Hoover Sun August 2018

Sun VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 11 | AUGUST 2018

HOOVER’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE

G H A M N I

E

B I R M

M O T R

BETTER

TOGETHER? Metro-area governments, organizations reconsider regional cooperation’s potential

By SY DNEY C ROM W EL L

NTA MOU IN

VESTAVIA

BR O OK

HI LLS

BIRMINGHAM HOMEWOOD HOOVER CHELSEA

C

om ared to nationa a erages irming am is agging e ind in growt or o u ation o s and o era economic de e o ment ut w en com aring data a out irming am and ot er cities it as to e as ed w ic irming am ere s t e downtown core and t e cit o irming am itse ere are munici a ities in e erson ount a one nd t ere are t e man ot er munici a ities and rura unincor orated areas o irming am s se en count metro area an o t ese munici a ities ace t e same issues ot in economic de e o ment and in ot er areas and t e success or ai ure o irming am as a greater region as an im act on t e success or ai ure o sma er cities and towns in articu ar

See COOPERATION | page A28

Illustration via Shutterstock.

INSIDE Sponsors ......... A4 News ..................A6 Chamber ..........A11 Business ......... A12 Community .... A16

Under the Lights

Events .............. A19 School House ...B6 Sports .............. B10 Metro Roundup.. B16 Calendar .......... B18

School rezoning becomes reality

By JON ANDERSON

Pre-Sort Standard U .S. Postage PAID Tupelo, MS Permit # 5 4

facebook.com/hooversun

It still feels like summer, but fall is right around the corner — with high school football in tow. Check out what to expect from the Jags and Bucs this season.

See page B10

t s na a ening e oo er sc oo re oning e ort t at egan our ears ago wit ormer u erintendent nd raig is ta ing e ect wit t e rst da o sc oo on Aug. 8 . t as een a ong and winding road ed wit an iet rotests com romise and ard decisions ter mu ti e ersions o t e an road oc s and a engt a ro a rocess na a ro a rom istrict udge ade ine ai a a came in ecem er oo er sc oo o cia s a e een wor ing since t at time to ma e im ementation o t e re oning an go as smoot as ossi e c oo o cia s estimate t at to o

See REZONING | page A26

Joshua Kimbrough of New Latitude Movers ha ls in classroo aterials fro rock’s Ga Intermediate School to Bumpus Middle School.

The si th rade fro rock’s Ga is o in to Bumpus, starting in the 2018-19 school year.

Photo by Jon Anderson.

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Hoover Sun

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A3

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Hoover Sun

About Us Editor’s Note By Sydney Cromwell This month, it feels particularly hard to be a journalist. The shooting at the newsroom of the Capital Gazette in Maryland has caused a lot of somber reflection in our newsroom and among my reporter friends around the country.

The Capital Gazette was a small, community paper, not too different from the work we do here. To see such a tragedy take the lives of many on their newsroom family, seemingly out of nowhere, has shaken me. It could have happened here.

Though I’ve been fortunate never to be threatened with violence over my reporting, I’ll admit going to work felt a little less safe.

But I was also inspired by the strength of the Capital Gazette’s journalists, as they rose above their own grief and loss to report what happened, to honor their friends and to put out a newspaper the next day. Put in the same situation, I’m not sure I could do what they did — though I certainly hope I would.

And it also made me grateful for you, the community that I get to cover. Overwhelmingly, when I meet people who read our paper and know my name, the response I get is one of warmth. “We love your paper,” or, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

I can tell you, from both experience and observation, that this is not the case everywhere. Not all communities value

the presence of their community newspaper or the journalists who often work long and weird hours covering everything that’s going on. Not everyone recognizes that behind the byline, we’re still just people: we live in your neighborhood, have kids in your schools, pass by you at the grocery store.

By and large, journalists are just a bunch of people doing their best in a hard profession, trying to give you the information you deserve.

So thank you for reading this paper.

And I want to sincerely thank you if you’ve ever said to me or one of our reporters, “I’m glad you’re here.” On days when a tragedy like the Capital Gazette feels like an emotional punch in the gut, hearing those words helps us more than you know.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Hoover Hurricanes Swim Team assistant coach Amanda Grier demonstrates freestyle technique during a practice July 9 at the Hoover Recreation Center. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Sun Publisher: Managing Editor: Design Editor: Director of Photography: Community Editor: Sports Editor: Digital Editor: Page Designer: Community Reporters:

Dan Starnes Sydney Cromwell Kristin Williams Sarah Finnegan Lexi Coon Kyle Parmley Alyx Chandler Melanie Viering Jon Anderson Jesse Chambers Neal Embry

Contributing Writers: Gary Lloyd Erica Techo Interns: Erin Dickson Jimmie Johnson III Emma Lindsey

Advertising Manager: Matthew Allen Account Manager: Layton Dudley Sales and Distribution: Warren Caldwell Don Harris Michelle Salem Haynes Rhonda Smith

James Plunkett Eric Clements Vicky Hager Heather Anthony Ethan Currier

For advertising contact: dan@starnespublishing.com Contact Information: Hoover Sun PO Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@starnespublishing.com

Please submit all articles, information and photos to: sydney@starnespublishing. com P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253

Published by: Hoover Sun LLC Legals: The Hoover Sun is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. The Hoover Sun is designed to inform the Hoover community of area school, family and community events. Information in The Hoover Sun is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of The Hoover Sun. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.

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Please Support Our Community Partners 1st Resource Credit Union (A23) 8 Degrees Fahrenheit Ice Cream (A8) A Better Closet (A19) Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center (A31) Alabama Power (B18) Allstate Insurance – Kaci Howard Agency (A18) ARC Realty (A15) Bedzzz Express (B1, B20) Birmingham Duplicate Bridge Club (B19) Birmingham Orthodontics (A1) Boy Scouts of America – Greater Alabama Council (B8) Brewer Cabinets (A19) Brookwood Baptist Health (A23) Byars-Wright Insurance (A10) Carpet Warehouse Galleria (A11) Case Remodeling (A27) Children’s of Alabama (A11) Closets by Design (B7) Dear Prudence (A14) Dysautonomia – MVP Center (A18) Encore Rehabilitation (B13) Enroll Alabama (A22) ENT Associates of Alabama (A17) EZ Roof & EZ Restoration (A7) Frances Knox, LAH Real Estate (A29) Gardner Landscaping (A6) Groome Transportation (B15) Gwen Vinzant, RealtySouth (A16) High Point Climbing And Fitness (B2) Hoover City Schools (B8, B9) Hoover Hometown Pharmacy (A14) Hoover Public Library (B17) Hoover Soccer Club (A24) Hutchinson Automotive (B5) Issis & Sons (B1) Jeff Jones, Century 21 (A21, A25, A31, B3, B15) Jefferson County Commission (A3) Jet’s Pizza (A1) Julie Ivy White, Lucas & Associates (B13) Kete Cannon, RE/MAX Southern Homes (A9) Kirkwood by the River (A29) Kitchen Potential (A6) MaxxClean Carwash (B9) Moran’s Rocky Ridge Hardware (B2) Nothing Bundt Cakes – The Summit (B6) OLLI – Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (A12) Outdoor Living Areas (A21) Oxmoor Valley Orthodontics (A27) Patti Schreiner, RE/MAX Southern Homes (A10) Pitts & Associates Mental Health Professionals (B8) RealtySouth (A32) Red Pearl Restaurant (B19) Robert Rudolph, DMD (B3) Santek Waste Services (B4) Sarver Orthodontics (A16) Southlake Orthopaedics (B14) Standard Air, Plumbing & Insulation (B14) Sylvan Learning of West Hoover (A5) Synovus Bank (A9) Taylor Burton Company (A2) The Maids (B5) TherapySouth – Hoover (A25) UAB Collat School of Business (A8) Vapor Ministries/Thrift Store (A13) Vivian Mora – State Farm Agency (A17) Vulcan Termite & Pest Control (B13) Wrapsody (B6)

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Hoover Sun

City

Split council approves sales tax increase, lodging fee

By JON ANDERSON People soon will have to pay a little more to shop in H oover and stay in the city’s hotels.

The H oover City Council on J uly 10 voted to a ro e t ree ta increases t at cit o cials estimate will bring in $1 1.2 million more in revenue each year, but they voted down a fourth tax increase that would have generated about $1 m illion more. eci ca t e counci oted to ncrease oo er s sa es ta rate rom percent to 3.5 percent, which will put the overall sales tax rate at 8 .5 percent in the Shelby County part of H oover and 9.5 percent in the J efferson County part of H oover. This tax increase will go into effect Oct. 1 of this year. ncrease oo er s tangi e ersona ro erty tax from 3 percent to 3 .5 percent. R evenue cer ran o e descri ed t is as a companion tax to the sales tax — essentially a tax on easing items instead o u ing t em t a so will go into effect Oct. 1. reate a nig t room ee or odging facilities in H oover instead of increasing the city’s lodging tax from 3 percent to 6 percent ( or 1 4 percent to 1 7 percent including state and county taxes) . This room fee, which technically is also a tax, will go into effect J an. 1.

The increase in sales and tangible personal property taxes together are estimated to generate $ 1 0 million more per year for the city, while the $ 2 nightly room fee is estimated to generate $1.2 million a year, for a total of $1 1.2 million in additional revenue.

The votes for the tax increases all were 4- 3, wit counci mem ers ase idd e roo s erric ur urt ose and ene mit voting for the tax increases and council memers o n reene o n da and i e aw

The Hoover City Council meets July 12 to debate the merits of tax increases. Photo by Jon Anderson.

voting against them.

The council also voted 4 -3 to reject an increase in residential rental and lease taxes rom ercent to ercent w ic cit o cia s projected would have given the city about $1 mi ion more er ear ur oined reene da and aw in oting against t e residentia

renta ta increase w i e idd e roo s and Smith voted in favor of it.

ose

TAX INCREASE PROPONENTS

Posey said nobody wants higher taxes, but cit eaders ad to nd a wa to increase re enues to continue providing basic services to

a growing population. H oover now has nearly 9 0 ,0 0 0 residents and soon will approach 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 , but sales tax revenues, which account for 65 percent of the city’s general fund revenues actua dec ined in sca or t e rst time since t e great recession o and 209.

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August 2018 • A7

The city faces increased operating costs and debt service associated with the expansion of the H oover Metropolitan Complex and additional expenses for public safety personnel, Posey said.

The mayor and council already have made budget cuts and will continue to make cuts but can’t really borrow more money right now, he said ore re enue is needed to t e o es in the budget, and the plan approved J uly 10 is the most conservative way to raise taxes when compared to other cities around, he said.

The tax increase votes were less about political ideology and more about doing the right thing and helping the city take care of “bare bones” needs, Posey said.

The council has an obligation to provide city employees with the tools necessary to take care of residents, he said. “U nfortunately, in order to do that today, we’re going to have to ask for more money out of your pocket,” Posey said.

“F or that, I’m sorry. I wish there was another way, but unfortunately that’s not where we stand right now.

“Y ou just can’t put people’s lives in jeopardy” when public safety issues are on the line, he said. oo er s o ice and re c ie s to d t e council both departments have fewer employees per citizen served than other over-the-mountain cities. F ire Chief Clay Bentley said an 1 1 th re station is needed now in sout west oo er Signature H omes is committed to build it, but it will cost the city $ 1 .6 million to staff and run that station, he said.

The F ire D epartment is stretched too thin, and it too re g ters minutes to get to a house hit by lightning recently, Bentley said.

Police Chief Nick D erzis asked the council to do whatever it has to do to get H oover back to what it used to be.

Murphy said approving tax increases was tough to do, but “we can’t keep kicking the can down the road. We’ve got to do the things that maintain the top qua lity of the city.” it eaders can t wait to watc crime in trate the city and “play catch-up mode,” Murphy said. “We have to nip things in the bud.”

DISSENTERS

Shaw said taxes are serious business. “We’re using the power of government to take money from people when we do this, and that’s a big deal,” he said.

It’s OK when taxes are raised to take care of core government services, such as public safety,

schools, roads, parks and recreation, libraries, courts and ona de economic de e o ment projects, Shaw said.

But what’s missing here, Shaw said, is a detailed list of what the $ 1 1 million in new revenue actually will cover. H e q uestioned w et er it inc udes new sta ng a new re station sidewa s roads and t ings identi ed in the comprehensive plan under development.

Shaw recommended waiting until the city gets into the budget process this year and then revisit the q uestion of tax increases.

“I have a hard time supporting going to the people of H oover and taking money out of their pockets, taking money off the table, taking money out of the local economy without knowing detailed line-by-line decisions of what our priorities are.” ie inancia cer e inda o e said cit o cia s can t ma e udget decisions w en they don’t know how much revenue to expect.

Also, the funding challenges are not a one-year aberration, she said.

The city needs $ 1 1 million at minimum to keep operating as is, she said. That doesn’t address ma or uture ca ita needs or a new re station, she said. That’s one reason the mayor originally req uested a full 1 percentage point increase in the sales tax instead of half a percentage point, she said. da said current e ected o cia s inc uding imse a e made nancia commitments t e can’t afford and “we need to take some responsibility and look at correcting those.”

MAYOR RESPONSE

Mayor F rank Brocato said he didn’t want to raise taxes, but the city needs more revenue.

The council stepped up in the face of adversity and recognized that H oover has some real needs, he said.

“We’re a great city, and we want to remain a great city,” Brocato said. “The citizens deserve a lot, and we want to give them a lot.”

This new revenue will be used to ensure that oo er remains a rst c ass cit wit outstanding o ice and re ser ices ar s and a i rar he said.

The mayor said city leaders won’t treat the new money like a pot of gold.

“We’re going to still make sure we budget properly. We’re going to look at real needs as opposed to wants,” he said. “This is not giving us an open checkbook. We will continue to be good stewards of the money we have been given.”

Mayor’s Minute

By Frank V. Brocato As summer activities are The entire playground comwinding down, the fall activponents are manufactured by ities are picking up rapidly. an Alabama-based company We invite you to join us for located in F ort Payne.

F amily F un Night from 5 -9 A fully inclusive splash pad p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1 1 , as will be located directly next to we celebrate the grand openthe playground, so people of ing of the H oover Met Comall ability levels will be able plex baseball and softball turf to enjoy playing in the water. e ds One uniq ue feature of the F all continues to be an complex will be a high/ low exciting time as we break changing table located in the family changing room. The ground on a universally designed inclusive playchanging table will raise and ground and splash pad at the lower for easy use. Instead of Frank V. Brocato H oover Met Complex. This leaving the park, the changing w imsica a ground wi e t e rst o its room will provide an accessible area for those kind in Alabama and in the Southeast. The needing to attend to their personal needs or design is being developed to meet the needs of change out of their wet clothes. individuals with disabilities but, more imporThis amazing playground/ splash pad comtantly, it focuses on universal design. It will plex is being made possible from the assisbe the “design for all people” regardless of tance of the local legislative delegation, the age, gender, ability or change in ability. This J efferson County Commission, local busiwill allow siblings or parents and children of nesses and charitable foundations and will different ability levels to truly play alongside be a state tourist destination. It will be an one another. outstanding location for groups from across Some of the special features of the play- central Alabama to come and enjoy a uniq ue ground include a 1 7 -foot clubhouse in the play experience and families can plan their center of the playground, sensory wave vacations to include a stop at this park. panels, a Z ip Track ( similar to a zip line) , Please remember, we are here to serve you and a splash pad. The clubhouse will contain as we continue to build community together! a variety of textures, sensory components and a dis a to encourage see and nd activities throughout the playground. There will be ample shade areas and picnic tables for those who wish to just sit back and relax.

A8 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Neighbors concerned about proposed PetSuites Resort on John Hawkins Parkway

By JON ANDERSON PetSuites R esort is interested in putting a pet grooming, nutrition and boarding facility on 2 acres along J ohn H awkins Parkway but has met some resistance from people who live near the property.

K iritkumar Parekh of V estavia H ills is proposing to put the 1 4 ,2 4 0 -sq uare-foot, single-story business on land he owns between the CV S near Shades Crest R oad and t e o ce ui ding o ding t e U AB medical clinic.

But neighbors along Pine R ock L ane, which is directly behind the property, and members of the H oover Planning and Z oning Commission have expressed concerns about the amount of noise and odors that might come from a facility designed to hold up to 1 4 0 dogs and cats.

R esident Chris Shows and J im Patko told the zoning board J uly 9 they have mixed feelings about the proposed pet resort.

They’ve met with representatives for the developer and appreciate their willingness to try to lessen the impact of a pet day care and boarding facility, but they’re concerned about the noise and odors.

“We’re going to hear those dogs.

Y ou can’t tell me we’re not,” Shows said.

There’s a day care across J ohn

H awkins Parkway, and people on Pine R ock L ane hear the children when they go out to play, she said.

D ogs right behind them are certainly going to be heard, Shows said.

J on R asmussen, an engineer representing the property owner, said workers would take animals outside for breaks in groups, not all at one time.

City Planner Mac Martin said city staff recommend approval of the PetSuites R esort with several conditions: o anima s wou d e a owed to be outside after sunset or before sunrise. andsca ing and u ering must be installed as proposed by the property owner. ig ting s a e cast down to eliminate light pollution to neighbors. nima waste in t e outdoor play area shall not be allowed to leach into the soil and groundwater, and the owner shall implement an underground storage and waste treatment program, approved by the city engineer, to handle pet waste. e outdoor gar age container shall have a roof over it to prevent rainwater from getting into pet waste and draining out.

Martin said staff want to make sure pet waste doesn’t get into the groundwater.

The PetSuites R esort also is

“

PetSuites Resort has met some resistance from people who live along John Hawkins Parkway over a pet grooming, nutrition and boarding facility it is trying to build. Rendering courtesy of city of Hoover.

seeking changes to zoning conditions put on the property in 2 0 0 1 .

The company wants to use metal wall panels on the exterior of the building, which are now prohibited, and wants to remove a req uirement for a residential-style hip ( sloped) roof and restrictions limiting the height of walls to 1 8 feet.

Instead, the PetSuites R esort wants to a e a flat roo and a e parapet walls 5 feet higher than the roof to mask or cover any rooftop mechanical structures, Martin said.

City staff members don’t have a ro em wit t e flat roo or arapet walls, but they are concerned that metal walls are out of character with H oover’s typical commercial corridors and would be more appropriate in an industrial or warehouse district, Martin said.

Planning Commissioner Sammy H arris wanted more information about the type of metal walls that are being proposed and what the

”

You could potentially destroy the environment in that whole neighborhood.

company would do to mask odors and sound.

Mike Brown, an attorney representing the property owner, said the walls being proposed do have insulation. Also, PetSuites R esort would have an underground storage facility for pet waste that would be emptied on a regular basis and would use chemicals to help block odors, he said.

Mike Shaw, a city councilman who also sits on the zoning board, said PetSuites sounds like a cool business, but he is concerned about it being so close to a whole street of houses.

“Y ou could potentially destroy the

MIKE SHAW

environment in that whole neighborhood,” Shaw said. e wis es t e cou d nd a ocation in an industrial area, he said.

Planning Commission Chairman Mike Wood suggested the property owner ask for a continuance of the case and come back with more answers about the metal walls and what the facility can do to mask noise and odors. The case is set to be heard again Aug. 1 3 .

Brown said representatives for the property owner will address neighbors’ concerns the best they can.

“We certainly think we can do it in a way that’s going to be acceptable,” he said.

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August 2018 • A9

Stormwater fees to rise in Hoover; Council addresses inoperable vehicles Stormwater o er ows fro a creek in the onte ’ ro neighborhood in July 2017. The Hoover City Council oted nani o sly ly of this year to raise stor water fees to ro ide more money for ins ection of stor water syste s and re ediation of ro le s Photos courtesy of Eileen Lewis

By JON ANDERSON The H oover City Council on J uly 1 6 voted to raise stormwater fees to help provide more money to inspect stormwater systems and correct problems.

The fee for people who own residential property will rise from $ 5 a year to $ 1 0 a year per lot, payable along with property taxes. The fee for owners of commercial property will change from $ 1 5 per lot to half a cent per sq uare foot of impervious surfaces on the property, including roofs and parking lots, City E ngineer R odney L ong said.

