December 2021 | Volume 15 | Issue 4
280LIVING.COM
THE 280 CORRIDOR’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE
Back at Brookwood
Seventeen years after he first began his career at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Jeremy Clark has returned home to serve as CEO.
See page A17
Hoops Preview
Shelby County Tourism and Events Manager Kendall Williams at the Dunnavant Valley Trail. Photo by Erin Nelson.
High school basketball season has arrived, and with that, the promise that this season will be the one each team breaks through and has a terrific campaign.
See page B1
‘Everything led to this’ Kendall Williams embraces role with Shelby County tourism, events By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
INSIDE Sponsors .......... A4 News ..................A6 Business .......... A13 Chamber ......... A18 Events .............. A21 Community..... A24
Faith ................ A28 Opinion............ A28 Sports.................. B1 Schoolhouse.... B16 Real Estate......B26 Calendar...........B27
J
ust sitting down and talking with Kendall Williams, it is obvious that she loves her job. After spending eight years as the director of the Shelby County Schools
Education Foundation, she moved into her newly created position as the county’s tourism and events manager at the end of March and is already making an impact. “Working with SCSEF, that role kept me connected within the community, and I learned things about each city and town in Shelby
County,” Williams said. “Even though I lived here for 30 years, there were things I didn’t know before.” When the tourism and events manager position was officially posted, Williams said she did
See WILLIAMS | page A30
Chelsea council reviews findings of school system feasibility study
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By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
Representatives from The Criterion K-12 Consulting Group address the Chelsea City Council and audience during a special called work session Nov. 18. Photo courtesy of Wayne Morris.
After discussions earlier this year about forming its own school system, the Chelsea City Council had a special called work session Nov. 18 to hear the results of a feasibility study, along with a breakdown of the costs associated with starting a new city school system and construction of a new high school.
“Please understand this is an early step in a marathon,” Mayor Tony Picklesimer said. “There will be public hearings; there will be lots of opportunities for all of our citizens to address the council and offer questions they may have. Tonight is just for us, the City Council, to hear the results of this study directly from Criterion as you
See STUDY | page A30
A2 • December 2021
280 Living
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December 2021 • A3
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A4 • December 2021
280 Living
About Us Editor’s Note By Leah Ingram Eagle It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2021. Is it just me, or did this year go by so much faster than the last? I guess being in a pandemic makes things seem to go by slower. Things seem to finally be back to normal, although normal looks somewhat different now. December always seems to fly by, with all the parties, school events, shopping and getting ready for Christmas. This month, we are celebrating our first anniversary in our new home. On Dec. 11, we will officially have a teenager! I’m also looking forward to spending time with family and friends celebrating this season. Hopefully by the time you read this, we’ll have our Christmas tree up and our house decorated.
(I don’t decorate as early as many people do!) It’s been another great year at 280 Living, and I’ve enjoyed bringing you stories throughout the year. In this issue, we’ll hear from Kendall Williams, the events and tourism director for Shelby County, about how things are going since she began the role
earlier this year. We will also break down the feasibility plan results for the city of Chelsea, and what changes could be coming in the future. There is a preview of several events you can attend this month to get ready for the holidays, as well as a recap of the high school football and volleyball seasons and a look ahead to basketball season. So grab a warm drink and a blanket and enjoy the last paper for 2021. I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful Christmas season.
