery Highway will feature an inaugural “High Notes” concert presented by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, performances by groups from Vestavia Hills City Schools, an activities area for children and a cookout. The five-hour event also will serve as a Community Night Out by the Vestavia Hills Police Department. ABC 33/40’s James Spann will provide a live weather forecast from the building’s balcony.
The event will be open to the public, said City Manager Jeff Downes. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the night’s festivities. Tours of the 57,000-square-foot City Hall Complex will be hosted by the Vestavia Belles. City staff representatives also will be on hand in each department to welcome visitors.
The winning works of the “A Life Above” photo contest will be on display on the second floor of the building. According to a city of Vestavia Hills news release, more than 70 participants submitted photo entries to showcase the “beauty of Vestavia Hills.”
The upcoming reception is the first in what the city hopes to be an ongoing tradition at the complex, described in the news release as a “cultural center for the community beyond functionality as facilities for municipal government.”
This inaugural High Notes concert also will be ASO Music Director Carlos Izcaray’s first community performance in the city. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. with an ASO rendition of the national anthem accompanied by a student soloist from Vestavia Hills High School. A local Boy Scout group will raise the flags above the green of City Hall for the first time.
The building, designed by Birmingham-based Williams Blackstock Architects, was planned to service both city employees and residents equally.
A new city hall, said Mayor Butch Zaragoza, is a necessary step in helping the city move forward. The current City Hall, just down the road from the new one, has been around since 1953.
The new complex includes two buildings. One, approximately 29,000 square feet, serves as the main City Hall building and houses administration offices, fire, public safety, city clerk, finance, IT, City Council chambers and a work session room. The other, approximately 28,000 square feet, houses the city’s police and courts.
Tomlin Excavating worked to prepare the site of the former Food World and Joe’s Ranch House for the complex’s construction. B.L. Harbert served as the project’s construction manager.
The grand opening celebration will be held from 4-9 p.m. The area’s surrounding business have partnered with the city to help ease parking concerns. Sections of the road servicing City Hall and the Vestavia Plaza shopping center will be closed to accommodate the anticipated crowd. Four shuttles will run continuously between City Hall and the designated parking areas.
The parking map, event schedule, sponsor information and more can be found at www.vhal.org/high-notes.