H owever, the fee increases won’t take effect immediately.

People with property in the Shelby County part of H oover could possibly see the fee on their next tax bill or sca ut it s not ro able, L ong said. It may take Shelby County and H oover a while to work out a billing mechanism, so the increase ma not ic in unti sca e said In J efferson County, H oover already has missed the deadline to get the fee increase implemented for sca so it wi de nite e sca e ore t e increase ta es effect there, L ong said.

U nder the previous fee structure, H oover has collected about $ 1 1 0 ,0 0 0 a year, but the stormwater management program has been costing about $ 1 3 0 ,0 0 0 to $ 1 4 0 ,0 0 0 to run, he said.

New regulations from the E nvironmental Protection Agency req uire cities with stormwater management programs to do inspections of public and private retention ponds after construction to make sure they are functioning properly, and that

additional program likely will cost a out t e rst ear ut decrease over time, L ong said.

The new fee structure is estimated to bring in between $ 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 and $ 4 0 0 ,0 0 0 a year, he said.

H oover uses the money collected to hire consultants to inspect stormwater systems and contractors to correct problems.

Councilman Casey Middlebrooks asked L ong if this means H oover wi a e a out more er year to help with stormwater issues ( after costs associated with the new E PA regulations are considered) , and L ong said yes.

That being the case, Middlebrooks asked Council President Gene Smith if the council could reconsider $ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 worth of stormwater projects the mayor brought to the council for approval in August of last year. it o cia s identi ed stormwater ro ems on e ieces o ri ate property in the Patton Chapel, L ake Crest and Q uail R un communities

t at t e said need to e ed or t e health, safety, security and welfare of the community as a whole.

But council members could not agree on whether the city should spend the public’s money on those private properties, so the issue was tabled and discretion given to Smith as to when to bring the issue back up.

Smith said he would be willing to bring the issue back up at one of the August council meetings.

Councilman Curt Posey noted there likely will be some delay before the city gets any additional revenue.

In other business, the council approved an ordinance to make it easier to remove inoperable vehicles left parked on private property in view of the public.

In the past, the city has had to hand-deliver the property owner a notice of violation and give opportunity to remove the vehicle or make it functional. Now, if the city is unable to hand-deliver the notice, the

notice may be posted on the property instead. The property owner still will have 1 0 days to correct the problem before the city tows the vehicle and charges the property owner for the towing service.

April D anielson, an attorney for the city, said city workers are willing to wor to nd so utions or io ators who are in hardship situations, such as elderly or disabled people who have trouble getting around.

Also on J uly 1 6 , the council: ro ed an ordinance to allow for licensing of special events on public property, such as events at V eterans Park on V alleydale R oad.

F or such events, the organizer must pay a $ 1 0 0 license fee and each vendor must pay a $ 5 0 license fee, or the organizer can pay a $ 5 0 0 license fee and each vendor pay nothing to the city. Permission for such events can be denied if the event causes su stantia tra c interru tions or hinders public safety efforts. enied a ro osed ordinance to

provide for tent sales in the city. Tent sales currently are prohibited. Some council members said they want to both allow and establish controls for tent sales, but the ordinance presented J uly 1 6 was too restrictive, allowing tent sales only twice a year per commercial property and for on e da s at a time mit said council members will work go back to the drawing board to come up with another alternative. greed to ease s uare feet at the F inley Center to the Alabama Sports F oundation for a sports performance center that offers sports training, sports medicine services, therapy and sports safety instruction and conferences. ro ed o n ar s as t e new general manager for the H oover Metropolitan Complex to replace Monty J ones, who recently resigned. greed to a a out to ThreatAdvice to train city employees on how to prevent phishing attacks on city computers.

A10 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Destination Hoover sets sights on international connections

By SY DNEY C ROM WE

L L

When international companies think of expanding their business reach, Shelley Shaw and Mark J ackson want them to think of H oover.

Shaw and J ackson are the board president and vice president, respectively, of D estination H oover International, a new organization formed to build partnerships with cities around the globe.

“We would like to be that gateway to Sister Cities programs and be able to send delegations and receive delegations in H oover, so we can show them what we have here in our home,” Shaw said.

Shelley and her husband, H oover Councilman Mike Shaw, said their conversations about a program like D estination H oover started in part by seeing how a global perspective affected their daughter. H er exposure to and love of the J apanese language while in middle school led to her desire to become a translator.

The Shaws began discussing the idea with J ackson roughly a year ago.

J ackson serves as honorary consul general of J apan for Birmingham and is also heavily involved in Birmingham’s Sister Cities programs — a part of diplomacy network Sister Cities International — with J apan, the U .K ., U kraine, J amaica and others.

Mike Shaw said H oover’s diverse background of residents and business owners made it seem i e a good t for a similar program.

D estination H oover International is a c non ro t ince t e

Left: Members of Destination Hoover International visit the Consul General of Japan — from left, Mark Jackson, honorary consul of Japan and DHI board vice president; Shelley Shaw, DHI board president; Takashi Shinozuka, consul general of Japan; Steve McClinton, DHI board member; and Mike Shaw, DHI city liaison and Hoover councilman— at his home in Atlanta, with gifts including a book about Hoover and Bucs football gear.

Right: Shinozuka and members of DHI watch a tea ceremony at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville. Photos courtesy of Shelley Shaw.

city is not directly involved with the organization, Mike Shaw will serve as council liaison to keep the mayor and council up to date on D estination H oover’s growth.

Mike Shaw said he values the program ot or its cu tura ene ts and economic development potential.

“Y ou learn really q uickly that cultural exchange kind of precedes economic exchange,” he said.

J ackson said Birmingham’s relationship with H itachi, J apan, for instance, has led to J apanese companies investing and building in Birmingham.

“There are a lot of opportunities in H oover for J apanese companies to come in,” J ackson said. “There’s a lot of room in H oover for them to either

acqui re [ or] set up shop.”

Shelley Shaw said they decided to expand beyond Sister Cities to do additional work to represent H oover globally, including creating materials for delegations to take to countries and building a website, translated in many languages, to let international visitors learn more about the city.

“If we’re going to represent H oover to the world, we have to have the materials and that kind of operational mentality of, ‘ H ey, here’s what we do when we meet international delegations,’” Mike Shaw said.

But cultural exchange will remain a core focus for D estination H oover.

J ackson and the Shaws said they want D estination H oover to be able to sponsor students to join future

international delegations and perhaps someday fund a language learning program.

“This is about education and global exchange, and that way the people can see the positive things,” Mike Shaw said.

Shelley Shaw said D estination oo er is wor ing on ing or ister Cities membership to begin building those relationships.

“That will give us the resources and the help that we need to identify cities that are looking to partner with American cities,” she said. “I would say J apan, India and German are de nite w ere we a e relationships, and we want to build on those.”

D estination H oover recently held

its rst undraiser a craw s oi with J ubilee J oe’s, and plans to have more events through 2 0 1 8 . Shelley Shaw said they’ve had a lot of interest from the community, and volunteer roles will be open to city, community and business leaders, as well as students, to work on committees and plan events as D estination H oover grows.

“If you’re interested in that particular country, if you’re interested in t e organi ation we wi nd o s for those volunteers so they can participate,” Shelley Shaw said. “I think you see the enthusiasm, and I’m all about building on that.”

F ind D estination H oover at facebook.com/ destinationhoover international.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A11

Chamber Allen Pate wins chamber’s 2018 Freedom Award

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By JON ANDERSON The H oover Area Chamber of Commerce on J uly 1 9 honored former H oover E xecutive D irector Allen Pate as the winner of the chamber’s 2 0 1 8 F reedom Award.

The award is given annually to a role model who promotes the ideals of freedom and supports the government and U .S. military.

Pate served two years in the U .S. Navy from J une 1 9 6 6 to J uly 1 9 6 8 , spending time in V ietnam with the Navy’s construction battalions, better known as the Seabees.

But his military service was not the primary reason he was chosen for the F reedom Award, said Mark D avis, a member of the city’s V eterans Committee that made the choice. The primary reason Pate was chosen is because of his commitment to the community and all the work he has done through the years to support veterans since he was released from active duty, D avis said.

Pate was instrumental in the development of the V eterans Memorial Arbor at Aldridge Gardens, D avis said.

D avis led the fundraising to pay for the arbor, but Pate and former H oover Mayor Gary Ivey committed to support the project with in-kind labor and other resources, he said.

Pate, with his construction background, recommended an engineering study for the dam that holds the V eterans Memorial Arbor to make sure it could hold the weight of the structure and people who might be visiting it at the same time, D avis said.

And throughout the construction process, Pate never said no when D avis asked for city assistance with the project, whether it be electrical work, gravel, construction

Hoover Veterans Committee member Mark Davis, at right, presents former Hoover Executive Director Allen Pate with the 2018 Freedom Award at the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon July 19 at the Hoover Country Club. Photo by Jon Anderson.

materia s or a flag o e a is said Pate also was instrumental in the development of the V eterans Memorial Plaza at V eterans Park off V alleydale R oad, D avis said.

Pate, who retired in J anuary 2 0 1 7 after 2 9 years of service with the city, told the crowd at the J uly 1 9 chamber luncheon he was honored to be mentioned alongside the previous winners of the F reedom Award.

Pate started his career with Brice Building

Co. and then served as director of the Birmingham Carpenter Apprenticeship Training Program for 1 1 years. F ormer Gov. George Wallace made him the state’s labor commissioner from 1 9 8 3 -8 7 . In F ebruary 1 9 8 8 , he was hired by the city of H oover to oversee construction of H oover Metropolitan Stadium for a year and was asked to stay on as director of operations. H e spent most of his time with the city as executive director — a position similar to city manager.

Greg Knighton, the city of Hoover’s new economic developer, is scheduled to be the speaker for the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon Aug. 16.

Knighton began his Knighton job with Hoover in December. Before that, he spent 24 years with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, the last 10 as vice president.

The Aug. 16 luncheon will be at the Hoover Country Club at noon, with networking starting at 11:15 a.m. Reservations are due by 10 a.m.

Aug. 14 and can be made by calling 988-5672 or emailing lisa@hooverchamber.org. The cost is $20, payable at the door, for members or $25 for non-members.

A12 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

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HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A13

Now Open Bu f f C i t y Soap , 475 C hace Circle, Suite 109 ( next to Taziki' s) , providing plant-based soaps, scrubs, bath om s otions s ower ies and air ace and beard products handmade in their soap makerie has opened its second Birmingham area location in H oover.

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Relocations and Renovations H ma ro sta Corporate D 20898, h

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M c C al l a D e n t al , 481 B ell H ill R oad, has rebranded to L uma D entistry. With more than 65 e mployees and dentists across our ocations uma entistr is uic ecoming one o t e astest growing dental practices in North-Central Alabama.

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Y uo r C h o i c e Se n i or C ar e , 50 out and ri e uite is now owned by George H einemann.

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Ava d i an C r e d i t U n i on , 1 R iverchase Parkway S., was recently named by or es as one o t e to t ree credit unions in t e state o a ama 98528, a vad i an c u .c om

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Hirings and Promotions Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, i er ase ce oad as promoted As h l e y C al d w e l l , C P A; K r i s t i C e r i c e , C P A; M e l an i e Sh or e s , C P A and M ar k U n d e r h i l l , C P A to senior managers.

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e oard o directors o CB&S Ban k , 130 D oug Baker Blvd., recent announced t e addition o two commercial real estate bankers in the Birmingham market. L e e F i n l e y joins as senior vice president and commercial real estate relationship manager and Ji m Sp ar k s joins as senior vice president and commercial real estate relationship manager. CB& S Bank is a $1.7 bi llion community bank, headqua rtered in usse i e o erating o ces in t e Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee markets.

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Dr . C h ar l e s Y at e s o H ove r F am i l y De n t i s t r y mer ri e is retiring a ter more t an ears o treating atients rece tion wi e e d or him at H oover F amily D entistry on Thursday, ug 98840, h ove r f am i l yd e n t i s t r y.c om

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Business news to share?

Now Open Coming Soon Relocation Expansion Anniversary If you are in a brick-and-mortar business in Hoover and want to share your event with the community, let us know.

Email ldudley@starnespublishing.com.

A14 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

2nd new gas station coming to I-65 junction

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By JON ANDERSON Circle K has reopened its BP gasoline station on V alleydale R oad near Interstate 6 5 after a complete demolition and rebuild, and another gas station is planned right next to it.

R aceTrac has gained approval to build a 5 ,4 0 0 -sq uare-foot convenience store with eight gasoline dispensers ( 1 6 pumping stations) at 2 1 3 7 V alleydale R oad. The site is on the east side of I-6 5 , across from the Medplex outpatient surgery center and not far from the L owe’s home improvement store.

Circle K tore down a 1 ,1 5 0 -sq uare-foot convenience store that was next door, at 2 1 5 7 V alleydale R oad, for about 3 0 years and rebuilt a new one that is 5 ,0 0 0 sq uare feet, said Andy Sant, Citgo’s construction manager for Alabama, Mississippi, L ouisiana and the F lorida panhandle.

The new store and gas station opened J uly 1 8 .

“The old one was real old and needed some attention,” Sant said. “This is a good replacement and much better-looking store. … The other one was ugly.”

The H oover City Council gave approval for the rebuild in October. Construction began around the beginning of the year and took two to three months longer than expected due to the large amount of rock on the site, said

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The Circle K convenience store and BP gas station reopened July 18 at 2157 Valleydale Road with a much bigger 5,000-square-foot convenience store. Photo by Jon Anderson.

Mitch Combs of Winesett-H ill Construction.

Construction crews did a lot of pounding to break up the rock instead of blasting, he said.

The total construction cost was about $ 2 million, he said.

The new BP station has six gasoline dispensers ( 1 2 pumping stations) instead of the four dispensers that were there before, Combs said. The station now has both diesel fuel and gasoline without ethanol as new offerings, Sant said, and the new convenience store serves hot food, including pizza and burritos.

Circle K opened a store about the same size as this one in H omewood, at L akeshore Parkway and Columbiana R oad, about two months ago and another similar one in Gulf Shores in F ebruary, Sant said.

The new stores are part of an updating e ort t at started a out e ears ago e said

noting that this is about the 2 0 th update he has done in the past three years, he said.

Circle K did realize that R aceTrac was planning to build immediately next door, but Sant said he did not think that played into the decision to replace the store.

R aceTrac originally received approval to build its store in 2 0 1 2 , said Martin E vans, an attorney who represented the company before the H oover Planning and Z oning Commission in March and H oover City Council in April. H owever, the company held off on construction.

D ue to the large amount of rock on the site ace rac as recon gured t e a out o the store on the lot in hopes of reducing the amount of blasting that might be necessary, E vans said. D esigners shifted the store and dispensers more to the west and reduced the

number of gasoline dispensers from 1 0 to eight, he said. They also increased the number of parking spaces to 3 6 .

Wayne Wilder, a resident on H ighgate H ill R oad in Indian Springs V illage, which is just south of the property, told the H oover Planning and Z oning Commission he was concerned about the gasoline station creating more tra c and ig t o ution Planning Commission Chairman Mike Wood said all lights on the R aceTrac gasoine station cano wou d a e to e flus or recessed to help minimize the amount of light that leaves the site.

E vans said R aceTrac would maintain a 5 0 -foot landscape buffer on its property and noted the homes next door are hundreds of feet above the gasoline station.

D r. Chris D avis, a physician who has an o ce near on a e da e oad said e was concerned about the noise that would come with construction. With the BP station, “the jack hammering has been unbelievable,” he said.

E fforts to get a construction timeline for the R aceTrac gasoline station were unsuccessful. L iz H owell, the communications manager for R aceTrac, encouraged the H oover Sun to check back in a couple of months for an update.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A15

JOINING THE CLUB SisterGolf teaches women the lay of the links to improve business connections

By SY DNEY C ROM WE

L L

There’s more to the game of golf than just swinging a club. F or Shella Sylla, it was the difference between struggling to meet sales goals at her job to surpassing them.

Sylla, a H oover resident, started SisterGolf in 2 0 1 3 . The company teaches women to use golf as a business tool through private lessons, corporate workshops and boot camps. Sylla said many women she meets aren’t interested in golf or feel intimidated by the sport, so they never learn to play.

She was the same way.

“The connection wasn’t there for me,” Sylla said.

Sylla’s background is in banking and nance en s e started a o as a business banker, she was given a sales goal of $ 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 in loans closed each month. It sounded easy and her coworkers were achieving that goal, but Sylla struggled.

“I q uickly found out that it was easier said than done,” Sylla said. i e was strugg ing to meet t ose numbers, my coworkers, who were mostly male, were meeting those numbers and making it look easy.”

In the midst of some of those “disastrous” months, a coworker

invited her to golf with them. D espite having little interest in the sport, she decided to try it out and take lessons.

Sylla found she actually liked golf and “it made for better relationships with my colleagues at work because now we had something else to talk about or bond over.” en s e was in ited to oin er co-workers in a golf tournament, she realized the networking potential of the game.

“I showed up to the tournament. It was me and a undred gu s en you’re the only girl, it’s easy for you to stand out,” she said.

Other players came and introduced themselves to her, and it became the root of a network of professionals who could now refer businesses her way.

“Instead of me chasing down deals, networking, canvassing, cold calling … now I had a CPA that I had met saying, ‘ H ey Shella, I have a client who needs $50,0 to close on a building, can I send you the deal? ’” Sylla said. “I q uickly went from struggling to meet my numbers to being a member of the Million D ollar Club [ closing $ 1 million in sales in a month] .”

That was a light bulb moment or a e said s e rst ad t e

Shella Sylla, left, works with Malinda Henderson, right, of Hoover on using a chipping wedge during a eetin of Sister Golf on ne at c i ot’s Golf ri in Ran e in elena Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

idea in 2 0 0 2 to make golf lessons catered to professional women, but it was more than a decade before she decided to pursue that as a full-time business. it ister o a s goa is teaching women more than just the mechanics of the game. L essons and group events also cover terminology, score keeping, types of clubs and their uses, clothing, game pacing and more. e don t ust teac ou ow to swing a club, we teach you everything you need to know so you feel com orta e and con dent w en ou step out on that golf course,” Sylla said at s w ere we ind o

in the gap.” a said go ng ot or en o ment and for networking, is less about skill and more about understanding the fundamentals and keeping up with the game. H er own ear da s o go ng s e said were much more like bowling because she couldn’t seem to get the ball off the ground.

“It doesn’t matter what your shot looks like,” Sylla said. “As long as you hit the ball and it moves forward, you’re in the game.”

Sylla said “seeing the lightbulb go off with women and seeing how it can rea ene t t em and seeing the excitement when they realize they

can really do it” is her favorite part of the job.

“Those moments are always great,” she said.

Through the game of golf, Sylla said she wants SisterGolf to encourage women to take chances and pursue opportunities in the workplace.

“Our goal is really professional development, to teach you how to not just survive but thrive in male-dominated industries,” she said.

SisterGolf offers special events for individuals, groups and companies at golf courses around Birmingham, including the TopGolf range downtown. L earn more about their services at sistergolf.com.

A16 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Community G i r l Sc o u t s r e c e i v e Br o n z e Aw a r d H oover Troop 3 0 6 5 8 recently received the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout J unior can achieve.

The troop of 1 5 fourth graders researched, planned and worked many hours, with the help of parents and troop leaders, to create a new patio for the women and children at the F irst L ight shelter downtown. The work included removing an existing mural, repainting the wall for a new

mural to be added later, new patio furniture and sprucing up the garden. The girls also painted hop scotch and bean bag toss games on the patio, as well as another mural with angel wings The girls enjoyed meeting new people, working together and also had a great opportunity to work with Girl Scout Troop 3 0 2 9 0 in V estavia H ills to make a difference in their community.

– Submitted by Kristina Theall.