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Spain Park’s Carson Muir competes in the girls 100-yard butterfly stroke Nov. 9 during the Central Alabama Invitational hosted by Vestavia Hills High School at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Publisher: Dan Starnes Managing Editor: Nick Patterson Community Editors: Leah Ingram Eagle Jon Anderson Jesse Chambers Neal Embry Sports Editor: Kyle Parmley Community Reporter: Eric Taunton Design Editor: Melanie Viering Photo Editor: Erin Nelson Page Designers: Kristin Williams Ted Perry Contributing Writers: Kari Kampakis Sean Dietrich Carla Davis Client Success Specialist: Anna Bain Content Marketing Manager: Ingrid Schnader Graphic Designer: Emily VanderMey Director of Sales: Patrick McDonald Advertising: Michelle Salem Haynes Don Harris Jarrett Tyus Warren Caldwell Hazen Hoagland Cal Larsen Administrator: Anna Jackson
Please Support Our Community Partners Ace Hardware Dunnavant Square (B24) Alabama Ballet (A23) Altadena Eye Care (A19) Alys Stephens Center, ArtPlay, Abroms-Engel Institute AEIVA (A2) America’s Thrift Store (B9) Ascension/St. Vincent’s Health Systems (B1) Bedzzz Express (B1, B3) Bellini’s Ristorante (A24) Bromberg’s & Company Inc. (A16) Brookwood Baptist Health Tenet Physician Resources (B21) Brookwood Diagnostic Centers (A20) Budget Blinds (B21) Cabinetry Refinishing & Restoration (A1) Cahaba Glass (A18) Cardinal Roofing (A20) Caring Transitions of South Birmingham (A15) Carpet Warehouse Galleria (A9) Cash World Pawn (A10) Chiropractic Today (B2) Clearview Strategy Partners (B23) Compact2020 (B15) Cool Breeze Inc. (B7) CPAP Plus - O’Neal Medical (B12) Danberry at Inverness (A24) Enroll Alabama (B25) ENT Associates of Alabama (A14) Etc. (A7) Fancy Fur - Paws and Claws (B19) French Drains Pro (A23) Gardner Landscaping (A12) Girls Inc. of Central Alabama (B5) Grandview Medical Center (A3) Guin Service (A17) HaMi Boutique (B16) Hearing Solutions (A19) Kete Cannon, ARC Realty (A13) La Paz - Mt Laurel (A23) Luckie’s Pinestraw (A1) Max Transit (B17) MiBella Wellness Center (A29)
Mold & Mildew Solutions - To the Rescue (A21) Mr. Handyman of Birmingham (B13) Nature One Landscape Design (A22) Oak Highland Design/ Decorating Den (B26) OLLI - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (A25) Over the Mountain Glass (B17) Pak Mail (B27) Piggly Wiggly (B11) Proveer at Grande View (A8) Red Mountain Associates Thrivent Financial (A13) Renew Dermatology (A5) Rockett’s Bug Juice Gardens (A15) ROME Study, UAB Division of Preventative Medicine (B12) Royal Automotive (B28) Shelby County Chamber of Commerce (A14) Sikes Children’s Shoes (B26) SlimFit Weight Loss Clinic (A18) Southeastern Jewelers and Engravers (B13) Southern Air - Skeltons (A12) Southern Home Structural Repair Specialists (B15) Space Cadets (B11) The World Games Birmingham 2022 (A26) TherapySouth Greystone (A32) Total Skin and Beauty Dermatology & Total on 1st (B2) TrustCare Urgent Care (B9) United Way of Central Alabama (A22) Urban Home Market (A31) Valley Bank (A27) Village Dermatology (A11) Viva Health Care (B18) Vulcan Termite & Pest Control (A16) Window World of Central Alabama (B19)
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Please submit all articles, information and photos to: leagle@starnesmedia.com P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253
Published by: Starnes Publishing LLC Legals: 280 Living is published monthly. Reproduction or use of
editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. 280 Living is designed to inform the 280 community of area school, family and community events. Information in 280 Living is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of 280 Living. 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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Find Us Pick up the latest issue of 280 Living at the following locations: ► Alabama Outdoors ► Cahaba Ridge ► Chiropractic Today ► Chelsea High School ► Chelsea Library ► Cowboy’s ► Danberry ► Edgar’s Bakery ► Edward’s Chevrolet ► Ground Up Coffee & Smoothies/ Snider’s Pharmacy ► Lloyd’s Restaurant ► Mt Laurel Library
► North Shelby Library ► Oak Mountain High School ► Spain Park High School ► St. Vincent’s 119 ► Somerby at St. Vincent’s ► Winn-Dixie Chelsea ► Winn-Dixie Inverness Want to join this list or get 280 Living mailed to your home? Contact Anna Jackson at ajackson@ starnesmedia.com.
