By William C. Singleton III
Journal contributor
For Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills and North Shelby, 2014 was a year of plans coming to fruition, city and community leaders coming and going, and a snowstorm arriving so unexpectedly it caught everyone by surprise and paralyzed surrounding communities, if only for a few days.
Snow is usually a welcome sight for Over the Mountain residents who enjoy seeing the accumulation of flakes every now and then in a climate not very hospitable to flurries. But even television weatherman James Spann wasn’t expecting what happened on Jan. 28, when the Birmingham metropolitan area received nearly 2 inches of snow, bringing much of the area to a standstill.
Vehicles were stranded on streets from John Hawkins Parkway to Columbiana Road and other roads with steep inclines. Area schools like Simmons Middle in Hoover and Homewood High were turned into hotels as thousands of students unable to get home camped out overnight in classrooms. Motorists became pedestrians as many set out on foot, hoping to reach home by dark.
And some motorists, like Kelly Garner of Vestavia Hills, never made it home that night.
Garner, 49, of Vestavia Hills, is now known by most people as the Good Samaritan who went missing while helping stranded motorists near the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest during the Jan. 28 “snowpocalypse”
Garner, who has had type 1diabetes since he was a child, spent 12 hours down in the ravine beside the library in the snow. The fall broke his back and his ribs, injured his shoulder and resulted in a head injury that still affects his memory.
“When I got up that morning, on Jan. 28, I would have never have guessed it would turn out the way it did,” Garner said. (For more on Garner’s story, see our story here.)
But the snowstorm that hid city streets couldn’t bury community spirit and goodwill. Those with vehicles equipped to get through icy roads helped those who needed rides home. Social media users took to Twitter and Facebook to post information about missing loved ones with many venturing out to find those stranded in the storm. Several businesses remained open as “warming stations” for those seeking refuge from the cold.
“This could have been a whole lot worse, but our citizens jumped in, our employees did an outstanding job, and we all worked together to make it through,” Vestavia Hills Mayor Alberto “Butch” Zaragoza said the day after the snowstorm.
In several Over the Mountain communities, 2014 was a year of big personnel changes.
Hoover City Schools Superintendent Andy Craig is leaving to take a position with the Alabama Department of Education as deputy superintendent for administrative and financial services beginning in January.
Craig has been superintendent for eight years but during the last two years has had to tackle tough and controversial issues such as cutting bus services to Hoover students for the 2015-2016 school year – a final decision on that issue is still pending – and proposing a comprehensive rezoning plan that shifts school population to relieve overcrowding and to prepare for an influx of future students.
That plan, which Craig officially unveiled in August, is still being revised and awaits a vote by the school board.
In November, Homewood Chamber of Commerce Director Tricia Ford announced her retirement after six years with the organization.
Ford said she’s just ready to “write another chapter” to her life. However, she plans to stay on until the chamber hires her successor, she said.
Also in Homewood, Jenifer Champ Wallis stepped down in July as Ward 4 Place 1 council representative. Wallis, an attorney, resigned to take a job in Los Angeles. The council interviewed several candidates to replace Wallis and selected Barry Wise Smith, a nursery and parents’ day out director at Trinity United Methodist Church, to fill Wallis’ unexpired term.
In November, the Over the Mountain community selected Gary Palmer as its new Sixth Congressional District representative.
Palmer, who lives in Homewood, emerged from a seven-candidate Republican primary to face State Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood, in a runoff.
DeMarco was the top vote-getter in the primary, but Palmer was able to snatch the nomination from DeMarco and then topple Democratic challenger Mark Lester of Homewood in the general election.
Palmer, founder of the conservative think-tank Alabama Policy Institute, heads to Washington, D.C., next month ready to spread the message of financial accountability and join his colleagues in trying to dismantle the Affordable Health Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Several cities saw plans they’ve been working on for years come to fruition – or at least get started.
Homewood in May opened its new $16 million recreation center, a facility officials hope will serve the needs of the community for years to come.
The new 51,830-square-foot center has two gymnasiums, a fitness center with cardio and weight machines and free weights, indoor walking and jogging tracks, locker rooms and meeting rooms. The new center also features an eight-lane competition pool and a splash playground.
“We look forward to everyone enjoying their new facility,” said Parks and Recreation Superintendent Berkley Squires following the center’s opening. “We feel this facility is something our community can grow with.”
Growth and progress were also buzzwords in Vestavia Hills in 2014.
After several failed attempts, the city of Vestavia Hills last month sold its old library site at 1112 Montgomery Highway to America’s First, which plans to build a branch at the location and open it sometime next year. The city also agreed to sell its present municipal complex at 513 Montgomery Highway to Chick-fil-A, which plans to build a restaurant on the site. Chick-fil-A still has to apply to rezone the property from institutional to business.
Both moves, city officials say, are part of an overall revitalization of the U.S. 31 corridor that runs through Vestavia Hills. The city plans to build a new municipal complex on the former Food World property in the Vestavia Plaza Shopping Center and on adjacent property which was the former site of Joe’s Ranch House.
The city also has partnered with a developer to bring a 34,000-square-foot retail establishment to the eastern side of U.S. 31 where Ruby Tuesday and Pizza Hut formerly existed. Sprouts Farmers Market has announced plans to open a store in that area, and more tenants are expected to be announced in the coming year.
In Mountain Brook, construction began in January on the $35 million Grand Bohemian Hotel – a major component of the $140 million Lane Parke project, which will include about 166,000 square feet of retail space, 30,000 square feet of office space, a 274-unit apartment complex and the luxurious 100-room hotel. The Kessler Collection hotel is expected to open by next summer.
In 2014, both Vestavia Hills and Hoover began offering services that certainly were the delight of residents who’ve stood in long lines waiting to renew their car tags.
Vestavia Hills was the first city to take advantage of a bill passed in the State Legislature earlier this year allowing municipalities in Jefferson County to offer car tag renewal services to their residents. Vestavia Hills started offering the service in April.
Hoover started offering renewal services to its residents at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in August, while continuing to look for a permanent location for a full annex to offer full services.
While waiting to find a permanent location, Hoover and Jefferson County Commission officials announced the annex at the Hoover Met would offer the full complement of vehicle services to all county residents starting Nov. 3. Now, county residents can visit the Met to have their tags renewed or get new tags for cars, motorcycles and boats.
The Met will also be the home of the University of Alabama baseball team – at least for the spring. The university and Hoover city officials last month signed an agreement that has the Crimson Tide baseball team playing a minimum 28 games at the Met.
UA needed a place to play as its Sewell-Thomas Stadium undergoes $35 million in renovations. Stadium renovations should be completed by the start of the 2016 baseball season, UA officials say.
And in Mountain Brook, many residents are hoping Piggly Wiggly finds a home in Crestline, even if they disagree with where.
After Piggly Wiggly closed its location on Euclid Avenue in November 2013 – ending a 30-year relationship with the community – residents begged for a store to replace the community landmark. Developers Naseem Ajlouny and Andy Virciglio want to build a new store on Vine Street and have asked the council to rezone three lots for that purpose.
But many residents don’t want the store in that area because they fear store traffic will pose a danger to children who attend nearby Crestline Elementary.
The council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning at its Dec. 16 meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.