Hoover Girl Scout Troop 30658, back row, from left: Keren Peterlin (CEO), Rachel Swetz, Stacie Rohn (leader), Kristina Theall (leader), Cindy Crook (leader), Gracie Taylor, Sofia Rathbun; middle row, from left, Sophie Adams, Maeve Loehr, Callie Hart, Hannah Lee, Madeline Wenter, Lexi Crook, Victoria Simon and Sydney Theall; front row, from left: Rose Hodgens, Emily Rohn and Scarlett Riley. Photo courtesy of Kristina Theall.

Kids Wish Network and Atlanta United FC team up to grant Hoover child’s wish H oover resident Y ossef Awad loves sports — he’s especially passionate about soccer.

H e’s no stranger to challenges. As a newborn, he underwent multiple surgeries for an intestinal oc age and s ent t e rst t ree mont s o is i e in t e os ita e a so as c stic rosis an in erited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body.

K ids Wish Network, a children’s charity that grants wishes for kids with life threatening illnesses, wanted to further inspire Y ossef’s love of soccer, kicking off his wish in a very special way.

Soccer player Brandon V azq uez of Atlanta U nited F C recorded a personalized video message for Y ossef, revealing that he would be a ceremonial kicker at one of their upcoming games. D espite being hospitalized less than a week before the game day, Y ossef was determined to recover and released in time for his wish to be granted.

On game day, Y ossef arrived at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and was immersed in his favorite pastime. got to go on t e e d and see a t e a ers said osse t was rea coo Y ossef also had the chance to be the ceremonial kicker and celebrate the start of the game.

“Once I did the kick, everyone realized that I was t e one on t e e d said osse et i e was amous Atlanta U nited F C also kindly gifted Y ossef with a team jersey and soccer ball as mementos of his day.

“L istening to each child’s dreams and creating a personalized wish makes their extraordinary moments er meaning u said ids is etwork E xecutive D irector Tam L ai. “We’d like to thank Atlanta U nited F C for all their hospitality and ma ing osse s dream come true so s ecia – Submitted by Kids Wish Network.

Hoover resident Yossef Awad with Atlanta United FC athlete Michael Parkhurst during Yossef’s wishgranting day with the team.

Photo courtesy of Kids Wish Network.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A17

Arrow of Light recipients, from left in the front row with parents behind them: Aiden Ticola, ndrew Ca and o inic an ar left C aster ric ’ eal ar ri ht Troo eader Skip Ford. Photo courtesy of Richard DeFilippo.

Cub Scout Pack 326 awards 4 honors D uring Cub Scout Pack 3 2 6 ’s annual Blue Gold banq uet and Boy Scout Troop 2 2 6 ’s Court of H onor ceremony, four Pack 3 2 6 Webelos were awarded Cub Scout’s highest award, the Arrow of L ight.

To earn the award, Webelos Cub Scouts must demonstrate a yearlong commitment to scouting; learn and be guided in their daily lives by the Scout promise, law, motto “Be Prepared” and slogan “D o a Good Turn D aily; ” and master skills in service to God, citizenship, outdoorsmanship, &

re aredness and e e ecti e s i s Completion of the Arrow of L ight req uirements prepares a Webelos Scout for advancement into Boy Scouts. Webelos Scouts Andrew Camp, R icky D eF ilippo, D ominic L ang and Aiden Ticola were ceremoniously awarded the Arrow of L ight and crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.

Cub Scout Pack 3 2 6 meets at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in H oover.

– Submitted by R ic hard D eF ilippo.

POP Knights of Columbus sweep state awards The Prince of Peace Catholic Church K nights of Columbus brought home four awards from the May 5 K nights of Columbus Alabama state convention at Orange Beach.

V ic and Bette Graffeo received the Alabama F amily of the Y ear award for their dedication and service to the Prince of Peace community. The Graffeos are also one of the founding families of Prince of Peace Church.

Nick Cvetetic was awarded K night of the Y ear for his service to the POP K nights and the church.

In addition, the council received an The Outstanding Domestic Church Activity Award award for their efforts in connection resented to Gerald ford, ri ht, y Griffin Shre e with the “K eep Christ in Christmas” Photo courtesy of Prince of Peace Catholic Church. poster contest, in which one POP student Natalie Sandlin was a contest elected Alabama L adies auxiliary treasurer. runner-up.

F inally, Grand K night Gerald Buford accepted Three POP parishioners were elected to state t e rst state award or utstanding omestic o ce o en ara im was e ected a ama Church Activity on behalf of the POP Council.

L adies auxiliary president; Bill Mores was – Submitted by P rinc e of P eac e C atholic elected Alabama warden; and L ois Mores was C hurc h.

The Riverchase o en’s Cl ’s first scholarshi recipient is Spain Park High student Rachel Lebo, pictured with her parents at the cl ’s April meeting.

Photo courtesy of Riverchase Women’s Club.

Women’s club collects stuffed animals for police program At the R iverchase Women' s Club April meeting, members collected stuffed animals for Cops We Care, a special program sponsored by the H oover Police D epartment and other police departments. These animals are distributed to children in traumatic situations.

The club presented checks to two local c arities eimer s o entra a ama represented by Miller Piggott and V ance

H older, and H oover H elps, represented by D onna Bishop. e c u a so resenting its rst sc o ars i to R achel L ebo, from Spain Park H igh School.

The R iverchase Women’s Club meets monthly at the R iverchase Country Club but will take a break over the summer.

– Submitted by L iesa P itts, R iv erc hase Women’ s C lub.

A18 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Committee honors 4 local women The Women’s Committee of 1 0 0 recently recognized four local women for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the community. Award recipients were L iz H untley, L iz E dwards, Nan Skier and L indy Cleveland.

The annual awards luncheon was April 1 7 at the Country Club of Birmingham.

E mcee Phyllis H offman D ePiano welcomed guests and introduced the award recipients.

E vent Chair Moniq ue Gardner-Witherspoon presented the awards. Past President J eanna Westmoreland gave the invocation and Patriotic Chair Martha Bartlett led the Pledge of egiance to t e flag omen s ommittee President Nan Teninbaum announced donations from the organization’s charitable trust to the awardees’ community-oriented efforts and to the Alabama Women’s H all of F ame at J udson College. Teninbaum also saluted Mary L ouise H odges for her longtime service as music chairman of the Women’s Committee.

L iz H untley, child advocate and litigation attorney with L ightfoot, F ranklin & White L L C, received the Citizen of the Y ear award for her commitment to improving the q uality

of life in Alabama. She has made an impact on the lives of others by sharing her story of overcoming adversity to become a successful attorney, motivational speaker and member of the Auburn Board of Trustees. H untley initiated t e non ro t o e nstitute to romote character development programs for children. i dwards e ecuti e director o received the Brother Bryan Prayer Point Award for her progress in improving literacy for Birming am it c oo s wit t e tart t e d enture in eading rogram u orted o unteers ocuses on improving reading skills and self-esteem of more than 20 second graders in Birmingham City schools. E dwards has been involved in irming am s non ro t sector or more t an 20 ye ars as both a volunteer and professional.

Nan Skier, leader in Birmingham’s arts community, received the Community Arts V olunteer Award for volunteerism and exceptional contri utions in t e ne arts an and er husband D avid are avid art collectors. They donate and loan works of art and antiq ues to t e irming am useum o rt and

From left: Monique GardnerWitherspoon, Nan Skier, Liz Edwards, Liz Huntley, Lindy Cleveland and Nan Teninbaum.

Photo courtesy o e Women’s Committee of 100.

other American and E uropean museums. At the BMA, Skier is a senior docent and member of the D irector’s Circle. She also serves on the Board of Trustees, Committee on Collections, and as ice resident o rt und nc L indy Cleveland, founder and executive director of U nless U , received the H umanitarian Award for efforts to improve the lives of others. U nless U , located at Shades Mountain a tist urc o ers academics ne arts and social and life skills training for adults with

developmental disorders and their families.

Since opening in 2 0 1 4 , U nless U has grown from four to 5 0 students served by 1 1 staff members. The founder has received several awards for her initiatives and work on behalf of the special needs community. n acce ting er award eac reci ient stressed the importance of community volunteerism.

– Submitted by the Women’ s C ommittee of 10.

OLLI kicks off fall registration with open house, ice cream social o reater irming am is ic ing off fall semester registration with an open house and ice cream social on F riday, Aug. e d as ion t m et od and will provide musical entertainment and the fall semester educational course offerings will be introduced. Any interested adult is invited to attend this event from 1 to 3 :3 0 p.m. at V estavia H ills Senior L odge, 1 9 7 3 Merryvale oad esta ia i s e s er i e ong earning nstitute o reater irming am ro ides

earning socia i ation and e d tri o ortunities for “seasoned” adults in the Birmingham area. The Greater Birmingham chapter, with around 2 0 0 members, is one of several chapters sponsored by the U niversity of Alaama o ege o ontinuing tudies is a membership program led by volunteers and members can participate in programs offered at an o t e at ocations Current summer semester course offerings for all chapters can be found at olli.ua.edu and fall semester courses, starting in September,

wi e osted soon courses are road ranging in topics and designed to be both educational and fun and there are no mandator attendance re reading usua or homework assignments. A class atmosphere that provides joy in learning is a key goal of rogramming A few examples of fall class offerings are: rc aeo og o or d ars and e onstitution and ts eaning oda at Y ou Wanted to K now About H ealth But D idn’t K now Whom to Ask, Popular L iterature of the

1 7 th, 1 8 th and 1 9 th Centuries and E xperiencing Space Travel with former astronaut L arry D eL ucas.

F or a complete listing of courses, dates, times and ocations isit t e we site you would like additional information, please emai o mem ers enn organ dg ennmorgan c arter net or anc erg nane erg ao com or ca t e at o ce at – Submitted by O L L I of G reater B irming ham.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A19

Events Je f f e r s o n St a t e t o h o s t c u l i n a r y f a i r , d e s s e r t c o m p e t i t i o n Au g . 1 1

By SY DNEY C ROM WE

Sophia Borghei, 7, of the Inverness community, right, checks out the Hoover Police Department di e tea ’s boat at the 2017 National Night Out event in the parking lot of The Grove shopping center.

Photo by Jon Anderson.

L L

Taste testing, nutritional experts and a chance to compete for a World F ood Championship ticket are all part of J efferson State Community College’s upcoming culinary fair.

The event, called the Sweet H ome Alabama Culinary F air and D essert Competition, will be Aug. 1 1 at the college’s H ealth Sciences building at 4 0 0 0 V alleydale R oad. K enneth Moore, president of the The Alabama chapter of the American Culinary Alabama chapter of the AmerFederation will be hosting the Sweet Home Alabama Culinary Fair and Dessert Competition on Aug. 11. ican Culinary F ederation, Competition entrants will compete to make the top cakes, said the day will be part of a pies, cookies and more for a chance to compete at the series of Alabama bicentennial World Food Championships. Photo by Sarah Finnegan. celebrations.

The Culinary F air will include food demonstrations, an ice carving events, recipients of certain awards or special demonstration, nutrition and health experts invitees, showing off their cooking skills for a chance at a $30,0 pr ize. and the chance to meet local chefs.

Moore said the ACF Alabama chapter has “We are excited to be a part of celebrating 20 years, as well as displaying and meeting held sanctioned competitions before, but this ear s e ent wi e t e rst o its ind some of the people [ and] businesses who are The D essert Competition at J efferson State helping to make Alabama a premier food touris open to chefs, restaurateurs and home cooks, ist destination,” Moore said via email.

Moore said participants will include Purcell and also has a student competition. Categories F arms, Ashley Mac’s, K and J ’s E legant Pas- include cakes, pies, cookies and other desserts. to enter, or $75 for students, and tries, Steel City Pops, Wendy’s Apples, Tarez It costs $150 entrants must bring ingredients and eq uipment.

K itchen Black-E ye Salsa and others.

The Sweet H ome Alabama Culinary F air Things will heat up in the D essert Competition, which offers one “Golden Ticket” for the and D essert Competition will last from 1 0 a.m. winner to compete in the World F ood Champi- to 2 p.m . Admission is free.

F or information about vendors or participatonships, held in Orange Beach in November.

The competitors in the televised champion- ing in the competition, visit acfbirmingham. ships are all winners of sanctioned competition com or email birminghamacf@ yahoo.com.

2018 National Night Out set for Aug. 7

By JON ANDERSON H oover’s 2 0 1 8 National Night Out event, which is designed to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, is scheduled for Aug. 7 a t The Grove shopping center.

The event, part of a nationwide effort led by the National Association of Town Watch, is scheduled from 6 t o 8 p.m .

The H oover Police D epartment will have its mobile command center on site and numerous specialty units, including the bomb squa d with its bomb robot, K -9 unit, special response tactical team, dive team and motorcycle unit, which will do maneuver demonstrations, said J ehad Al-D akka, the department’s executive o cer The H oover Masonic L odge No. 6 4 4 also wi ring its c i d identi cation e ui ment so o ice o cers can ma e c i d its or parents that include their children’s name, otogra nger rints sica descri tion and identifying marks in case a child ever goes

missing, Al-D akka said.

The H oover F ire D epartment plans to have re truc s and e ui ment on dis a and t ica t ere are numerous anti ue re e ic es there as well, said E rin Colbaugh, the city of H oover’s events coordinator.

Other agencies, such as the U .S. D rug E nforcement Administration, U .S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, F irearms and E xplosives, and the U .S. Army National Guard, also freque ntly attend H oover’s National Night Out, but their attendance will depend on availability, Colbaugh said. The event also includes a ew inflata es a car s ow ood truc s and several exhibitors, she said.

It’s a good opportunity for people to interact with law enforcement and other public safety agencies in a non-stressful environment and give them a chance to see some of the many tools that are used to keep their community sa e o cia s said H oover police Chief Nick D erzis estimated 5 ,0 0 0 to 6 ,0 0 0 people attended last year’s National Night Out gathering in H oover.

A20 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Black Jacket Symphony to kick off 2018-19 Library Theatre season

By JON ANDERSON If you love the sound of The Beatles, you mig t want to catc t e rst s ow o t e oo er i rar eatre season e ac ac et m on a grou t at recreates c assic a ums in a i e s ow setting is ic ing o t is ear s season wit a er or mance o e eat es e oad a um e er ormers aren t a tri ute and and t us won t e dressed i e e eat es nstead t eir ocus is on tr ing to ma e t e music sound e act i e it does on t e origina a um oo er i rar ine rts irector atina o nson said e s ad numerous eo e re uest a eat es tri ute and o er t e ears so s e t in s t e audience will enjoy The Black J acket Sym on e rest o t e season inc udes a mi o a s an im ro musica and musica acts inc uding a ris c assica o and sou u gos e e nationa tour o tee agno ias wi it t e i rar eatre stage in cto er and t e season c oses in a wit a ama tor a two act a roduced t e ed ountain eatre om an n ri an im ro trou e ed o c i mann and e a ai wi er orm road wa s e t usica t s a comed s ow in w ic t e im ro actors ta e made u song suggestions rom t e audience et t e audience ic t eir a orite and t en turn it into a u own im ro ised musica ere is ent more music in t is season n o em er two sisters rom orence aura and dia ogers wi ta e t e stage wit gos e groo es t at a e een s ared a o er t e wor d n ecem er t ree musicians rom t e ind am i a e ianist i tor guitarist ean ar ness and oca ist and mu ti instrumenta ist amite oin toget er or a inter o stice er ormance a master rus estnut oins t e ram m winning urt e s and uartet in anuar or a s ow t at wi touc mu ti e genres nd in e ruar mi a iers one a o t e ndigo ir s wi s are a so o er ormance wit er ac u and en ust in time or t atric s a in arc e ris u tura cadem resents e oung re anders ic ets go on sa e ug or ast ear s u season su scri ers ug or new u season su scri ers and ug or indi idua s ows ic ets cost us a rocessing ee or a tota tic et rice o nce tic ets go on sa e i rar o cia s encourage eo e to u t eir tic ets on ine at t e i rar t eatre org owe er tic ets a so can e urc ased one at or in erson at t e i rar eatre o o ce at unici a ri e ere s a it more a out eac o t is season s er ormances and t e s ow dates and times

t is a um ut t ere s a so a ot o w imsica groo e and o to it a iers sa s on er we site at mi is im ortant to me ecause it s e and flow ea and a e ourne o i e

The Young Irelanders are set to perform at the oo er i rary Theatre on arch - , Photo courtesy of tonyswanphotography. com.

THE YOUNG IRELANDERS

The lack acket Sy hony is sched led to erfor The eatles’ ey Road al the oo er i rary Theatre on Se t Photo courtesy of Rob Hereth/F12 Photography.

wor t roug i e s issues o marriage irt and deat e stor is centered around t e out ern e es gossi in a eaut ar or e stage a written o ert ar ing gained wides read o u arit in a ter eing made into a mo ie wit an a star cast o nson said it s a stor o ema e riend s i s em owerment resi ience and t e com ort t at can e ound in our own ac ard t s touc ing and unn and we re e cited to a e it e said

The Secret Sisters duo is scheduled to erfor at the oo er i rary Theatre on o Photo courtesy of Abraham Rowe Photography.

THE SECRET SISTERS

hW e n : o aura and dia ogers signed t eir rst record dea a ter an o en audition in as i e in e sou u gos e singers toured wit artists suc as e on e m a a on tagne i ie e son o an au imon and ang ut t eir second a um didn t meet t eir a e s e ectations and t e were dro ed ter t e red t eir manager e ed a aw suit and t e ended u a ing to e or an ru tc ut o t e as es came a crowd unded t ird a um ou on t wn e n more is record is dee ersona ecause o w at we endured dia ogers sa s on t e sisters we site ut it s im ortant as an artist and songwriter to ta a out t e times t ings weren t great is is a ard usiness and it s not a roses and rain ows

‘STEEL MAGNOLIAS’ NATIONAL TOUR WINDHAM HILL: WINTER SOLSTICE

Wh e n : ct is eatre or s roduction eatures a cast of six women, deep in a small South ern town in a ouisiana a ou w o toget er

toget er wit a s ow t at o nson said ts rig t in wit t e warm ee ing o ristmas tor a student o t e ui iard c oo o usic w o as een nominated or a ramm our times as a c assica iano ac ground t at is used wit a range o st es inc uding a o o and im ressionistic music ar ness a guitarist rom ew or it nown or is duets and ensem e wor wit roadwa and on screen singers as made si s and scored music or entities t at inc ude and orts amite as re eased s eaturing is smoot oca s accom anied t e a im a marim a itungu and arious inds o flutes

TURTLE ISLAND QUARTET WITH CYRUS CHESTNUT

THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY

Wh e n : e t e grou got its start in irming am in w en ountain roo nati e o n i oug assem ed a grou o musicians to er orm e oad at or a e ac ac et m on as since er ormed more t an ot er a ums rom e eat es e eac o s adonna ic ae ac son e o ice rince and i erent grou s o musicians are assem ed to recreate t e iconic a ums ased on t eir s e cia ties o nson said e rst a o e ac ac et m on s ows are designed to e an e act recreation o a se ected a um t t e oo er i rar e atre it wi e e eat es e oad w ic inc uded it songs suc as ome oget er ere omes t e un and ome t ing ter an intermission t e second a wi eature ot er greatest its e eat es rom ot er a ums e grou s attire as ou mig t e ect inc udes tted ac ac ets i e a t e ot er s ows at t e i rar eatre t is season are s read o er two da s e ac ac et m on wi er orm two s ows in one da at and m

at

Wh e n : ec ree ind am i artists i tor ean ar ness and amite made ig names or t emse es as so o acts and now are touring

Wh e n : an estnut a gos e and a ianist as a ed wit artists suc as i ie i es ie ett arter anessa i iams nita a er ette id er saac a es and rian c nig t and e as een rst ca in t e iano c air or man ig ands inc uding inco n enter a rc estra and t e i ie i es ie tar ig and ow e s touring wit t e urt e s and uartet a string uartet t at won ramm s in and or est c assica crosso er a um com ining t e c assica uartet aes t etic wit contem orar merican musica st es oget er t e de e into o uegrass swing e o un new age roc and i o as we as t e music o atin meri can and ndia eir co a orations range rom a ac ian mountain music to tunes reminis cent o o ann e astian ac u e ington and o n o trane

EMILY SALIERS OF INDIGO GIRLS

Wh e n : e a iers and musica artner m a gained nationa rominence wit t eir rea out ndigo ir s o a um in and went on to win a ramm ward and rac u a s ew o go d and atinum records ut ears into er career a iers re eased er irst so o a um ca ed urmuration ation in ugust e a um com ines er o e o o stor te ing wit t e sou u music t at sur rounded and ins ired er growing u in ew a en onnecticut ere are a ot o ea serious to ics on

hW e n : arc er ear t e ris u tura cadem rings toget er some o its nest er ormers o music and dance into a grou nown as e oung re anders e re a in t eir s and a are wor d and ris nationa c am ions in t eir disci ines e grou as er ormed on si continents and or man eads o state inc uding t e resi dents o re and t e nited tates and onaco as we as enues t at inc ude t e ei ing era ouse dne era ouse rem in tate a ace in oscow t e a ito and o n enned enter or t e er orming rts in as ington and t e inco n enter or t e er orming rts in ew or it e trou e is ringing its i d t antic a s ow to oo er e s ow is ins ired re and s t antic coast and inc udes oca num ers and oot stom ing o as and it is designed to trans ort t e audience to a eauti u and untarnis ed t e modern wor d

The roadway’s e t T sical i ro sical will e erfor ed at the oo er i rary Theatre on ril - , Photo courtesy of James Shubinski.