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December 2021 • A5
A6 • December 2021
280 Living
280 News Morris takes over as Shelby commission chair By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Kevin Morris took over as chairperson of the Shelby County Commission, effective Nov. 8. He was approved during the Oct. 25 commission meeting and will serve in the role for the next year. Robbie Hayes will now serve as vice chairperson. Elwyn Bearden, who had been serving in the chairperson position, thanked the other commissioners for their help during the past few years. During a brief county manager’s report, Chad Scroggins discussed wrapMorris ping up fiscal 2021 funds, which ended Sept. 30. All outstanding purchase orders have been closed. “What we will do now is publish what those final numbers are,” Scroggins said. “As we balance those out, we will see how much of the funding will be carried over from unfinished projects from the fiscal 2021 budget. Currently, our rough estimate for our current undesignated fund balance reserve is $48 million. That’s a very strong number. That’s after we basically paid for the 280 County Services Building, which was a $14 million expenditure.” Scroggins said whatever is left over, the commission will have to make a decision on what to do with the excess revenue over expenses. The sales tax revenue was still $2 million above projected revenues. He also mentioned that the ribbon-cutting at the Shelby County Services Building on U.S. 280 was scheduled
The Shelby County Commission approved Kevin Morris to serve as the chairperson, effective Nov. 8, during its Oct. 25 meeting. Morris will hold the position for the next year, and Robbie Hayes will be the vice chairperson. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
for Nov. 15. The commission approved the right-ofway for the intersection realignment project at Shelby County 39 and Shelby County 47 in Chelsea. County Engineer Randy Cole said it was acquired through donations, purchases and, in some cases, condemnations. Sheriff John Samaniego gave an update on the Shelby County Jail and said they are below 500 inmates for the first time in a long time. Other items approved at the meeting include:
► A digital dental X-ray system for the county jail to Atlanta Dental for $23,953.63; ► A bid for general and state-certified concrete per the state of Alabama bid law; ► A bid for hard steel items to Batey and Sanders; ► A bid for custom reactivation for GAC Media and two filters at the South Water Treatment Plant to Carbon Activated Corporation for $274,000; ► A bid for custom reactivation or virgin
replacement of GAC Media at Talladega/Shelby Water Treatment Plant to Calgon Carbon Corporation for $485,628; ► A bid for potassium permanganate to Chemrite for $120.70 per 25kg container; ► To revise the county’s Citizen Participation Plan to include the Language Access Plan (LAP) for limited English speaking persons; ► Approval to appoint David Gangle to the North Shelby Sewer Rate Review Board.
Work underway on county’s new Double Oak Trail Project By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Work on the new Double Oak Trail Project is set to begin soon. The Shelby County Commission awarded a bid to Flowmotion Trail Builders during its Nov. 8 meeting for $214,017.50. County Manager Chad Scroggins said Flowmotion is a well known trail building company and said he’s excited to get them started. Also related to this project, the playground equipment for the park on Dunnavant Valley Road was expected to arrive by December, and the restrooms were under construction along with an additional pavilion. The scope of work was anticipated to be completed by the end of November. “They will probably get started within the next 10 days,” Scroggins said. “We are getting a media request about every three days on this project or some of the other similar projects. We are even getting some national requests. All of this will be done in the next few weeks, and it will probably be about 30-60 days before it actually opens up.” The commission also approved board and committee appointments of county employees during its Nov. 8 meeting: ► Chairman Kevin Morris will serve on the board of the Birmingham Business Alliance and CAWACO RC&D, a nonprofit that connects central Alabama communities to resources and partnerships that drive economic development in a sustainable way. Commissioner Robbie Hayes and Scroggins will serve on the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham’s (RPCGB) board of directors. ► Commissioner Rick Shepherd will serve on the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Committee. ► County engineer Randy Cole will serve on the MPO Advisory Committee. ► Alan Miller will serve on the Law Enforcement Personnel (LEPD) Board. ► Senta Goldman and Terry Denny Jr. will
Kevin Morris, center, had his first meeting as the commissioner chairperson Nov. 8 at the Shelby County Commission meeting. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
work with Middle Alabama Area on Aging. ► Mechelle Wilder and Mike Evers will work with 58 INC. ► David Willingham will serve the RPCGB Joint Budget/Finance Committee. ► Brandon Hamilton will work with RPCGB - AL Partners for Clean Air. ► Brandon Miller and Amy Feger will work with CAWACO. ► Senta Goldman and Martha Seehorn will work with Positive Maturity. ► Christie Hester will work with ClasTran. ► Mayor Gary Waters, Mayor Theangelo
Perkins, Christie Hester and Scott Holladay will serve on the MPO Committee. ► Christie Hester and Scott Holladay will serve on the MPO Advisory Committee. ► Christie Hester, David Willingham and Scott Holladay will serve on the MPO Technical Committee. ► Eric Maas will work with Shelby County Parks and Recreation Association. In other business, a bid was approved to Bob Barker for hygiene items for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department; the bid for pipe and cable locator equipment will go to state bid laws;
and a liquor license was approved for Montevallo Liquor. During the county manager’s report, Scroggins congratulated Office Administrator Kim Reynolds for being selected for the Public Servant of the Year award by The Shelby County Chamber. “It is very much deserving,” he said. “We’re very proud of what Kim does. So many people call in to the offices here, and the first person they talk to is Kim, and the way she handles people with care is really the epitome of a true public servant.”