BROADWAY’S NEXT H!T MUSICAL

Wh e n : ri is comed im ro s ow is a com ination o t e on wards and ose ine s t n wa o nson said e im ro trou e ed o c i mann and e a ai ets t e audience ma e u song tit es and t en ote on t eir a orite and t e actors create a u own im ro ised musi cal out of the audience choice, complete with costumes t is tru sterica o nson said er nig t is di erent t s ust aug out oud unn c ee s urt w en it was done e s ow started in ew or it s on t e ama ca aret c u and as gone on to enues t at inc ude e riad ri eca i m esti a and ew or usica eater esti a

ALABAMA STORY

hW e n : a is ed ountain eatre om an ro duction is a two act a ased on actua e ents a out a i rarian w o ta es on segregationist senators in t e im row out w en t e tr to an a c i dren s oo rom a ama u ic i raries e stor is wo en toget er t roug t e reco ection and e eriences o two c i d ood riends one ac and one w ite w o were se arated a traumatic incident t at on one o t em remem ers e roduction is art o t e oo er u ic i rar s a ama icentennia ce e ration

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A21

A22 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

East Coast Pro Showcase coming to Hoover Met

By JON ANDERSON About 150 of the top high school baseball players in the eastern U nited States are coming to H oover Metropolitan Stadium on Aug. 1 -4 , for the E ast Coast Pro Showcase.

Nearly 5 0 0 Major L eague Baseball scouts will be in H oover for the event to evaluate the hottest prospects on the eastern seaboard as The East Coast Pro Showcase is expected to bring about 150 they practice together and compete in games, of the top high school baseball players in the eastern United States to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Aug. 1-4. Photo said J ohn Castleberry, a courtesy of East Coast Pro Showcase. scout for the San F rancisco Giants who is heavily involved with E ast Coast Pro. Players, selected by scouts, will be divided “F or four days, Aug. 1 -4 , this will be the into six teams based on where they live: mecca of amateur baseball,” Castleberry Southeast, Georgia and north F lorida, south said.

F lorida and Puerto R ico, Northeast, Mid-AtThis event has a strong reputation in Major lantic and Ohio V alley. E ach day there are L eague Baseball, he said. “Y ou’re not going three games, some with seven innings and to see players like this in one venue site any- some with nine. where in the country.”

Major L eague baseball clubs sponsoring the More than 90 percent of the players end up teams this year are the Arizona D iamondbacks, signing contracts to play professional baseball, Milwaukee Brewers, F lorida Marlins, Toronto Castleberry said. Sixteen of the players in the Blue J ays, Boston R ed Sox and K ansas City 2 0 1 7 Major L eague Baseball All-Star game R oyals. attended the E ast Coast Pro Showcase when In addition to being evaluated, the players they were younger, he said.

— and their parents — will get to attend semThis is the E ast Coast Pro Showcase’s 23 rd inars to inform them about the Major L eague year. It started in Chapel H ill, North Carolina draft process and what life is like with a proand since has been held in several locations, fessional baseball organization. including Steinbrenner F ield, the New Y ork The showcase for the most part will not be Y ankees’ spring training facility in Tampa, for open to the public, but Castleberry said orgathe last three years. nizers are considering opening a game or one The E ast Coast Pro organization has signed game per day to the public. a three-year contract with H oover, with an F or more information, go to eastcoast option to stay two more years. pro.org.

The Sa e the ’s r n raises oney for o arian cancer research and awareness Photo courtesy of Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

Save the O’s 5 K returns Aug. 1 1

By JI M M I E JOH NSON I I I The Norma L ivingston Ovarian Cancer F oundation will host its 14t h iteration of the Save the O’s 5 K on Saturday, Aug. 1 1 , at Greystone Golf and Country Club in H oover.

This race is run in memory of L ori J ohnson, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2 0 0 4 .

The event includes a chip-timed 5 K , a 1 -mile fun run and a silent auction. It costs $30 to participate in the 5K and $25 to participate in the fun run. Sign up by Aug. 1 for a free T-shirt. Participants can register online or register on site starting at 6: 30 a .m.

The 5 K starts at 8 a.m. and the fun run begins at 9: 15 a.m. There will be awards for t e to two nis ers in eac age grou in addition to awards for the top two overall male

and ema e nis ers ere is a so a ee in option for people who want to donate but don’t plan to run.

According to its website, the NL OCF is a non ro t t at e ists to raise unds or o arian cancer research and to increase awareness about the risks, symptoms and treatment of ovarian cancer.

J enny McInerney, NL OCF executive director, said people should come for a great run and to help support local research.

“People should support the event because it raises funds for ovarian cancer research here in Birmingham. All of our funds — roughly $10,0 a year — [ are] donated to research projects at U AB for not just a cure, but for early detection tools and treatment options for those with ovarian cancer,” McInerney said.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A23

A24 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Justin Northam of Ashville, Alabama, watches as Mike Hays of Hoover chips onto the green on the 14th hole at the Riverchase Country Club on June 26.

Photo by Jon Anderson.

C h a m b e r g o lf to u r n a m e n t s e t f o r Au g . 2 7 a t Ri v e r c h a s e

By JON ANDERSON The H oover Area Chamber of Commerce is planning its 23r d annual golf tournament for Monday, Aug. 27, at the R iverchase Country Club.

It will be a four-person scramble format, with all team members teeing off and then each player hitting their next shot from the best location of the four balls until the hole is complete.

The day will start with a putting contest at 7 a.m., and the tournament follows at 8 :3 0 with a shotgun start of teams spread over the course’s 18 hol es.

The cost is $ 2 0 0 per player or $ 5 0 0 per team of four. People also can purchase a power pack with two mulligans ( second shots on poorly hit a s two ra fle tic ets and one tic et or t e utting contest or or a oo o e ra fle tickets for $ 2 0 . The cost of tickets includes breakfast, lunch and snacks, chamber E xecutive D irector April Stone said.

Money raised from the tournament goes to support chamber operations, and part of the proceeds will go toward the chamber’s

scholarship program. L ast year’s tournament raised about $ 1 5 ,0 0 0 after expenses, Stone said.

The chamber will award prizes for the winner of the putting contest, as well as the straightest drive and shot hit closest to the pin on particular holes, she said.

The overall winner of last year’s tournament was a team from Cook’s Pest Control that included R obby Cole, D ino Schroder, Mark Busic and Charlie Angel. e team t at won t e second flig t was from the H yatt R egency Birmingham — The Wynfrey H otel and included Greg Baker, Paul D angel, Christine Como and Matt Sterley. The team t at won t e t ird flig t was rom t e U .S. Army ( sponsored by V ettes for V ets) and included Sgt. 1 st Class William H oward, Cory H ammond, Staff Sgt. J oshua Williams and Sgt. 1s t Class V ictor Montgomery.

The chamber is looking for sponsors for the tournament, with sponsorship levels ranging from $30 t o $5,0.

To register to play or become a sponsor, email admin@ hooverchamber.org or call 9 8 8 5672.

The deadline to register is Aug. 20.

The fo rth ann al ayhe on the o ntain fitness co etition will take lace 18-19 at Oak Mountain State Park, with individuals competing Saturday and teams competing Sunday. Photo by Alyx Chandler.

Local athletes to participate in ‘Mayhem’ CrossFit challenge

By NEAL EM BRY F or the fourth consecutive year, CrossF it athletes will have the opportunity to compete in both individual and team competitions at Mayhem on the Mountain, one of the largest tness e ents in t e region Mayhem on the Mountain, hosted by V estavia H ills gym F orge F itness Powered by CrossF it Shades, is set for Aug. 18- 19 at Oak Mountain State Park, with individual competitions scheduled for Saturday and four-person teams scheduled for Sunday, event coordinator Cory J ackson said.

The event features 5 0 0 -plus competitors and more than 2 0 vendors, J ackson said, as well as more eq uipment than in previous years, including an eight-lane rig.

“We’re using more eq uipment than ever before,” J ackson said.

The event comes as the gym is preparing to

relocate to a new 17,0squa re-foot facility on Old Columbiana R oad in the old Sports Medicine building, J ackson said.

After a series of three workouts, the top t ree nis ers wi roceed to a na wor out, J ackson said. H e said the competition is the largest of its kind in Alabama and the third largest in the Southeast region.

The event features CrossF it style workouts for competitors of all skill levels, J ackson said, ranging from beginners to master’s level and the highest-level, the R x division. Cash prizes wi e awarded to a odium nis ers or t e R x division.

The title sponsor for this year’s event is D r.

Mark R ogers and Ortho Alabama Spine and Sports.

R egistration closes Aug. 1 0 , and J ackson said s ots are ing u uic or more information, go to the event’s F acebook page, “Mayhem on the Mountain 2018.”

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A25

A26 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Hoover City Schools Enrollment Bluff Park Elementary Fall 2017-18: 661 Fall 2018-19*: 653 Deer Valley Elementary Fall 2017-18: 971 Fall 2018-19*: 933 Green Valley Elementary Fall 2017-18: 478 Fall 2018-19*: 525 Greystone Elementary Fall 2017-18: 510 Fall 2018-19*: 481 Gwin Elementary Fall 2017-18: 552 Fall 2018-19*: 636 Riverchase Elementary Fall 2017-18: 697 Fall 2018-19*: 690 Workers for New Latitude Movers move equipment and classroom materials from Brock's Gap Intermediate School to Bumpus Middle School. The sixth grade from Brock's Gap is moving to Bumpus, starting in the 2018-19 school year. Photos by Jon Anderson.

REZONING CONTINUED

from pa

Shades Mountain Elementary Fall 2017-18: 318 Fall 2018-19*: 332

ge A1

the nearly 1 4 ,0 0 0 students in the district were shifted to new schools because of the rezoning.

The whole purpose is to make better use of available classroom space, put students in schools closer to their homes and make room or uture enro ment in ig growt areas o cials said.

In addition to redrawing school attendance zones, the rezoning plan also changed the grade con gurations o se era sc oo s South Shades Crest E lementary is converting from a K -4 school to a K -2 school, and Brock’s Gap Intermediate School is changing from grades 5 -6 to grades 3 -5 , but only for students in the new South Shades Crest E lementary zone. c oo o cia s added t grades ac to Trace Crossings and D eer V alley elementary schools. In the past, those students would have mo ed to roc s a or t grade Also, sixth-graders who would have been at Brock’s Gap this year are moving to Bumpus Middle School, making Bumpus a school for grades 6 -8 again.

ENROLLMENT CHANGES

The changes mean far fewer kids at both Brock’s Gap Intermediate and South Shades rest ementar t is ear c oo o cia s are trying to make room for more students who eventually will come from new subdivisions being built in western H oover, such as L ake Wilborn and Blackridge.

But the short-term impact is a drastic reduction in numbers. South Shades Crest Principal Scott Mitchell expects his school to be cut in half — from more than 8 0 0 kids last year to about 40 this year. “It’s mind-boggling,” he said.

The number of teachers and staff is dropping accordingly, from more than 7 0 last year to under 4 0 this year, he said. About half of those leaving are going to Bumpus to work with sixth-graders there, while others are going to Simmons and Berry middle schools and Gwin, D eer V alley and Trace Crossings elementary schools, he said.

It’s like a family breaking up. With grade congurations c anging a o is sta t is ear will be new to the building, Mitchell said.

“It’s been tough emotionally because half of your staff is leaving,” he said. But at the same time, “I’m excited about the new changes. It’s going to be refreshing to have the little ones.” c oo o cia s a e een us t is s ring and summer making physical changes at Brock’s Gap to accommodate younger — and smaller — children. They spent $ 6 5 ,0 0 0 to replace the lunchroom serving lines to match the shorter students, Mitchell said. Brock’s Gap initially was home to Bumpus Middle School, with grades 6- 8 .

As such, the school also did not have a playground so sc oo o cia s are adding a playground for the younger students, Mitchell said. They spent $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 to add an awning on the side of the school to give the elementary children a covering for carpool dropoff and pickup and a couple thousand dollars to convert lockers

Rocky Ridge Elementary Fall 2017-18: 565 Fall 2018-19*: 599

South Shades Crest Elementary Fall 2017-18: 627 Fall 2018-19*: 362 Trace Crossings Elementary Fall 2017-18: 417 Fall 2018-19*: 645 Brock’s Gap Intermediate Fall 2017-18: 807 Fall 2018-19*: 390

“

Berry Middle Fall 2017-18: 1179 Fall 2018-19*: 1,246

It’s been tough emotionally because half of your staff is leaving, [but] I’m excited about the new changes. It’s going to be refreshing to have the little ones.

into covered lock-free cubbyholes, he said.

Because all the students are now elementary age, they no longer have need for the physical education lockers, so those are being moved to Simmons Middle School, Mitchell said. Band eq uipment and choir risers went to Bumpus.

The band room at Brock’s Gap is being converted for use as training space for the entire district, Mitchell said. Previously, that was done at the old Berry H igh School campus, which was sold to the V estavia H ills Board of E ducation.

Only two of the three wings at Brock’s Gap will be used for regular classrooms this year, he said. The third one will house the Y MCA afterschool care program and be used for storage and auxiliary services, he said. The school district’s student services department already has been in the building the past two years, he said.

Mitchell’s new PTO leaders are gung-ho and excited for a fresh start, he said. All the schools held a transition night that included a school tour in early May, and Brock’s Gap had a kickball game between teachers and kids on J uly 1 2 to help them get acq uainted.

South Shades Crest E lementary last year ended the year with 6 4 0 to 6 5 0 kids and expects to begin this year with 3 5 0 to 3 7 0 K -2 students, Principal K ara Scholl said.

Second-grade teachers are moving up to the second floor to ma e room or ounger students on t e rst floor and t ere wi e some e tra space for a while until more families move into the new subdivisions being built, she said.

With grades 3 -4 moving to Brock’s Gap, there won’t be a safety patrol, so adults will help oversee kids as they arrive and depart, Scholl said.

There’s a possibility second-graders might be ready for safety patrol by the second semester, but she’s not sure yet, she said.

”

SCOTT MITCHELL

“This will be a learning year for us,” she said.

H er K -2 leadership team already has visited other K -2 and K -3 schools to observe how they handle things, she said. With a smaller school, scheduling for things such as lunch will be different, but the rezoning has no effect on instruction, she said. ome o er o cia s ad e ressed concerns about being able to raise as much money with fewer parents, but Scholl pointed out that their expenses also should decrease with fewer students.

“I really feel like it’ll balance out pretty well,” she said.

BUMPING UP SIXTH GRADE

Bumpus Middle School, which has had only grades 7 -8 since moving to its current location seven years ago, will gain students this year with the addition of a sixth grade. L ast year, Bumpus had about 8 4 0 students, and this year there should be about 1 ,0 3 0 , Principal Tamala Maddox said.

The Bumpus building, which originally was built as a freshman center for H oover H igh, was built with the idea of converting it into a 6 -8 middle school, so it has room for the sixth grade. addo said t e t ird floor w ic in recent years has been used for in-school suspension and extra band practice areas, now will be used consistently for instructional programs.

Bumpus also will add a third lunch period and each grade will eat at different times. Sixth-graders will not be mixed with older students for physical education or academic courses, she said.

All the new sixth-grade teachers have moved in, and the school has added an assistant principal to oversee the sixth grade, Maddox said.

Bumpus Middle Fall 2017-18: 837 Fall 2018-19*: 1,028 Simmons Middle Fall 2017-18: 828 Fall 2018-19*: 1,018 Hoover High Fall 2017-18: 2,891 Fall 2018-19*: 2,828 Spain Park High Fall 2017-18: 1,626 Fall 2018-19*: 1,587 Total Fall 2017-18: 13,964 Fall 2018-19*: 13,953 *PROJECTED ENROLLMENT; LIKELY TO INCREASE SOURCE: HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS

H aving grades 6 -8 is now the more common model for middle schools including Berry and Simmons, she said, and that’s the way it was done at Bumpus prior to moving to its current location.

Two-thirds of the students at Bumpus this year will be new to the school, she said.

Seven of the 1 2 sixth-grade teachers are coming rom roc s a and t e t grade counselor from Brock’s Gap has moved to be the sixth-grade counselor at Bumpus, she said. The choir director at Brock’s Gap also has moved to Bumpus.

Maddox said she has worked with eight of the sixth-grade teachers prior to this school year, and all the teachers have been meeting together to form relationships and plan for their new teams.

A parent night is planned for parents of sixth graders on Aug. 2 0 and parents of grades 7 -8 on Aug. 2 1 .

GUESSING GAME

i e sc oo o cia s estimated t at re oning will directly impact 1 ,9 0 0 to 2 ,2 0 0 students, it’s

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A27 Brock's Gap Intermediate School Principal Scott Mitchell talks about the new lunchroom equipment installed for younger and shorter grades that are coming to the school for the 2018-19 school year.

Key Points Estimated 1,900-2,200 students being rezoned.

South Shades Crest Elementary changing from K-4 to K-2.

Brock’s Gap Intermediate changing from grades 5-6 to grades 3-5.

Deer Valley and Trace Crossings elementaries changing from K-4 to K-5.

Bumpus Middle changing from grades 7-8 to grades 6-8.

Trace Crossings Elementary students now will split and go to Bumpus and Simmons for middle school but reunite at Hoover High.

Some homes along Rocky Ridge Ranch Road and some apartment complexes along Lorna Road were rezoned to a different high school.

almost impossible to know what the real impact will be, school system spokesman J ason Gaston said. c oo o cia s re oned addresses and some families moved to avoid having their children switch schools, and new people who may or may not have school-age children are moving into the vacated homes, Gaston said.

Nathan and Beth Blanchard were among parents who moved their families to avoid changing schools. Their previous house on O’Neal ri e was re oned rom u ar ementar to reen a e ementar and t e mo ed w ere t e did rom omewood s eci ca to go to u ar ementar c oo et Blanchard said. e rea e t assionate a out u ar ementar s e said e rea didn t i e our choice taken away from us. All our friends from c urc go to u ar ementar ewer t an students were eing re oned

rom u ar to reen a e and one o er two daughters had only one other person in her grade eing re oned anc ard said “It felt unfair period, but it felt really unfair w en it s so ew o ou eing re oned s e said So they packed up their belongings and moved about two miles away to stay at Bluff ar and e ton ewsome said re oning a so played a big part in their recent move. They had already considered looking for a bigger house, but when they found out their youngest daughter was eing re oned rom um us to immons, they accelerated their plans and in March moved from the L akeview neighborhood across o n aw ins ar wa to ar race so t eir daughter could stay at Bumpus, J .T. Newsome said.

Most of their daughter’s friends with whom she had grown up were going to Bumpus, and they didn’t’ think losing connections with those

friends in the tough middle school years would be good, he said.

‘GRANDFATHERING’ AND SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

Guessing how the actual enrollment will turn out also was complicated by certain students a ing t e o tion to e grand at ered and remain in t eir re ious sc oo one e grand at er ru es w ic a on to students in H oover City Schools last year, allow: Students entering grades 9 -1 2 this year to remain in t eir re ious sc oo one t roug graduation. tudents entering t and eig t grades to remain in their current school for the last year of elementary or middle school before transferring to t eir new oned sc oo Students entering the second grade and eing re oned to out ades rest to remain at their current school for one year before moving

to Brock’s Gap for third grade.

School bus transportation also was an important actor in t e re oning c oo o cia s said any H oover City Schools student who received bus service last year will be able to receive it again this year, regardless of how close they live to t eir new oned sc oo The school district had to add 1 0 buses to accommodate t e demands o re oning aston said. Instead of buying new buses for $ 8 0 0 ,0 0 0 , the district refurbished 1 0 older buses, detailing the exterior, recovering all the seats and replacing all the necessary parts and decals as needed for about $ 2 2 ,5 0 0 , he said. c oo o cia s udgeted or us dri ers sa aries and ene ts ut now t e t in they may not need q uite that many, he said. ince sc oo enro ment num ers fluctuate so muc during t e summer an wa sc oo o cials may not know the full numerical impact of re oning unti cto er aston said

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o a grou o oca non ro ts usinesses and e en se era ma ors t at a so a ears to e t e answer regiona ism not indi idua ism ou rea can t oint to a region w ere ou a e a d ing center cit and t ri ing su ur s or ice ersa eir ates are a connected said ris anni resident and o t e ommunit oundation o reater Nanni irming am e o d oa s oa ition o entra a ama or orce ction etwor a road co ection o irming am area non ro ts usinesses go ernmenta de artments and ot er organi ations commissioned a stud o irming am s o c imate ca ed t e ui ding it oget er re ort re eased in une e stud roug t an arra o recommendations to o ster t e cit s s uggis econom and re are or t e uture ut one o t e o erarc ing conc usions was t at it wor s etter i t e region is wor ing toget er t s an idea t at as een floated e ore in a ariet o orms and asn t gotten er ar ut some mem ers o t e o d oa s oa ition e ie e t at t is new data as we as c anging attitudes among ma ors and ot er communit eaders mean t e c imate as c anged and cou d e regiona coo eration s ear t in ou re going to see an entire di erent attitude toward regiona coo eration as we mo e down t e road oo er a or ran rocato said

TOGETHER, BUT NOT ONE

t s im ortant to e c ear t at coo eration w ic is w at se era communit organi ations are ad ocating is not t e same t ing as creating one irming am e ma ors and eaders o t e o d oa s oa ition w o s o e to t e oo er un were a rm on one oint com ining t e irming am area s cities sc oo s stems and ot er institutions into a sing e greater metro simi ar to as i e s

Hoover Sun cit count go ernment or instance is not on t e ta e t in eo e get it twisted sometimes coo eration doesn t mean conso idation irming am a or anda ood n said t in t is con ersation is di erent ecause it s not sa ing cities s ou d merge toget er eorgani ing irming am into a sing e go ernment as een ro osed e ore n t e ne reat it cam aign touted t e idea o a sing e metro go ernment or t e entiret o e erson ount owe er t e e ort died in a state egis ature committee in ut residents and eaders a i e sti seem to re ect t at a roac e u ic airs esearc ounci o a ama re eased a re ort commissioned t e ommunit oundation o reater irming am t at oo ed at go ernmenta ragmentation in e erson ount and its e ect on area growt s art o t e re ort sur e ed e erson ount residents and ound t at ercent o t e res ondents a ored regiona coo eration wit t e ig est a ro a among to ear o ds owe er on ercent o t e eo e sur e ed said t e wou d su ort t e idea o conso idation wit residents o mid si e cities i e oo er or omewood s owing on ercent su ort at t e o d oa s oa ition is suggesting instead is more o a midd e ground ee our cit oundaries our counci s our sc oo s and t e ot er arts o our own cities ut w ere cities ace t e same ro ems or can t go it a one t e oa ition wants to create s stems so it ma es sense to tac e it toget er

LAGGING BEHIND

e o d oa s oa ition s ui ding it oget er re ort aints t e icture o a cit t at as strugg ed to ee u wit a c anging wor orce and c anging em o ment o ortunities es ecia in t e wa e o t e recession it out a c ange in tactics t e re ort suggests irming am wi continue to a e ind its regiona metro neig ors e ui ding it oget er re ort is t e wor o urning ass a oston ased com an t at ro ides ana tics so tware and researc or o mar ets and economic de e o ment urning ass esearc anager en rad e said t e re ort was

REGIONAL GDP GROWTH Covering 2010-16, from the Building (it) Together report, released June 2018:

REGIONAL GROWTH Negative GDP0-10%

10-20% 20% and greater Atlanta 19% June 2018: Covering 2010-16, from the Building (it) Together report, released Birmingham Atlanta

8%

Charlotte Birmingham

19% 22%

8%

Nashville Charlotte National Nashville New Orleans National

33%

22% 13% -5%

33%

13%

New Orleans-5%-5% 0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

SOURCE: BURNING GLASS

-5%

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

SOURCE: BURNING GLASS

created using t ree main sources a or mar et data urning ass so tware t at co ects data rom o oards and ostings across t e and a series o ocus grou s wit a out usiness eaders rad e said e saw a good amount o consensus rom usiness eaders in t e communit a out t eir main worries w en it comes to wor orce and usiness c imate in t e irming am oo er metro area e ma or conc usions o t e re ort were reater irming am s econom is dominated oca industr rat er t an nationa or internationa traded industries resu ting in a ac o outside mone coming to t e area e area s wor orce is redominate in ow s i ed occu ations and on ercent o t e wor orce is em o ed in occu ations re uiring a ac e or s or ad anced degree ecia i ed ro es ta e an a o e a erage time or com anies to e irming am region as strugg ed more t an simi ar cities in reco ering rom t e recession and it as not et reac ed t e re recession wor orce o usiness eaders identi ed a need or more entre reneurs i and management ta ent in t e area irming am ost a out wor ing indi idua s er ear to ot er cities etween

e oca ta ent su and em o ment demand do not matc reas suc as nance and engineering do not a e enoug eo e to ro es and new graduates a e degrees ut don t a e t e rig t wor ace or ands on e erience out ercent o undergraduate students ea e irming am a ter graduation and more t an ercent o doctora students mo e to ot er cities m o ers noted di cu t in nding wa s to recruit minorit o candidates ite students in irming am are earning t e ma orit o our ear and ad anced degrees w i e minorities a e some o t e ig est unem o ment rates reater irming am wi a e o s to eac ear t roug e wor orce is ro ected to grow ercent during t at time o t e data i we continue to do t ings t e wa we re doing it is not romising anni said e re ust tr ing to a e an onest oo at t e data o remain re e ant and to grow and to e ros erous we a e to c ange t e wa we act a mond ac son t e irming am usiness iance s senior ice resident o u ic o ic said t e re ort ndings didn t sur rise t e ut did a idate some o its e isting economic de e o ment

Birmingham has not yet recovered its pre-recession employment of 535,000.

Aside from One Great City’s consolidation plan in 1970, a project similar to Building (it) Together was proposed in 1997: Region 2020, a series of goals for central Alabama based on citizen feedback in public forums. From hundreds of ideas, Region 2020 came up with eight areas of focus. While some areas, such as additional parks and green space, saw forward movement, most of Region 2020’s goals never happened and the organization became part of the Birmingham Business Alliance in 2009. Photo by Sydney Cromwell.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • A29

REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH Covering 2010-16, from the Building (it) Together report, released June 2018:

REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH 0-10% 10-20% 20% and greater

Covering 2010-16, from the Building (it) Together report, released17% June 2018: Atlanta

Birmingham Atlanta Charlotte Birmingham Nashville Charlotte National Nashville New Orleans National

6%

New Orleans 0

5%

9% 10%

15%

20%

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

17% 20%

6%

25%

20% 10%

25%

9% 10% 25%

SOURCE: BURNING GLASS

25%

SOURCE: BURNING GLASS

programs and strategic planning.

“Companies are making decisions on where to go based on talent,” J ackson said.

“It’s slightly impossible to move the needle on issues like workforce and education working alone.”

J ackson said the BBA has narrowed its focus to a few industries, such as advanced manufacturing and IT, to create programs that train workers for current and future jobs. The BBA also has a team dedicated to bringing companies to Birmingham and keeping them there, particularly by identifying “pain points” about doing business in Birmingham.

J ackson said because people live, work and spend their money in different cities and counties across the region, every municipality has a stake in developing business opportunities and workforce across the region.

U AB Senior V ice Provost Suzanne Austin said the university has a dual interest in the study results, since it is both a major employer and a producer of future employees.

Austin said the university is “already taking this report to heart” by looking at ways to increase graduates in growing e ds and re iewing i curricu um matc es employer demand, as well as ways to make Birmingham more attractive to new graduates from U AB and other schools.

Alabama Possible E xecutive D irector K ristina Scott said the conclusion from the report that stood out to her the most was the need for talent development. Alabama Possible is an organization that works to address poverty and the barriers, such as education, that keep people from advancing to higher-paying, higher-skilled careers.

The Building ( it) Together report’s data on the number of low-skilled jobs in Birmingham is of particular concern to Scott and Alabama Possible, especially with the report showing a need for more IT professionals.

Growing that talent pool through a variety of educational methods could make a lifelong difference for some of Birmingham’s

Let us help spread the news! Email sydney@starnespublishing.com to submit your announcement.

impoverished families.

“We really need to cultivate the talent to make sure that people are eq uipped with the skills and education they need in order to thrive,” Scott said.

The eq uity issues between black and white Birmingham residents — including higher unemployment rates for black jobseekers — in the report are also signs, Scott said, that more work is needed.

“We’re not going to build eq uity by being passive,” she said.

F rom the data, the Building ( it) Together report lists key recommendations to make changes in the problem areas the report identi ed n est in growing career e ds suc as advanced manufacturing, engineering, information technology, life sciences and biotech. ee and recruit nationa and international companies to Birmingham, and encourage local innovation and entrepreneurship. ni ersities s ou d assess w et er t eir graduates’ skill sets match what companies need. E xisting research and education at U AB, for example, could build a strong regional biotech industry and draw those businesses to relocate to Birmingham, while keeping more graduates local. n est in training or t ese career e ds including high school graduation rates, traditional college degrees and trade or other alternative training programs, particularly in moving low-skilled employees into highs i ed e ds usinesses and go ernments s ou d work together to recruit talented leadership and entrepreneurs to the city. or toward more di ersit and eq uity in the workforce through training and recruitment.

ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL?

Individual cities of the Birmingham region could attempt to implement some of these steps solo.

And some municipalities have already taken steps in that direction, such as Innovation D epot encouraging

21% of Birmingham’s workforce is employed in careers considered high-skill (where 80% of job postings require a bachelor’s or higher degree). The national average is 33%. entrepreneurship, the Birmingham Sister Cities program recruiting international businesses to the area and several cities’ interest in developing ways to attract technology companies.

The members of the Bold Goals Coalition, however, believe these efforts can’t succeed unless they’re coordinated. Indeed, if two neighboring cities are competing for the same new businesses, they could undermine each other.

“What I don’t want to see is cities cannibalizing each other. … That really doesn’t help our region,” H omewood Mayor Scott McBrayer said.

Nanni said Birmingham’s regional structure was built in a time when a fractured collection of cities and towns could develop industry and grow independently of one another.

Technology and globalization of the economy, he said, have changed the game.

“As we’ve shifted into an information age, economies have become more regional,”

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Nanni said. “So we’re kind of starting behind the starting line compared to these other cities.”

REVIVING AN OLD IDEA

is isn t t e rst time regiona ism as been up for discussion in Birmingham.

Aside from One Great City’s consolidation plan in 1 9 7 0 , a project similar to Building ( it) Together was proposed in 1 9 9 7 : R egion 2 0 2 0 .

R egion 2 0 2 0 was a series of goals for central Alabama based on citizen feedback in public forums. F rom hundreds of ideas, R egion 2 0 2 0 came up with eight areas of focus as a shared vision for the entire region: government, environment, places and activities, economy and jobs, learning, transportation, q uality of life and neighborhoods.

While some areas, such as additional parks and green space, saw forward movement, most of R egion 2 0 2 0 ’s goals never happened and the organization became part of the Birmingham Business Alliance in 2 0 0 9 .

E ach of the region’s cities looks different, and t ere is no one si e ts a a roac when it comes to what each city needs to ene t ood n said ui ding it oget er is different from these previous attempts because it can build on the ways that Birmingham’s cities already work together, without the threat of any city losing its independence or individual services. irming am ce o conomic D evelopment D irector J osh Carpenter said he believes “the opportunities for gain so far outweigh the myopic losses that might occur,” and wants to convince residents and local governments that a rising tide lifts all boats.

While economic development is the current topic of concern, Carpenter said regional cooperation can extend to much more: infrastructure projects, public transit and providing emergency services, to name a few.

Brocato said H oover and some its neighbors already have mutual response agreements to help provide emergency services near city borders.

Nanni said: “What we’re really pushing is not an issue but a structure, a structure that is able to identify issues on an ongoing basis.”

A NEW GENERATION OF MAYORS

The success of regional cooperation hinges on buy-in from each of the many municipalities in the seven-county metro. i e irming am s non ro ts uni ersities and business organizations can take steps on their own to enact recommendations from the Building ( it) Together report, Nanni said regional cooperation works only if the mayors and city and county governments can overcome a “really profound lack of trust” and sense of competition that has existed in the past.

Nanni said groups like the Mayors’ Association and the R egional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham ( R PCGB) already provide some of the foundational blocks to build these bridges.

Several new mayors were elected around irming am in inc uding ood n Brocato, Ashley Curry in V estavia H ills, Stewart Welch in Mountain Brook and Tony Picklesimer in Chelsea — and those mayors’ attitudes toward cooperation is evidence the time may be right to breathe new life into the idea.

“Y ou just have more resources. Y ou have more people, you have more chambers [ of commerce] , you would just have more resources to use to put together a package so they [ large companies] would consider J efferson County rather than another city,” McBrayer said.

“I actually think regional cooperation is absolutely a necessity to Picklesimer help the smaller municipalities that surround the city of Birmingham accomplish our goals,” Picklesimer said, noting that Chelsea has been able to complete two recent

Fastest Growing Traded Industries in Birmingham

o e ir in ha ina ration o

,

ayor Randall oodfin shakes hands with the crowd after his , at inn ark Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

To ayors shley C rry of esta ia ills rank rocato of oo er Scott o ewood and Stewart elch of o ntain rook followin a reedo fro Coalition reakfast ne Staff photo.

projects through funding and assistance from the R PCGB. ood n noted t e ositi e res onse e has received from his counterparts at regular meetings of the Mayors’ Association. The over-the-mountain mayors have had some small-scale cooperative efforts of their own, including the recent F reedom from Addiction Coalition meetings that center on ways to reduce opiate and other drug abuse.

These mayors are also considering a nonpoaching policy: if a business is interested in moving from one municipality to another, the cities won’t offer incentives to try to entice the company away from each other.

“The net effect of all of that is somebody wins, but they win at an expense to the other cities, and you start a precedent for these incentive programs that, eventually, you’re going to give away the farm to get somebody to move,” Curry said.

In J uly, it was announced that U AB is looking to move its hospital from Bessemer to oo er t oug t e ma or as not o cia con rmed t e news es ite t e otentia move from one city to another, Brocato said this was not an instance of poaching business.

“I don’t want to be put in a position where we are being pitted against each other,” Brocato said. “If [ companies] ever try to pit us against the city that they’re in, then I would drop out of it [ consideration] .”

While several local mayors expressed support for the idea of cooperation, they did have some reservations. Brocato, for instance, said he wants to be a “metro-minded mayor” but his actions will always put H oover’s ene t rst “I’m going to do everything I can to bring the types of q uality businesses that I can to our city. H oover is number one for me,” Brocato said. ood n said e t in s a good start to creating regional cooperation is for some of the mayors to identify an easy,

c rayer of ddiction

ow anging ruit ro ect to t at so idi es that we know how to cooperate.” Continuing communication with each other will help too, he said.

“We can’t have it both ways. We can’t want our region area to grow and demand individually for our mayors to make it work, and then expect us not to work together,” ood n said

GROWING GRASSROOTS

Since the Building ( it) Together report was released in J une, members of the Bold Goals Coalition have been presenting the report ndings to a num er o grou s around t e region.

As they try to generate citizen and business support for the idea of cooperation, Carpenter said the city of Birmingham’s next steps are refocusing from the city’s physical capital — buildings and infrastructure, for instance — to its human capital and developing programs for talent attraction and retention. H e said the city plans to hire a deputy director for talent development and create the F red Shuttlesworth Opportunity Scholarship to cover community college tuition for students to pursue degrees with strong career opportunities.

“I think Birmingham is poised for a new generation of public-private partnership,” Carpenter said.

At U AB, Austin said President R ay Watts has already convened a meeting of regional college presidents and provosts to talk about ways to produce graduates who are ready for the workforce and want to plant roots locally.

Austin said changes to curriculum are also under consideration.

“There have to be conversations with the businesses that are hiring our students,” Austin said. “We really need to understand at a rett dee e e s eci ca w at it is t at they need.”

Austin said another meeting of university

Growth rate, 2010-15: Information Technology and Analytical Instruments: 77% Upstream Chemical Products: 42% Upstream Metal Manufacturing: 34% Vulcanized and Fired Metals: 31% Downstream Chemical Products: 27% Agricultural Inputs and Services: 26% Communications Equipment and Services: 26% Metalworking Technology: 23% Transportation and Logistics: 20% Downstream Metal Products: 16%

Birmingham Top 10 Employment Areas By 2016 employment data, and projected percentage of growth through 2026: Health care Practitioners and Technical: 20.7% Transportation and Material Moving*: 15.7% Business and Financial Operations*: 13.9% Education, Training and Library: 13.8% Food Preparation and Serving**: 11.9% Installation, Maintenance and Repair*: 10.8% Management: 10.6% Production*: 9.8% Office and Administrative Support*: 4.3% Sales and Related*: 2.2% * Has a moderate risk of jobs being replaced by automation ** Has a high risk of jobs being replaced by automation SOURCE: BUILDING (IT) TOGETHER REPORT, BURNING GLASS

representatives is likely to happen to talk about hiring, curriculum and other changes.

“We have an incredible opportunity in front of us in this region,” Austin said. “We have the opportunity to become a case study in best practice in workforce development.”

V iew the full Building ( it) Together report at buildingittogether.com, and the PAR CA report at togetherweprosper.org.

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Hoover pole vaulter ‘best we’ve ever had’ James Courson reaches new heights as a Buc, plans to carry on success at Auburn

By G ARY L L OY D ter is rst o e au ting ractice ames ourson came ome and to d is mot er t at e was going to do it e er da or t e rest o is i e e recent oo er ig c oo graduate is we on is wa ourson started o e au ting is res man ear o ig sc oo c ose to our ears ago e started it ecause an o der riend ad a wa s tried to get im into it in midd e sc oo s ig sc oo egan ourson decided to tr and it as een a tremendous decision ourson earned sc o ars i o ers rom u urn ni ersit and t e ni ersit o out a ama and oo ed at am ord a ama and irginia ec e c ose to sign wit u urn u urn was t e est it or me ourson said at s w ere ad origina anned on going in t e eginning o t e ear ut a ter oo ing at ots o di erent sc oo s u urn was ar t e most im ressi e sc oo and trac o ortunit or me rea it it o wit coac

“

Success often never comes without fai in first t it [pole vaulting] has also taught me how to interact with others and enjoy life.