280Living.com
December 2021 • A7
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280 Living
Construction entrance approved for Foothills Business Park By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Residents of the Foothills subdivision in Chelsea received some good news at the Nov. 16 Chelsea City Council meeting. David Brady, president of RidgeCrest Homes, agreed to create and cover the cost of a construction entrance so crews could avoid using the neighborhood streets. Mayor Tony Picklesimer said at the last Planning Commission meeting that the majority of the complaints from residents were regarding construction traffic. “We had been looking for a way to offer a construction entrance into the Foothills that would take away most of the problems people were talking about,” Picklesimer said. “Keith Hager [county engineer] and David Brady met, and Hager drew out a potential construction entrance for the project. This will tie up our lot No. 8 for a period of time, and if someone [decides to purchase it before], we’ll figure out something else to do.” A temporary easement will be given to Brady to build a road that goes through the city’s property onto his property. Brady said the plan is to create a dirt/gravel road and extend the current dam to get large equipment across. He said it will be a few thousand feet long and cost between $50,000 and $75,000 to construct. Picklesimer said he believes the addition of a RidgeCrest subdivision home behind the current Foothills subdivision will only enhance the value of those homes. “I know it will add traffic coming down Foothills Trace — there’s no way around that. I think Brady and the RC [RidgeCrest] people have done everything in their power to be good neighbors and to make this inconvenience a little more convenient.” Foothills resident David Gardner said that, on behalf of the neighborhood, he appreciated this project being reviewed and said this is going to be a win-win for everyone. Two other
Important Dates ► Dec. 7: Council meeting, 6 p.m. ► Dec. 21: Council meeting, 6 p.m. ► Dec. 23-24 and Dec. 31: City Hall closed ► Jan. 15: Bulk trash pickup
Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer talks during the Nov. 16 Chelsea City Council meeting. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
residents spoke, thanking the city and Brady for working out a solution. Two members of the Chelsea Fire and Rescue Department were recognized for recent promotions. Chief Joe Lee said they had the opportunity to make some promotions for the first time since he has been with the department. The retirement of Capt. Don Williamson created a vacancy for a captain and a lieutenant. Chase Armstrong was promoted to captain. He has been with the department since 2006 and handles the health and wellness program, buys
and maintains PT equipment and creates workout programs. This year, he has handled station maintenance at Station 31. Josh Rosetti was promoted to lieutenant. He handles community risk reduction and teaches CPR classes to the public. He also maintains the department’s electronic EMS equipment. During the precouncil meeting, Leeangela Garrett from the Chelsea Cat Colony, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, gave a presentation to the mayor and council about their mission to address the stray cat population in the city.
Garrett said feeding stations have already been placed in two spots in the city — at the Publix shopping center and Taco Bell — and asked permission to set up a third one near Chelsea Fire Station 31 on Chesser Drive. “Our objective as a volunteer group is for us to be able to help the city of Chelsea for the care and sterilization of community cats,” she said. “We provide food and water to the stations. On Sundays and Mondays we trap and take them to Alabama Spay and Neuter to have them vaccinated as well as spayed and neutered.” The council also approved the following resolutions: ► Amending Section 6 of the zoning regulations for the city of Chelsea for the B-1 zoning district increasing the maximum square footage from 2,500 square feet to 12,000 square feet. ► Approval of a rezoning request submitted by Laura Chesser for property located behind the Foothills Subdivision from A-R (Agricultural Residential) to PRD (Planned Residential District) classification consisting of approximately 81 acres. ► Authorization to open an account with Cadence Bank for the recent $6 million in bond issues for capital improvements to the city. ► Assuming responsibility for Park Springs Lane in Chelsea Park subdivision’s 16th sector. ► Approval to pay the city’s bills.
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A9
Chelsea recognizes November as home health care month By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The city of Chelsea will recognize November as National Home Care, Palliative and Hospice Month. The proclamation, read by Mayor Tony Picklesimer during the Nov. 2 Chelsea City Council meeting, said “90% of Americans want to age in place. Home care is the preferred method of health care and delivery among the disabled, eldery and chronically ill individuals who are eager to live independently in their own homes as long as they possibly can.” The proclamation also noted that “home health care services allow families to stay together and provide for greater health, dignity and comfort in our communities and that home care in the U.S. is a growing alternative to hospitals and other institutional-based forms of health care, providing care to millions of Americans each year.” “In Chelsea, we encourage the support and participation of all citizens to learn more about the home care and hospice concept for elderly, disabled and infirmed,” Picklesimer said. Paige Landry, the sales leader at ExpectCare and their community educator Tracey Denton were on hand to thank the mayor and council for their recognition of the proclamation. “We are a locally-owned, small, family-based, faith-based organization that covers six counties: Jefferson, Shelby, Chilton, St. Clair, Cullman and Walker,” Landry said. “We are very passionate about extending care and leading people to the hands and feet of Jesus; that’s not just for the last breath, but during that journey and progression of their illness. Being able to share this career with our community is so important to us.” The council also approved issuing a General Obligation Warrant bond series 2021. Brad Green, senior vice president from Raymond James, attended the meeting and thanked the
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Mayor Tony Picklesimer stands with ExpectCare employees Tracey Denton and Paige Landry. Photo courtesy of Paige Landry.
city for the opportunity to work with them. “The city was able to have its credit rating affirmed at AA, which is a very, very high rating for any municipality in the state of Alabama, so congratulations — you have a lot to be proud of,” Green said. The city sold bonds with a final, fixed rate of 2.16%. Green said they were able to garner $18 million of orders for a little more than $5 million in bonds. “It’s a testament the public believes in what the council is doing, so keep doing what you're doing and congratulations,” he said. Picklesimer said the city had to borrow $5.4 million but received $6 million for its borrowing and $2.5 million of that will go to the second gym at the Chelsea Community Center. “We’ve also managed the debt services so that in just a few short years, there will be plenty of capacity for another administration behind this one to continue to grow Chelsea,” he said. Lastly, the council approved the purchase of Delta Miscellaneous Receipting Software Module and approved to pay the city’s bills.
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Chelsea City Hall will be closed Christmas Eve; Monday, Dec. 27, for Christmas Day; New Year’s Eve; and Monday, Jan. 3, for New Year’s Day. Staff photo.
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Public buildings and services that serve residents of the 280 Living coverage area have a variety of closing schedules for the Christmas and New Year holidays: ► Shelby County Schools: Closed to students Dec. 17 through Jan. 2; students work remotely Jan. 3-7; students return in person Jan. 10. ► Shelby County offices (including 280 County Services Building): Closed Friday, Dec. 24, for Christmas Eve; Monday, Dec. 27, for Christmas; Friday, Dec. 31, for New Year’s Eve; and Monday, Jan. 3, for the New Year holiday. ► Jefferson County offices (including Hoover satellite office): Closed Dec. 23-24 for Christmas and closed New Year’s Eve. ► North Shelby and Mt Laurel libraries: Closed Dec. 24-26 for Christmas and Dec. 31 through Jan. 2 for the New Year holiday. ► Alabama Department of Revenue Jefferson-Shelby Taxpayer Service Center at Hoover Public Safety Center: Closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. ► Chelsea City Hall: Closed Christmas Eve
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and Monday, Dec. 27, for Christmas Day; also closed New Year’s Eve and Monday, Jan. 3, for New Year’s Day. ► Chelsea Public Library: Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; also closed New Year’s Day. ► Chelsea Community Center: Closing early Christmas Eve and closed Christmas Day; also closed New Year’s Day. ► Hoover City Schools: Closed to students Dec. 22 through Jan. 3; students return Tuesday, Jan. 4. ► Hoover City Hall and city offices in the Hoover Public Safety Center: Closed Christmas Eve and Monday, Dec. 27, for Christmas Day; also closed New Year’s Eve and Monday, Jan. 3, for New Year’s Day. ► Hoover Public Library: Closed Dec. 24-27 for Christmas and Dec. 31 through Jan. 3 for the New Year holiday. ► Hoover Recreation Center: Open 8 a.m. to noon on Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day; open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 26; open 8 a.m. to noon New Year’s Eve; closed New Year’s Day. ► Aldridge Gardens: Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
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A10 • December 2021
280 Living