JAMES COURSON

cott ic ardson t e o e au t coac on m o cia isit t u urn ourson ans to stud so tware engineering a e a wa s een interested t e wa t ings wor es ecia comuters e said was introduced to some asic coding m unior ear and rea en o ed creating rograms t oo er ourson as created records t t e state ndoor rac and ie d am ions i s in

James Courson competes at the AHSAA state Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 3 at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Courson won the boys pole vault event by clearing the bar at 16 feet, 1 inch. He cleared more than 18 inches better than his nearest competitor. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

e ruar e won t e o s o e au t e ent c earing t e ar at eet inc e c eared more t an inc es etter t an is nearest com etitor n a at t e state utdoor rac and ie d am ions i s e won t e o s o e au t e ent c earing eet inc es ust t ree inc es s o t e state record set c i oo en s ean o ins in

ames is an a around at ete said oo er trac and e d coac e on ind e does t e decat on or us and is rett good at it er good student er consistent in is er ormances est we e e er ad or s e treme ard t roug out t e entire ear irst to arri e and usua t e ast to ea e ourson said e as oo ed u to arious o e au ters since e

started a most our ears ago ore t an an t ing t oug e uts a ot o e ort into it ecause e o es it ecause o e au t is suc a menta as we as sica intensi e s ort it rea as to e somet ing ou want to do e said ere is a ot o ai ure e ore success in o e au ting

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August 2018 • B3

B4 • August 2018

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o e and left The ayne’s est control, lawn and landsca ho e re air co any, at arkway ake ri e in the Ri oo er, was the o erall winner in the oo er ea tification ea tification ward co etition o os ou es o oo e

e aintenance and erchase ffice ark in oard’s Co ercial e u on o .

Hoover names 2018 Commercial Beautification Award winners

By JON ANDERSON The Wayne’s pest control, lawn and landscape maintenance and home repair company, based in R iverchase, has been named the overall winner of H oover’s 2 0 1 8 Commercial Beauti cation wards e com an s cor orate o ce is on acres at ar wa a e ri e in t e i erc ase ce ar dridge ardens ecuti e irector i ea er one o t ree udges or t is ear s competition, said the Wayne’s property was e er t ing ou wou d e ect rom a com an t at s ecia i es in awn maintenance t was er we done eriod t was we designed we maintained ea er said

t was er co or u e ad good s aces or t eir em o ees e trees were we maintained e mu c areas were we t oug t out, where the mulch did not interfere with t e grass e s ou d e roud o it oo er s ou d e roud o it a ne s as wor ed ard to im ro e t e andsca ing on t e ro ert since trading s aces wit t e tudent i e organi ation two doors down t e street a out eig t ears ago said aron anders t e usiness eader or a ne s andsca e er ices di ision o t e com an out e or si ears ago t e ui t a arge atio and outdoor re ace outside t e com an itc en a s ace t at is used or cor orate gat erings team meetings and

ce e rations t a so inc udes a se arate seating area wit a re it en t ree or our ears ago t e redesigned t e ront entrance wit a arge a ed wa wa and ond anders said e a so re andscaped a hillside in the rear of the property and cleaned up an area that had become muddy due to drainage issues e said t t e ac o t e ui ding em o ees redesigned t e area w ere t e ar t eir serice e ic es to gi e it more o a natura oo anders said t inc udes a gra e ar ing ot wood tim ers as cur ing ornamenta grasses and ri er irc trees e said wa ing at surrounds t e s uare oot ui ding and em o ees are encouraged to ta e wa s at a m and m

The lawn at the front entrance has Bermuda grass w i e t ere is o sia grass in t e ac m o ees wor ard to ee in green and ree o weeds anders said e a so c ange out t e flowers in t e flower eds twice a ear and tr to ee t em co or u e said t e wor is done in ouse e said e oo er eauti cation oard gi es out awards every two years to honor businesses, churches, schools and other facilities that have done a good o o eauti ing t eir remises e udges consider asic o era a earance and c ean iness o t e ui ding and grounds creati it used in entrance eatures egetation arrangements seasona co or eds and t e design and co or coordination o t e ro ert wards are gi en in mu ti e categories ere

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B5

o e S erior Grill, at S in oo er, won oo er’s Co ercial ea tification ward in the resta rant di ision Ri ht St incent’s ne ineteen, at Caha a alley Road in oo er, won the award in the rofessional office di ision Photos by Jon Anderson.

280

are the categories and this year’s winners: Si n g l e - t e n a n t b u s i n e s s : H oover R andle H ome and Gardens, 25 Tyler R oad Sh op p i n g m al l s , s h op p i n g s t r i p s an d m i x e d u s e c e n t e r s : Colonial Promenade H oover, 2780 J ohn H awkins Parkway Re s t a u r a n t s : Superior Grill, 4 7 0 1 U .S. H o t e l s a n d m o t e l s : H ampton Inn & Suites, 4520 G alleria Boulevard F i n a n c i a l i n s t i t u t i o n s : Iberia Bank, 2765 J ohn H awkins Parkway r e i nal fi e St. V incent’s One Nineteen, 719 C ahaba V alley R oad C h u r c h e s : E piscopal Church of the H oly Apostles, 42 4 E mery D rive ar e fi e mple Chase Corporate Center, 2 C hase Corporate D rive F i r e s t at i on s : H oover F ire Station No. 2, 159 P atton Chapel R oad Ed u c a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s : R iverchase E lementary School, 1 9 5 0 Old Montgomery H ighway T r e e C o n s e r v a t i o n Aw a r d : H oover F ire Station No. 3 , 8 0 3 R iverchase Parkway West

E ach winner will be honored at a luncheon at the R iverchase Country Club on Aug. 7 and wi recei e a eauti cation oard sign to place on their property for two years. e eauti cation oard a so as an onor roll for entities that have won their category at least three times and thus are ineligible to win again. The honor roll includes the R enaissance R oss Bridge Golf R esort & Spa, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the D anberry at Inverness retirement community and H oover F ire Station No. 4.

To be considered for an award, all properties must be completely in the city limits of H oover and comply with all city ordinances.

Weaver said there was not any bad landscaping among any of the nominees for this year’s awards.

“I think the H oover landscaping as a city is really, really good,” he said. “I would be proud to say I lived in H oover.

In addition to Weaver, other judges this year were landscape architect Bob K irk and J im Parramore, an arborist and owner of American Tree Maintenance.

The

isco al Ch rch of the oly ostles, located at ery ri e, won oo er’s Co ercial ea tification ward in the ch rch di ision Photo courtesy of Hoover e u on o .

B6 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

School House

New principal takes reins at Shades Mountain Elementary

By JON ANDERSON Shades Mountain E lementary School’s new principal, Melissa H adder, spent most of her career working with high school students, but her new role is a return to where she began her education career.

H adder spent several months as a K -2 music teacher for three elementary schools in Pike ount a ter nis ing er coursewor at ro State U niversity in November 192.

Since then, she has worked in four other school districts as a band teacher, counselor and assistant principal before coming to H oover City Schools as an assistant principal at Spain ar ig c oo e ears ago While she may have limited experience in elementary schools, H adder said she has learned that, overall, students are still students no matter their age. e ma e at di erent de e o menta levels, but they all have the same interests really — to have people who care about them and have their best interests at heart,” she said.

“I don’t think that changes much as students grow.”

At Shades Mountain E lementary, she welcomes the opportunity to help students prepare for what she knows awaits them academically as they grow up, she said.

H adder is replacing J uli F eltham, who is retiring after 2 0 years as principal at Shades Mountain and a 3 8 -year career in public schools.

H adder said she knows she can’t be F eltham. o one e er s anot er erson s s oes completely,” she said. “Mrs. F eltham is an outstanding school administrator who has done a great job there. I can only be myself and learn as much as I can about them and lead the way I can lead.”

Melissa Hadder, who was appointed as principal of Shades Mountain Elementary, seen outside the school July 5. Photo by Jon Anderson.

She’s hopeful the Shades Mountain community will embrace her and work with her to continue to move the school forward, she said.

H adder said she has heard nothing but positive things about Shades Mountain E lementary — that it has a lot of parental support and outstanding teachers. “I feel very blessed to be part of that community now,” she said.

She is already familiar with the community because Shades Mountain is one of three

elementary schools that feed into Berry Middle and Spain Park H igh. “I certainly have a heart for the community. I have a heart for the students,” she said.

She also believes she has a good understanding of the school’s demographics and dynamics and the expectations for the school, she said.

BACKGROUND

ter wor ing riefl as an e ementar music teacher, H adder then spent two years as a band

teacher at the K -12 Sweet Water H igh School in arengo ount ter t at s e ser ed e years as a band teacher at R utledge Middle c oo and id e d ig c oo o owed e ears as a guidance counse or at a era Middle and H igh School before moving into administration.

She spent two years as an assistant principal at V incent H igh School and one year as a ninthgrade assistant principal at H omewood H igh School before going back into counseling. She worked as a guidance counselor for two years at V incent H igh School and one year each at Shelby County H igh School and Calera H igh School.

H adder moved back into administration in 2 0 1 2 , serving one year as an assistant principal at Calera H igh School before coming to Spain Park in 2013.

She has a bachelor’s degree in music education rom ro tate ni ersit a master’s degree in school counseling from the U niversity of West Alabama, and educationa eaders i certi cation and an education specialist degree from the U niversity of Montevallo.

She and her husband live in Chelsea with their 9 -year-old daughter. She doesn’t have a lot of spare time, but she has recently taken up running, she said.

H adder is moving from a high school that had about 1,60 students last year to H oover’s smallest elementary school, which had about 320 s tudents last year.

“Anytime change occurs, there’s an adjustment period,” she said. “I’m somebody who always want to grow professionally and personally. I want to learn new things. … I’m excited to take this next step in my career. I want to lead them in the next step, wherever that takes us.”

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B7

ro left ar aret Kni hton, da sino and eleah ont o ery Photo courtesy of Prince of Peace Catholic Church.

POP presents Faith in Action Award Prince of Peace Catholic Church recently presented parishioner and H elena H igh School senior Adam J usino with the 2 0 1 8 Caitlin Sweeney-McD aniel Award for F aith in Action. This award honors a graduating high school senior wit in t e aris w o e em i es t eir at o ic ait in action ser es t eir communit and is a well-rounded student. H oover H igh students Margaret K nighton and Meleah Montgomery were chosen as runners-up.

The award was established 14 years ago in memory of Prince of Peace Catholic School student ait in weene er arents oe and Cindy Sweeney. J usino received a cross statue and $ 5 0 0 . Both K nighton and Montgomery received $ 2 5 0 and a globe-shaped award and cross.

J usino will attend J efferson State Community College in the fall with plans to transfer to and ma or in c er securit t e ena he was president of the National Spanish H onor Society and a member of the National H onor ociet ationa rt onor ociet ationa ec nica onor ociet istor onor ociet cience onor ociet and ationa ng is onor ociet n addition e was t e ro otics c u ice resident science mpiad regional champion and a group leader or t e irming am iocese s ross retreat cti e in t e c urc out grou e wor ed

on H abitat for H umanity projects and within the weekender backpack ministry. H e is the son of J ose and Angelica J usino of H elena.

K nighton was a member of the National onor ociet anis onor ociet and National Business H onor Society at H oover ig n addition s e o unteered wit t e c urc s acation i e sc oo t e out grou t e oo er iamond o s and eens Need Teens group. She will attend Auburn ni ersit t is a to ma or in nance e is the daughter of Greg and Margaret K nighton of H oover.

Montgomery was a member of the National onor ociet ationa anis onor ociety and received a H oover H igh School Community Service award for her over 80 hours of communit ser ice n addition to eing art o t e c urc ig sc oo out grou ontgomer o unteers wit eens eed eens t e inorit c ie ement ounci c o ars a itat or umanit an ngineering rogram ngineering orers ir couts of North Central Alabama and H oover H igh School E ngineering Academy. Montgomery will attend Auburn in the fall to study materials engineering a ong wit oining t e ir orce She is the daughter of Adrienne D . Berry.

– Submitted by P rinc e of P eac e C atholic C hurc h.

ke allard, a oo er i h School rad ate and fresh an at ir in ha -So thern Colle e, earned an llerican honor in a elin at the C i ision Track and ield Cha ionshi s in a Crosse, isconsin, on ay allard finished ei hth o erall with a throw of eters, st eters shy of his ersonal est of , which won hi the conference title in ril n his fresh an season, allard was na ed first-tea all-conference and all-re ion Photo courtesy of Sallie Ballard.

Hoover graduate earns Alfa Foundation Scholarship The tuition bill for six J efferson counties and attend 2 4 different County college students will be a institutions of higher learning. little lower this semester thanks to “The cost of higher education scholarships awarded through the seems to increase e er ear Alfa F oundation. which can make it tough for stuThe recipients include H oover dents to achieve the goal of earnH igh School graduate K athryn ing a degree said a nsurance tu e e d w o is a res man and Alabama F armers F ederation studying graphic design at Auburn resident imm arne m g ad U niversity. we can award 10 scholarships to tu e e d and t e ot er e these hard-working students to St lefield ferson County award recipients e t em ursue t eir dreams are part of a group of 10 students ince its ince tion in t e working toward degrees at Alabama technical Alfa F oundation Scholarship Program has sc oo s co eges and uni ersities w o wi awarded to students rom o arecei e rom t e a oundation c o ama s counties w o studied at di erent arship Program for the 201819 s chool year. institutions.

This year’s recipients hail from 38 Alabama – Submitted by A lf a F oundation.

B8 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Couple’s colorful scarecrows grab neighborhood attention

By SY DNEY C ROM WE

L L

Phil and Pat Cartrette’s garden is well-defended against birds and other pests. Batman stood watch over their vegetables last year, and this summer Godzilla stalks the rows of tomatoes and okra.

The Cartrettes are known around Bluff Park for their creative scarecrows and other yard decorations at their Park Avenue home. In addition to Godzilla, they also have the “Bluff Park Giraffe,” made out of a painted post and some old bottles, and R ooty the Alligator, a reptile-shaped tree root that has been given a pair of red eyes.

“It’s just fun to do it and to make him [ Godzilla] out of mostly scrap,” Pat Cartrette said. “It’s part of having the garden.”

The Cartrettes have kept gardens for decades, but Phil Cartrette has increased his planting since the couple retired in 2 0 1 2 and moved to Bluff Park from Mississippi. This year’s garden includes tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, okra, onions, cucumber, eggplant and herbs, as well as a grapevine, some peach trees, a blueberry bush and a young apple tree that has not yet produced fruit.

“Once we retired, you’ve got to nd somet ing to do wit a o t at time,” Phil Cartrette said. “So we expanded a little bit.”

They’re one among many gardening families, Pat Cartrette said. With the help of local shops Sweetspire Gardens and Bluff Park H ardware, Phil Cartrette usually begins preparing the soil in J anuary to plant around E aster weekend.

Left: Pat and Phil Cartrette with their scarecrow, Godzilla, which presides over their home garden on Park Avenue. Above: Bluffy the Bluff Park Giraffe is another artistic feat re of the Cartrettes’ backyard made out of a painted post and some old bottles. Photos

by Sydney Cromwell.

“It’s a lot of tilling and pulling the rows up,” he said.

While Phil Cartrette prepares their backyard, his wife designs each year’s garden protector. After all, “you’re supposed to have a scarecrow,” she said. eir rst scarecrow was rett normal, Pat Cartrette said, wearing a shirt, tie and backwards hat. H e was followed by the “Spicy Tomato,” who had a gourd face, Spanish moss hair and a leopard print dress. Pat Cartrette said that year’s scarecrow was slightly scary.

“She was ugly,” Phil Cartrette agreed.

The next year, their grandson Wesley inspired the more neighborhood-friendly Minion scarecrow, made from a painted boogie board to recreate the yellow movie characters. The boogie board served double duty as it became Batman in 2 0 1 7 .

“That was Wesley again. H e loves Batman. All the little neighbors do, too,” Pat Cartrette said.

Batman still occupies the backyard, in “retirement.”

“We were worried about Batman that he wouldn’t like somebody else coming in,” Phil Cartrette said. “But he loves his retirement.”

Godzilla, the newest addition, was cut out of plywood and decorated with painted plastic ferns, pieces of aluminum pie tins and red seq uins around the mouth. Pat Cartrette said she was worried it might be too scary, but a friend’s 3 -yearold son loved it, giving Godzilla the seal of approval to be placed in their yard.

“Godzilla was a little harder,”

s e said is mout wasn t erce enough and I glued all those little seq uins on his mouth.”

Pat Cartrette said their scarecrow collection stands out in the neighborhood, drawing the attention of runners, drivers and kids to enjoy this year’s garden resident and wonder about what’s next. In fact, it was a passing neighbor who gave atman is uno cia nic name The ScareBat. “The neighbors are all very supportive. They love it,” Phil Cartrette said.

HooverSun.com COURSON CONTINUED

from pa

August 2018 • B9 James Courson competes in the pole vault competition during the AHSAA Class 6A-7A sectional meet April 27. Courson cleared 16 feet to lace first He won at the state meet by clearin ’ , just 3 inches shy of the state record set by cGill-Toolen’s Sean Collins in 2015. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

ge B1

“Y ou have to have the body awareness of a gymnast, the speed of a sprinter and the mind of an adrenaline junkie,” Courson said. “A lot of hard weight lifting, running and long days during and after preseason have to be put in order to be successful, and that’s only for the lucky ones. Y ou have to be willing to stick to the process and hope that your hard work will pay off, and for many it never does.

“There have been many technical breakthroughs I have encountered in these past four years, but there have also been many times I just had to trust my coach and be OK with not [ getting a personal record] for long periods of time,” he continued.

Ava Weems, a H oover runner who signed with Mississippi State, has seen Courson’s work ethic.

“What stands out about him is that he’s such a good vaulter, yet you would never know because he is so humble about it,” Weems said.

That humbleness may trace back q uite a few years. Courson was born in Texas, but his family moved to Moscow when he was just 2 years old. They stayed until he was 12, working as missionaries and starting churches for the deaf community, as well as creating a sign language interpretation of the Bible. de nite ad a di erent u ringing t an most, but it was the only thing that I knew,” Courson said. “I went to a small Christian, E nglish-speaking school, and it really helped root me in a strong relationship with the L ord.

L iving overseas has also given me a different perspective on life than most have. I’ve been to many countries and seen many types of people groups, and although I’ve not dealt with many of the hardships that come with being a minority, I know what it feels like to be an outsider in a country, and it has made me into a person that views everything from an outside perspective.”

As for his future career at Auburn, Courson hopes to break Auburn’s all-time collegiate

record of 1 8 feet, 4 ½ inches, and compete in the NCAA Championships each year. H e also hopes to compete beyond college in the 204 Olympics and other worldwide competitions. o e au ting as de nite taug t me to be patient in my life,” Courson said. “Success o ten ne er comes wit out ai ing rst ut it has also taught me how to interact with others and enjoy life. The pole vault community is like no other thing I have ever been a part of.

Although we are all competing against each

other, there is always a deep camaraderie between athletes at the meets.”

Courson is one of about 1 2 to 1 5 pole vaulters that H oover has. R iley White, a female pole vaulter, has only been participating for a year, but already holds a personal record of 1 1 feet, 8 inches. She was previously a gymnast.

“E xtremely talented athlete,” H ind said of ite er strong and fle i e o ds our indoor and outdoor records after only vaulting a

little over a year. Pretty amazing. V ery driven.”

H ind said Courson and White have set new standards of excellence and shown others what is possible.

“This group likes each other and trains hard together,” he said. “They are constantly helping each other in practice and meets. They record and analyze each other’s vaults all the time.

They have a great leader and coach in coach Billy L amb. H e is the reason for their success.

H e is willing to work as hard as they are.”

B10 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Sports

CLASS 7A, REGION 3

SPAIN PARK

JAGUARS

2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

The S ain ark a

ars r n onto the field efore their

ct

a e a ainst T scaloosa Co nty at

ildcat Stadi

in

orth ort Photo by Jonathan Norris.

Jags looking to start, finish strong again

By K Y L E P ARM L EY The Spain Park H igh School football team got off to a great start in 2 0 1 7 , but a few near misses sent the J ags into a rut.

Spain Park began the season with three strong wins before narrowly falling to crosstown rivals H oover and Mountain Brook. The losses sent the team into a four-game stretch that concluded with a 2 9 -3 loss to Oak Mountain.

“In my years here, that was the absolute worst game that we’d ever played,” said head coach Shawn R aney.

So, the team had a meeting where everything under the sun — except football — was discussed. Issues were brought into the open and addressed, and the J ags moved on to right the ship and nis t e season wit a strong win o er Minor and a narrow loss to unbeaten H ewitt-Trussville in the playoffs.

“Y ou never want to lose the last game, ut was a wit ow we nis ed t e year,” said R aney.

R aney hopes this year’s J ags team will e a e to start and nis strong once again — without the struggles in between.

Scott oates ( ) chases down a inor Ti er d rin a o a e at a ar Stadi o e alen enderson ( ) reaks a tackle d rin a ct a e a ainst ak o ntain Photos by Ted Melton.

OFFENSE

Spain Park’s offense will have a new leader under center this fall, as senior Mason Pronk gets his chance to steer the ship at q uarterback. R aney sees many similarities between Pronk and the player he studied under last fall, Braxton Barker.

“H e’s trained for this. H e’s an unbelievable kid and I think he’ll step right in,” R aney said. “I think he’ll be very similar to Braxton. Similar arm strength, real cerebral kid, understands what we’re trying to get done, is a leader, very good, humble, just what you want in a kid that’s going to be your q uarterback.”

At running back, senior J alen H enderson will get his chance to carry the load.

As a sophomore, the J ags moved him to u ac ust to get im on t e e d ast season, he was the second back behind D ’Arie J ohnson. Manny Austin will garner some carries as well.

group last fall now has another year under its belt, and R aney expects the J ags defense to be better eq uipped to keep up with opposing offenses this season.

“After watching last year’s cut-ups, we had to get more athletic in space,” R aney said. “We sat down and evaluated each one of our kids.”

On the line, Cedric Tooson will be a three-year starter, with a deep group alongside him that includes J ake H orton, Ashanti Carter, Clifford R obinson and J ay Tibbs.

R aney called H ines a potential “D ivision I linebacker,” and he will team up with the likes of Scott Moates, J osh Wallace and D re R obinson in the middle of the Spain Park defense. R obinson moved down from the secondary to give the J ags more speed in the middle.

Braxton H all will be another three-year starter for the J ags in the secondary, as he will play corner opposite of K ishawn awse in most cases o ton ed etter made the move from linebacker to free safety, while the strong safety spot will also employ a new starter.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Spain Park will have to replace steady placekicker Cole Starr, but punter Trevor Bernier returns and is capable of handling all the kicking duties. R aney said there are a few young kickers in the program that could take some of that load off Bernier if one emerges.

SCHEDULE

K enyon H ines is expected to be a playmaker out wide, as he is one of a few players that Spain Park expects to play on both sides of the ball this year.

“We alternate days with him,” R aney said of H ines’ practice schedule. “Whatever side of the ball he’s on, it tips the scales either way. H e’s going to have a really big year.”

K ameron McD aniel has moved to receiver after playing cornerback last fall

and George H ill is expected to catch some passes as well.

R aney said he feels good about the offensive line, which returns a three-year starter in William Mote. J osh Mullins will anchor the line at the center position, with Z ac Shaw and Cameron Y oung locking down spots as well.

DEFENSE

What was a young and inexperienced

Class 7 A, R egion 3 is always one of the toughest in the state, but Spain Park has managed to q ualify for the playoffs each of the last three seasons. V estavia H ills, H ewitt-Trussville, H oover and Tuscaloosa County will visit J aguar Stadium. The J ags will visit Mountain Brook, Thompson and Oak Mountain in region action.

Out of the region, the J ags will face H illcrest-Tuscaloosa, Bessemer City and Shades V alley.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B11

2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

nity Stadi

in o an ille, Geor ia Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

By K Y L E P ARM L EY J osh Niblett will have a similar challenge with this year’s H oover H igh School football team to what he had last year. It’s a good challenge to have and it’s something he’s had experience with in recent years.

Niblett and his coaching staff will look to press the right buttons and say the right things, in hopes the Bucs will be highly motivated to properly embark on a season after winning the Class 7A state championship each of the last two seasons.

“Y ou’re always kind of worried about how hungry guys are, how hungry your program is after winning it, and I thought there some times [ last year] we needed to grow up and mature,” Niblett said. “We were able to do that based on the competition we were playing during the year.”

The Bucs lost three games last fall, but Niblett said the team learned how to react to adverse situations and was ready for the playoff gauntlet that included three consecutive undefeated teams in H ewitt-Trussville, Thompson ( which beat H oover in the regular season) and McGill-Toolen.

“Our kids learned a lot about not only football, but life,” Niblett said. “Things aren’t always going to go your way. As bad as you want to win, sometimes you may not. But it’s all about how you’re going to react to it and respond.”

This fall will not be any easier for H oover, but the Bucs will look for a new crop of upperclassmen to step up and lead t e wa or a rogram t at as won e state championships in the last six seasons.

Niblett said, “It’s all about leadership.

It’s always about leadership. It’s about one group going from being juniors to being seniors.”

OFFENSE

R obby Ashford will get his chance to direct the H oover offense from the qua rterback position after biding his time behind J alen Parker last fall. Ashford’s recruiting ic ed u signi cant momentum in the summer and the 6 -foot-4 , 2 1 0 pound junior should be full strength after a shoulder injury in the spring.

HOOVER

New leaders aim to take Bucs to familiar heights

several others battling for the remaining two slots.

DEFENSE

o e arry cCa on ( ) d rin a a e a ainst esta ia ills on ct at Tho son Reynolds Stadi in esta ia ills eft Gre R ssell ( ) d rin a a e a ainst Tho son on ct at oo er etro olitan Stadi Photos by Todd Lester.

“The experience we were able to get him last year was a blessing,” Niblett said. “H e’s got a lot to do to get back, but he’ll be ready to go.”

J osh L undy, Ben Trulove and J ack Mayberry will serve as additional qua rterbacks for the Bucs and got plenty of repetitions in the spring with Ashford on the mend. n t e ac e d arr c ammon emerged last fall as an explosive runner in a deep stable of backs. K aulin J ackson also received some playing time and should shoulder some of the load as well. Anthony H ayes and D ylan Pauly are others who could get some carries as well.

Out wide, Auburn commit George Pickens returns as one of the most dynamic skill players in the state of Alabama. Opposing defenses will key on

him, but he showed last season the ability to remain productive, even in the midst of double teams.

“We’re excited about him and what he’ll be able to do,” Niblett said. “H e knows he’ll have a target on his back, just because people will know where he’s at. We’ve got to do a really good job of giving him some opportunities.”

Getting production from the other receivers will go a long way towards determining how effective the H oover passing attack can be. Z ach E lam and X avier L ong are back, along with the limited experience of J a’V one Williams, Omari Brown and J ake Tucker.

K ole Allen, Brooks Brymer and J esse K elley will also see time at the tight end and fullback positions. On the offensive line, D avid Bodden, R yan H ouston and Garrett L epkowski will likely start, with

H oover has a new defensive coordinator in Chad McGehee, but the Bucs will look to remain strong on that side of the ball. They allowed just 1 6 .5 points per game last fall.

D espite losing several starters from a season ago, the idea remains the same: run to the football and tackle well. But there will be a slight shift in the Bucs’ personnel. Their defense will feature more athleticism and less girth, a turn from recent years.

Niblett said, “We’ve been pretty big up front lately, but we’re probably not going to be as big on the interior as we’ve been.

Speed will be the game for us.”

Greg R ussell notched 1 8 sacks last year and returns as the anchor of the Bucs defensive line. R yan Caldbeck also rotated in with last year’s unit and H oover is oo ing or ot ers to ste u and the gap.

Nick Curtis, J eptha K ilgore and K am R obinson all return at linebacker, while several contributors are back in the secondary. J abari Moore, Codey Martin, Myles Spurling, L evi McCree and K ory Chapman are among the players battling to contribute at cornerback and safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Alabama commit Will R eichard will handle all of the kicking and punting duties for H oover. The senior is rated as the top kicker in the country in his class by 247 S ports.

“H e does a really good job setting the e d or ou e s a wea on e use it for sure,” Niblett said.

SCHEDULE

BUCCANEERS

at Grayson Co

CLASS 7A, REGION 3

oo er layers take to the field for their a e a ainst Grayson (Geor ia) on

Class 7 A, R egion 3 is always one of the toughest in the state, but H oover is taking no breaks with its out-of-region schedule either. The Bucs begin the year against reigning Class 6 A champion Pinson V alley on Aug. 25, in a game that will be broadcast on E SPN at 1 1 a .m.

The Bucs will also play St. J ohn’s College H igh School the following week and conclude the year against IMG Academy.

B12 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Above: Hoover quarterback Josh Lundy during a game at the Hoover City Elite 7 on 7 football tournament. Right: Spain Park running back Jalen Henderson during a game at the tournament.

Photos by Kyle Parmley.

Bu c s , Ja g s t a k e p o s i t i v e s f r o m

By JI M M I E JOH NSON I I I While tournament play ended earlier than hoped for the H oover and Spain Park high school football teams, both took positives from the H oover City E lite 7- on-7 tournament in J uly.

“It’s disappointing, but overall I thought our kids competed great, which is what I’m concerned about,” said Spain Park head coach Shawn R aney. “I think these things are team building, which is why we come to them and I think our kids did an outstanding job. L ove the way they acted and love the way they played.” went e ig sc oo teams rom si states descended on the city of H oover to participate in the tournament, held J uly 12 -14 at H oover H igh School.

Spain Park got off to an outstanding start in pool play, as it won seven of eight games.

Its only loss was to eventual tournament runner-up Spanish F ort. Of those seven wins, three of them were by a single point, as the J ags edged Opelika, West Monroe ( L ouisiana) and H illcrest-Tuscaloosa.

The J ags earned the No. 4 seed for bracket play, but saw their day end early after falling in the second round in a rematch against H illcrest-Tuscaloosa, 23- 14.

“We just didn' t make plays and those two or three plays will make the difference in these games,” said R aney.

H oover suffered a similar fate, losing its second contest in bracket play after pool play.

In pool play, the Bucs went a perfect 8 -0 and dominated much of the competition. They won

7 -o n -7 to u r n a m e n t

si o t ose eig t games oints or more their performance earning them the No. 2 seed heading into tournament play. ter a e in t e rst round t e ucs ran to a 24- 7 vi ctory over E nterprise.

H owever, they fell to Colq uitt County ( Georgia) , 2 0 -9 , to end the tournament. Colq uitt County is coached by former H oover coach R ush Propst. ur de ense a ed e ce ent we got some stops and got some picks to keep us in position to win the game. We got the ball in the red zone two or three times and we just couldn' t score,” said H oover head coach J osh Niblett.

R ising sophomore J osh L undy had a particularly positive showing for the Bucs.

Because of an injury for projected starter o s ord und as ed t e starting

position since the spring.

Niblett said the entire 7 -on-7 season has been a great e erience or und “I think he has come a long way,” said Niblett. “F or him to have an opportunity to continue to get better and better, it’s huge for him because he gets to keep growing.”

The conclusion of the national tournament ends the summer 7 -on-7 season for both teams.

Niblett and R aney said they feel good about where their respective teams are and are ready for fall camp.

Spain Park begins its 2 0 1 8 campaign by hosting H illcrest-Tuscaloosa on Aug 2 4 .

H oover will open the season at home on Aug. 2 5 against reigning Class 6 A state champion Pinson V alley. The game will be broadcast on E SPN at 1 1 a .m.

Hoover, Spain Park baseball, softball players earn all-state honors

By K Y L E P ARM L EY F our Spain Park H igh School softball players and one from H oover were named to the allstate team following their productive seasons, while four H oover baseball players received the same honor. The all-state teams were voted on by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

H eadlining the softball list was Class 7 A itc er o t e ear and rst team a er nnabelle Widra. Widra helped lead Spain Park to a runner u nis at t e tournament and nis ed er res man season er t ird arsit season) with a 23- 8 r ecord in the circle.

Widra posted a 1 .9 8 earned run average in 1 76 1/ 3 innings and struck out a whopping 2 6 4 hitters on the year, while allowing 1 3 4 hits. She a so a ed in t e in e d w en not in t e circ e and hit second for the J ags most of the season. er teammate addie a ors made t e rst team as well after an impressive junior season in center e d or t e ags a ors ser ed as t e team s rimar eado itter and nis ed with a .4 7 7 batting average and .5 3 1 on-base percentage. The Auburn commit homered nine times and drove in 47 runs, while striking out ust e times on t e ear so rom ain ar rst aseman aroline Wooley and shortstop Bailey Bowers were named honorable mention. Wooley smacked 1 1 omers wit s and owers nis ed t e year with a .459 average. Of note, both players ad our s in a state tournament semi na game against Smiths Station.

Spain Park advanced to the 7 A championship series and nis ed as t e runner u in t e c ass for the second time in three seasons. The J ags e to air o e in t e na series osing and 8- 6 i n back-to-back contests.

F or H oover, Caroline “Pepper” Nichols concluded her high school career with a second team selection. Nichols, a South Alabama signee, was a consistent and dynamic force atop the Bucs lineup throughout the season.

Above: Peyton Wilson (14) during a game against Buckhorn on March 28 at Hoover High School. Photo by Sarah Finnegan. eft S ain ark’s nna elle idra ( ) itches d rin a Class , rea a e a ainst ak o ntain on ril at S ain ark i h School. Widra was named the Class 7A pitcher of the year after posting a 23-8 record and a 1.98 ERA. Photo by Kyle Parmley

Nichols hit for a .470 average and reached base in half of her at-bats for the season. She racked up 6 2 hi ts and stole 29 ba ses.

“Pepper making all-state is a well-deserved honor for the countless hours of hard work and the dedication she has put forth,” H oover coach e i rout said e are so roud o er and all her accomplishments.”

On the baseball diamond, Sonny D iChiara, Peyton Wilson, Preston Moore and Scott E lgin were big contributors for the Bucs. D iChiara

was named a rst team a er in ass and was t e c assi cation s itter o t e ear e Samford signee wrapped up his career by hitting .472 w ith 10 hom e runs and 46 R BIs. Wilson made the second team, as the consistent catcher made his impact felt in several aspects of the game. H e hit .3 8 6 with eight homers and 3 5 R BIs, adding 1 5 doubles and 14 s tolen bases.

Moore was honorable mention after hitting .4 0 3 on the year and driving in 5 1 runs. Moore,

who will also play at Samford, stepped in at third base in 2 0 1 8 for the Bucs after moving from F airview.

E lgin went 8 -3 on the season with a 1 .9 1 E R A, striking out 46 in 58 2/ 3 innings. H e was named honorable mention as well. e ucs nis ed t e ear wit a record and ad t eir season cut s ort in t e rst round of the 7 A playoffs, as they fell to eventual runner-up H ewitt-Trussville.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B13

Haley Greene (9) dribbles during a Class firstround playoff atch a ainst Tho son in May. Greene finished the year with goals and 27 assists and was na ed to the all-state first tea Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Multiple Bucs, J ags named to all-state soccer teams

By JI M M I E JOH NSON I I I Numerous members of the Spain Park and H oover high school soccer teams were selected to the all-state team, as voted on by the coaches.

Spain Park’s Brooks R ice was named the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Y ear, as he nis ed a antastic season wit goa s and 1 1 assists and was selected to the Class 7A allstate team. Spain Park head coach Matt H all said R ice was an integral player to the team.

“Brooks has the ability to change the momentum of a game,” H all said. “Not only is his technical and tactical ability at a high level, but he takes his preparation and approach to the game very seriously.”

H aley Greene, Alyssa Y oung and K ayla Wiggins received recognition on the all-state team as we reene was a rst team se ection, while Y oung and Wiggins were honorable

mention oget er t e t ree com ined or goa s and assists H oover’s V int Narvaez and Max R udolph a so recei ed rst team onors w i e ena R egister and Gaby Walker were second team selections. Sophia H ontzas and Sarah H arrell were named honorable mention. ar ae was e ce ent in t e mid e d as e scored goa s and co ected eig t assists t roug out t e cam aign udo e ce ed in t e net as e recorded s utouts R egister was equa lly as good in the net for t e gir s team e accumu ated sa es t is season. H ead coach Will Patridge said R egister was great as a keeper but an even better leader in the locker room. Patridge also praised the versatility of Walker, as she was moved to a mid e der ro e mid season due to in uries a er nis ed t e season wit t ree goa s and four assists.

B14 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Hoover

Real Estate Listings

1527 Haddon Drive

MLS #

Zip

Address

Status

Price

823304

35226

1527 Haddon Drive

New

$525,000

823164

35226

308 Stone Brook Circle

New

$460,000

823113

35226

543 Bristol Lane

New

$399,900

823005

35226

5353 Cottage Circle

New

$180,000

822991

35226

3471 Chapel Lane

New

$269,900

822946

35226

2605 Swiss Lane

New

$275,000

822928

35226

2335 Dartmouth Circle

New

$250,000

823000

35226

5385 Cottage Circle

New

$194,900

822889

35226

2516 Matzek Road

New

$204,900

822802

35226

1804 Cornwall Road

New

$262,400

822713

35226

4061 Noyak Road

New

$449,000

822803

35226

549 Oneal Drive

New

$299,900

822709

35226

3734 Carisbrooke Drive

New

$510,000

822685

35226

1437 Haddon Place

New

$514,900

822667

35226

672 Summit Point

New

$349,900

823232

35244

2308 Birkshire Lane

New

$419,900

823220

35244

1100 Blackridge Lane

New

$750,000

823129

35244

2300 Mountain Run

New

$300,000

823184

35244

1441 Canyon Lane

New

$329,900

823216

35244

1099 Blackridge Drive

New

$675,000

Real estate listings provided by the Birmingham Association of Realtors on July 18.

Visit birminghamrealtors.com.

549 Oneal Drive

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B15

B16 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Metro Roundup MOUNTAIN BROOK

Local attorney confirmed as new US District Court judge

By ERI N DI C K SON A Mountain Brook resident has recently been named as a new U .S. D istrict Court J udge.

Annemarie Axon, a F lorida native, said she is eager to take on this new role because she wants to serve the people of Alabama. She Brought to believes her deep love for you by our Alabama will aid her as a sister paper: district court judge.

“I was raised [ to believe] that you look after one another and I villageliving feel like people in Alaonline.com bama do that,” Axon said.

“The sensibility of what is important and the willingness of people to remind you of that when you lose sight of it is important to me.”

After attending the U niversity of Alabama, Axon began her career here in Alabama as a law clerk at the U .S. D istrict Court. After a year, she moved to Providence, R hode Island and wor ed in a oston ased aw rm owever, she always felt a strong pull back to Alabama. She is a member of both the Alabama and R hode Island State Bar Associations.

“I thought that I wanted to work for a huge rm in a ig cit and certain en o ed it for a very long time … but I really missed Alabama,” Axon said. on was rst nominated or t e osition

by President D onald Trump in 2 0 1 7 and was one of the seven Alabama nominees awaiting con rmation rom t e udiciar ommittee earlier this year.

According to a press release from Wallace,

nne arie on, a lorida nati e and o ntain rook resident, was recently na ed a istrict Co rt d e o o ou es o W ll e o n l n C.

J ordan, R atliff & Brandt L L C, the legal team of which she was a member, Axon’s career as a lawyer has almost entirely been devoted to itigation wit a concentration in duciar and probate litigation.

S

“We are extremely proud of Annemarie and congratu ate er on er con rmation e s we hate to lose Annemarie as a valuable and integra mem er o our rm ut we now er temperament and sound judgment will make

HOMEWOOD

her a great federal judge,” said J ay Clark, managing member at Wallace J ordan in the release.

As a district court judge, Axon will be responsible for overseeing cases that are brought in by a plaintiff.

“Someone believes that [ someone else] is wrong and the other person believes that they did not do anything wrong,” Axon explained.

“It is my job to make sure that justice is done.”

In order to become a district court judge, Axon had to go through an intense process.

The senators from each state come up with a list of nominations. After each individual has been interviewed, the senators make suggestions to the President. They then go through a background check to make sure they are ua i ed and wi understand and a reciate the importance of the role and will then be nominated.

After someone has been nominated by the president, there is a hearing held before the U .S. Senate J udiciary Committee. The senators on that committee will ask q uestions to determine whether they think the individual is ua i ed and are satis ed t e wi u o d the constitution. A majority will vote and then the name of the person goes down to the senate floor and t e entire nited tates enate wi vote.

Because being a district court judge is a lifetime position, Axon plans on being a judge for the remainder of her career.

Although the position carries a lot of responsibility, Axon said that she would not have taken the position if she did not think she could do it without helping others.

“I believe in my country and I want to serve it. This is my skill set and this would be the best way to use my skill set,” she said.

VESTAVIA HILLS

City to host Aug. 7 seminar to educate, protect seniors

By ERI N DI C K SON

The en at rickto ’s resta rant incl des steak, cho s, seafood, s shi, sandwiches, salads, ar snacks, cocktails, S nday r nch and ore o os ou es o o ’s.

Nashville-based Bricktop’s opens 1st Alabama location off US 280

By SY DNEY C ROM WE

L L

R esidence Inn, a six-story, 1 2 0 -room extended stay hotel. The H omewood The former Mountain Brook Inn site will Planning Commission approved the soon welcome a new restaurant offering development plan for the hotel, and the seafood, steak, ribs, brunch and more.

Board of Z oning Adjustments approved Bricktop’s, a Nashville-based restauan exemption for its parking availability rant chain, chose the site on U .S. 2 8 0 as in J une. thehomewood its rst ora into a ama onstruction Property owner D avid Arrington said star.com has been underway for several months, and he felt an extended stay hotel in the Bricktop’s manager L eanne Grippo said H omewood/ Mountain Brook area would t e restaurant wi ser e its rst unc and a ga in t e current ote o erings dinner J uly 24. e e t i e t is was t e est t to ca ture t at Bricktop’s menu is broad, including steak, chops, market,” said R akesh Patel of Aum E nterprises, who seafood, sushi, sandwiches, salads, bar snacks, cock- is part of the development. tails, Sunday brunch and more. A press release from The H omewood City Council also approved tax the company noted its intent to appeal to an array incentives for Bricktop’s in late 2 0 1 7 , including of families and business customers, with specialties abatement of half the property’s sales tax revenue rom o ster ro s and et mignon to unda morning up to $ 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 or for 1 0 years, whichever is less. The huevos rancheros and homemade donuts. incentive program would only apply to the restaurant, The site is also planned to be the home of a Marriott not the hotel or any later developments.

Brought to you by our sister paper:

The city of V estavia H ills will be hosting an informational seminar addressing crimes and scams against the elderly Aug. 7.

The seminar is hosted

by V estavia H ills U nited Methodist Church and will take place from 2 -3 p.m., with registration from 1: 30- 2 p.m .

Some of the topics that will be covered include IR S scams, relative-in-disany e ail ser ices now filter and a tress scams, romantic s s icio s e ails so sers can a oid website scams and reverse sca s that atte t to steal ersonal mortgage scams. There infor ation Photo illustration by Sarah nne n. will also be information given on ways citizens can protect themselves and their assets from different types Brought to of con artists. you by our R ecent information published by the F BI stated that sister paper: senior citi ens are s eci ca targeted in and s ou d e made especially aware of fraud schemes.

Senior citizens can appear more attractive to con artists because they often either own their home or have vestavia excellent credit, according to the F BI. voice.com The event is free and open to any adult interested in learning more about recent scams.

Participating agencies that will be available for information at the seminar include the V estavia H ills Police D epartment, the F ederal Bureau of Investigation irming am i ision and t e a ama ce o enior er ices These agencies will also be available to talk to people after the conference.

To learn more about this seminar and and any other upcoming events visit vhal.org.

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B17

MOUNTAIN BROOK

QUICK HITS

Officials see positives in proposed Trinity Heights redevelopment

By JESSE C H AM BERS In 2 0 1 5 , when Trinity Medical Center left Montclair R oad for U .S. 2 8 0 and became Grandview Medical Center, it left behind a million sq uare feet of unused buildings on 7 9 acres. And people in both Mountain Brook and Birmingham were concerned it would be tough to nd new tenants “My concern was Brought to that it would sit for you by our years and be a sore sister paper: sight as you drive down Montclair,” said Suzan D oidge, executive director of the Mounvillageliving tain Brook Chamber of online.com Commerce.

The property’s future “weighed on residents’ minds” in Crestwood, said Birmingham City Councilor D arrell O’Q uinn.

“They’ve looked across town to Carraway and imagined a similar fate,” said O’Q uinn, referring to the long-vacant former Carraway H ospital in Norwood.

But the Trinity campus may be turned into an upscale mixed-use community, called Trinity H eights, by Berman E nterprises of Maryland.

D eveloper Ben Berman announced in May he wants to bring in apartments, condominiums and a senior living facility, as well as a ote o ces retai eateries and entertainment, such as an upscale bowling alley or movie theatre. Berman signed contracts on the land and buildings in J anuary and is determining whether the project is feasible.

At press time, Berman said he hoped to make a decision by the end of September.

Berman added he’s looking for third-party

n artist’s renderin of the Trinity ei hts central la a, lookin so th Rendering courtesy of William Blackstock Architects.

developers to handle some project components, such as the hotel and condominiums. H e also plans green space, a park and an expanded hiking trail but said in J une it was too early to determine i e wi need to re uest nancia incentives from the city of Birmingham.

H owever, the project will requi re a partnership with the city regarding “zoning and entitlement,” Berman said. At press time, he said he expected to formally approach the city by the end of J uly. it o cia s in ountain roo and Birmingham seem largely in favor of the project. H owever, D oidge worries retail and restaurants at the site could draw customers away from Mountain Brook. “I don’t know that it will be a win-win for us,” she said.

An influx of customers from Trinity H eights could also “compound” parking issues in Crestline, according to Gaston. ere wou d e increased tra c on ontclair and surrounding roads, according to Mountain Brook City Planner D ana H azen.

H owever, H azen said she trusted the city of Birmingham would requi re the developer to use sound tra c engineering and mitigate those effects.”

Shipt given incentives to stay in city, add jobs BIRMINGHAM – Shipt, a fast-growing tech company, announced July 12 it will keep its headquarters in the Magic City, expand its operation and hire 881 new employees over the next few years.

The Birmingham City Council approved an incentives package for Brought to Shipt worth up to you by our $1,762,000 on July sister paper: 10. The incentives are payable over a term f t five years, on the basis of $2,000 per each new ironcity.ink employee.

The council also agreed to sell the city’s parking deck on Morris Avenue at 20th Street North to a Shipt subsidiary for $1 million. The Jefferson County Commission approved its own $720,000 incentives package for Shipt July 12.

The state will give Shipt tax credits under the Alabama Jobs Act and help the company with recruitment, training and talent development.

Shipt was purchased in December by Target for $550 million.

Red Mountain Park opens sensory-friendly trail HOMEWOOD – A new trail with accessibility for all opened at Red Mountain Park in late June.

The new Butler Snow Sensory Trail includes 14 activity stations that engage the senses, from smelling herbs and touching different forest materials to

birdcalls and musical pots and pans.

The trail’s stations include a short rock wall, bench swings and a quiet zone for families to sit and thehomewood enjoy the forest. star.com Red Mountain Park held a ribbon cutting for the new trail, which is 0.14 miles long, on June 27.

In addition to the sensory trail, Red Mountain Park also offers reservations of off-road wheelchairs and sensory bags, which include headphones, sunglasses and fid et t s at n c st Red Mountain Park is located at 281 Lyon Lane. Learn more at redmountain park.org.

Brought to you by our sister paper:

Secret Stages moves festival to Avondale BIRMINGHAM – For its eighth year as Birmingham’s premier discovery music festival, Secret Stages is moving to Avondale.

This year’s lineup of 50-plus bands will be playing at Saturn, 41st Street Pub, Brought to the Hanger and the you by our Avondale Brewing sister paper: Company courtyard and upstairs tasting room.

Secret Stages has become an instituironcity.ink tion in the Birmingham festival and music scene. This year’s festival will be Aug. 3-4, with music from 5:30 p.m to midnight on both days.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to secretstages.net.

B18 • August 2018

Hoover Sun

Calendar Hoover Events Fridays: Ross Bridge Farmers Market.

4-8 p.m. Fresh produce, shop local vendors, live music and kid’s activities. Visit rossbridgefarmersmarket.com.

Saturdays: Valleydale Farmers Market.

8 a.m. to noon. 4601 Valleydale Rd. Visit valleydalefarmersmarket.com.

Aug. 1: Travel the World Through A Camera Lens. 10:30 a.m. to noon. Hoover Senior Center. Presented by OLLI of Greater Birmingham. Visit olli.ua.edu.

Aug. 2: Dr. Charles Yates retirement party. 2-6 p.m. Hoover Family Dentistry. Visit hooverfamilydentistry.com.

Aug. 2: Enchanting Ethiopian Eating. 6 p.m. Aldridge Gardens. Taste and learn how to make Ethiopian food. $30 members, $35 non-members.

Visit aldridgegardens.com.

Aug. 4: Free Fencing. 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Birmingham Fencing Club. 1581 Montgomery High-

way. Try the sport of fencing with the whole family for free. Visit fencingclub.org.

Contacts. 7:30-9 a.m. Aveda Institute. Visit hooverchamber.org.

Aug. 7: Minority Business Council meeting. 8:30 a.m. Hoover Chamber. Visit hooverchamber.org.

Aug. 11: Sweet Home Alabama Culinary Fair and Dessert Competition. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jefferson State Community College, Valleydale Road. Sample culinary treats that Alabama has to offer. Categories include cakes, pies, cookies and other desserts. You will hear from nutrition and health experts and see some of Alabama’s talented chefs, home cooks and restaurant pros battle it out for a Golden Ticket to the 2018 World Food Championships. Admission is free. For information, visit acfbirmingham.com.

Aug. 7: National Night Out. 6-8 p.m.

SuperTarget parking lot at The Grove. Designed to heighten awareness for crime and drug prevention awareness. Police and fire department displays, local business exhibits, food trucks, giveaways, car show and more. Visit hooverpd.com.

Aug. 8: Back to Work 50+ Program. 10 a.m. to noon. Jefferson State Community College Shelby – Hoover Campus. Program designed to help unemployed men and women over the age of 50 update their job-search skills and, in some cases, get short-term job training. To get more information and register for the workshops, call the AARP Foundation at 1-855-850-2525 or call Jefferson State at 856-8588.

Aug. 9: Hoover Chamber Coffee &

Aug. 16: Hoover Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon. 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hoover Country Club. Visit hooverchamber.org.

Aug. 18: Members Only Guided Bird Walk. 8 a.m. Aldridge Gardens. Visit aldridge gardens.com to register.

Aug. 23: Hoover Chamber Business After Hours. 5:30 p.m. River Highlands. Visit

Stardome Comedy Club Mondays: Karaoke Nights with Rickey Smiley. 7 p.m. $12.

6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $40 premium, $35 general admission.

Aug. 17-18: Greg Morton. 7 p.m. Friday; 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Saturday. Tickets $16.50.

Fridays: Tim Spinosi’s Colossal Comedy Side Show. 7:30 p.m. Open mic. $8.

Aug. 7-12: William Lee Martin. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday; 7 p.m. Friday; 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $9.75, $16.50.

Aug. 19: Donnie Barker. 7:30 p.m. Ticket $25.

Aug. 1-2: Jason Johann. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $9.75.

Aug. 4-5: Nephew Tommy. 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Friday; 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Saturday;

Aug. 16: Junior from the Steve Harvey Morning Show. 7:30 p.m. $20.

Aug. 30: Comedian & Impressionist Ian Harris. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15.

Aug. 30: Red Squirrel and Catfish Cooley with Nuts. 7:30 p.m.

hooverchamber.org.

Aug. 24: Spain Park High School football vs. Hillcrest. 7 p.m. Jaguar Stadium. Visit spainparkathletics.org.

Aug. 25: CASC Birmingham Gun Show.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Finley Center at Hoover Met. Visit gunshowtrader.com.

Aug. 25: Hoover High School football vs. Pinson. 11 a.m. Hoover Met. Visit hoover highathletics.com.

Aug. 27: Hoover Chamber 23rd annual Gold Classic. 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Riverchase Country Club. Four-man scramble format. Visit hooverchamber.org.

Aug. 28: New Horizons Dinner. 6 p.m.

Hoover Senior Center.

Aug. 31: Hoover High School football vs. St. John’s College High School. 7 p.m. Hoover Met. Visit hooverhighathletics.com.

Hoover Library KIDS/TEENS Aug. 12: Homeschool Artists Reception. 3 p.m. Plaza.

ADULTS Aug. 2: First Thursday Fiction Book

HooverSun.com

August 2018 • B19

Hoover Library (Cont.)

Group. 10 a.m. Fitzgerald Room. “The Second Mrs. Hockaday” by Susan Rivers.

Aug. 5: Sunday NovelTea Fiction Book Group. 3 p.m. Plaza Reading Room. “The Stars Are Fire” by Anita Shreve.

Aug. 9: Second Thursday Fiction Book Group. 10 a.m. Fitzgerald Room. “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn.

Aug. 11: Purl @ the Plaza. 1-5 p.m.

Library Plaza. Bring your yarn and knit, crochet or embroider.

Aug. 12: Glue Gun Gang: Pineapple Luminaries. 3 p.m. Adult Program Room. Adults only. Registration required.

Aug. 13: The Farthest: Voyager in Space. 2 and 6:30 p.m. The Library Theatre. Free admission and refreshments.

Aug. 13: Helping Hands. 3-8:30 p.m. Adult Program Room. Drop in to make newspaper rolls for a local humane society. Teens and adults.

Aug. 14: Glue Gun Gang. 6:30 p.m. Adult Program Room. Adults only. Registration required.

Aug. 16: Glue Gun Gang. 10:30 a.m. Adult

Program Room. Adults only. Registration required.

Aug. 16: The Wonderful World of Disney Trivia Night. 7 p.m. Library Plaza. Compete for prizes during our monthly trivia night Aug. 17: After Hours @ the Plaza: Library Bingo. 7 p.m. Library Plaza. Compete for prizes during this classic game with a library twist.

Aug. 3: i htti e nfi ti n Group. 7 p.m. Theatre Conference Room. “Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us” by Sam Kean.

Aug. 23: Sally Barris & the Birmingham Boys. 7 p.m. Library Plaza. Nashville-based singer-songwriter performs with her band featuring mandolin and guitar.

Aug. 24: After Hours @ the Plaza: Game Nite. 7-10 p.m. Library Plaza. Put your game face on and team up with your favorite gamers.

Aug. 25: Write Club. 10:30 a.m. Shakespeare Room. Share your literary works and network with other aspiring writers.

Aug. 27: Monday at the Movies. 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The Library Theatre. Free admission and refreshments.

Area Events Mondays: Get Healthy on the Railroad – Jazzercise. 6 p.m. Railroad Park. Visit railroad park.org.

Tuesdays: Get Healthy on the Railroad – Bootcamp. 6 p.m. Railroad Park. Visit railroadpark.org.

Wednesdays: Get Healthy on the Railroad – Zumba. 6 p.m. Railroad Park. Visit railroadpark.org.

Thursdays: Get Healthy on the Railroad – Yoga. 6 p.m. Railroad Park. Visit railroadpark.org.

Aug. 1-5: “Hairspray Jr.” Virginia Samford Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $20 adults, $15 students. Visit virginiasamford theatre.org.

Aug. 3-4: Secret Stages Music Discovery Festival. 5 p.m. to midnight. Friday; noon to midnight Saturday. Avondale. Tickets $30 Weekend passes, $65 VIP passes. Visit secretstages.net Aug. 3: Chirps and Chips. 7-10 p.m. Botanical Gardens. Fundraiser for the Alabama Wildlife Center featuring games, live entertainment, silent auction, food and drinks. $50 tickets. Visit awrc.org.

Aug. 3, 5, 10 and 12: Summer Film Series. 7 p.m. Alabama Theatre. “Animal House” Aug. 3, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” Aug. 5, “Rebel Without a Cause” Aug. 10 and “Gone with the Wind” Aug. 12. Tickets $9. Visit alabamatheatre.com.

Aug. 3-4 and 9-11: “Wonderland Wives”

by Buddy Thomas. 8 p.m. Theatre Downtown at Fifth Avenue Antiques. Tickets $20 adults, $12 students. Visit theatredowntown.org.

Aug. 4-5: Repticon – Birmingham Reptile & Exotic Animal Show. Zamora Shrine Temple. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $10 adults, $5 children 5-12, children 5 and younger free. Visit repticon.com/ birmingham.

Aug. 4: An Arc Affair: The Next Chapter. 6 p.m. The Club. Arc of Central Alabama’s gala to raise funds and awareness for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Tickets $100 (includes dinner and admission for one). Visit arcofcentralalabama.org.

Aug. 5: Get Healthy on the Railroad – Cooking Class. 3:30 p.m. Railroad Park.

Cooking demos, free recipes and food tastings.

Registration opens 30 minutes before class. Visit railroadpark.org.

Aug. 5: Jazz in the Park. 6 p.m. W.C. Patton Par . it oe arna io and er oe. ree.

Aug. 11: Just A Call Away 5K and Fun Run. a.m. loss rnaces. enefitin t e risis Center. Registration $25 for 5K, $15 for 1 mile. Visit runsignup.com.

Aug. 11: Southeastern Outings Easy River Float No. 2, Picnic, Swim, Short, Moderate Dayhike. 9 a.m. Locust Fork from Swann Bridge to Powell Falls near Cleveland. Meet at Cleveland Chevron at 8:45 a.m. For information, contact Dan Frederick at seoutings@bellsouth.net or 631-4680.

Aug. 11: Hand in Paw’s 18th annual Picasso Pets. 6 p.m. The Harbert Center. Hand in Paw’s largest fundraisers and one of Birmingham’s liveliest galas. Tickets $200. Visit 501auctions.com/ picassopets.

Aug. 11: Rewind at the Zoo – ’80s Fest.

7-11 p.m. Birmingham Zoo. Rewind the summer and relive the ’80s. We’ll be dancing to our favorite hits of the ’80s with local ’80s band, Legal Limit, followed by Electric Avenue from Atlanta. Meet VJ legend Alan Hunter, enjoy live entertainment, a video game Gaming Truck, a ride on the soul-train, caricature artist, hula hoop artist, photo booth, lawn games, views of the zoo’s amazing animals and more. Tickets: $20 members, $10 member children; $25 non-members, $12 non-member children; children 2 and younger free. Visit birminghamzoo.com.

Aug. 17: Third Friday in Forest Pak and Tour de Loo. 5-8 p.m. Forest Park Village.

Merchant’s open house with live music.

Aug. 17: Art on the Rocks. 7 p.m. Birmingham Museum of Art. Music by Tank and the Bangas.

Tickets $15 members, $25 non-members. Visit artsbma.org.

Aug. 18: Pancakes and Princesses.

8-9:30 a.m. Birmingham Zoo. Adorn your crown or tiara and join us for a special meet and greet between your little prince and princess and our court of princesses at this royal breakfast. Pancakes and Princesses will be followed by Fairytales and Frogs Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets include a pancake breakfast, photo opportunities with princesses, zoo admission, an unlimited ride wristband and a regal craft project. Costumes encouraged.

Tickets: $25 members, $20 member children; $30 non-members, $25 non-member children. Visit birminghamzoo.com.

Aug. 21-24: Sidewalk Film Festival. Alabama Theatre. 7 p.m. Tuesday; 8 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit sidewalkfest.com.

Aug. 25: Birmingham Walk to Defeat ALS. 9 a.m. Railroad Park. Entertainment, kids zone, food, local vendors and more. Visit webal.alsa. org.