UAB football’s comeback discussed at luncheon By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE After UAB’s football program was shut down in 2014, no one knew what the future would hold. But seven years later, the program has made a comeback and is thriving thanks to successes both on and off the field. Justin Craft, a former UAB defensive back and member of the Gang of Seven — the group that worked together to bring back UAB football — was one of the people who were instrumental in bringing football back to Birmingham. He and the other executive committee members put their passions and influences together to recruit prominent business leaders to lend their support. “We raised $52 million in 18 months and built a new facility that gives us a chance to win,” Craft said. Craft has strong ties not only to UAB, but also the Chelsea community. His mom and two brothers live in the city and he said it’s a great, family oriented place where he was excited to be to talk about his alma mater. When Craft was looking at schools, he ran into Gene Bartow while on campus at UAB one day in 1995. “He had a great vision for Birmingham and what UAB could be,” Craft said. “The one thing he said that I've neer forgotten was that I could go to any other school and be a part of a great history, or come to Birmingham and you can make history. Honestly that excited me as a 19 year old to hear that and UAB has done just that.” UAB began as a Division I program in 1996 and began with success, including beating LSU, having two first round draft picks and being one of the top five defenses in the country. But when they changed conferences, things changed and UAB got left behind, Craft said. Bill Clark arrived as the new head coach in 2014, only to learn that December that the football program was being shut down. Craft said the turning point was at a breakfast at Birmingham Country Club in May 2015 where he and the rest of the Gang of Seven met with some people who could help and
Chelsea Business Alliance President Donna Bowles stands with Justin Craft, left, and UAB long snapper Xander Echols at the November CBA luncheon. Photo courtesy of Donna Bowles.
laid out how important the football team was from an investment standpoint and community standpoint. Six months later, UAB football was back. Financial supporters from all over Birmingham helped to revive and rebuild the program. Clark stayed with the program throughout the two year hiatus and was there when they were back on the field in 2017. “He helped us remember again that Birmingham and UAB could be a successful athletic
program. His first year back, the team was 6-6 and bowl eligible,” said Craft, who was alumni president at the time. A look at the numbers: UAB has won the conference championship two of the last three years; has won their division the last three years; has been bowl eligible the last five seasons and has led the conference the last three years in a row in attendance. UAB has also been accepted into the American Athletic Conference, which is a partner
with ESPN, meaning more television coverage for the Blazers. Xander Echols, a 2020 graduate of Chelsea High School, also spoke at the luncheon. Echols is the long snapper for UAB and said his transition from Chelsea to UAB has been great. “UAB felt more home than any other place,” Echols said. “Emotion is at the highest it's ever been and it’s the best atmosphere I've seen on a football team.”
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A11
Hoover Public Library opens ‘mini-branch’ in east Hoover
Hoover Public Library employee Lindsay Crawford leads a children’s storytime at the East 59 Café in The Village at Lee Branch shopping center off U.S. 280 in Hoover on Oct. 26. Photo by Jon Anderson.
By JON ANDERSON The Hoover Public Library recently celebrated the opening of a new remote locker and library program location at the East 59 Café in The Village at Lee Branch shopping center off U.S. 280. People with a Jefferson County library card now can request books, movies and other materials online and have them delivered to a locker inside East 59 Café, which is near the AMC movie theater. When they are done with the items, they can return them to the locker as well, preventing the need for a drive across town to the library. The library also has started having a children’s storytime at East 59 Café every Monday at 10:30 a.m. and plans to have an adult program at East 59 Café at least once a week as well, at varying times, Library Director Amanda Borden said. For several years, library officials have had an interest in opening a branch in eastern Hoover to better serve residents in that area, and Borden said she feels like they are sort of getting a little mini-branch with this. To request a book or other item, people can use their Jefferson County library card to place an item on hold on the Hoover Public Library website, then wait for a notification that it has been delivered to the remote locker. If the book or item is in stock at the library, it could be delivered to the locker within a couple of days, Borden said. If it’s already checked out or must be ordered from another Jefferson
County library, it will take longer, just like any other request to put an item on hold, she said. When library patrons arrive at the locker, they can scan their library card and the locker with their item or items will pop open. The individual lockers hold anywhere from five to 10 items, Borden said. Anyone who lives in the city limits of Hoover can get a Jefferson County library card for free, whether they live in Jefferson County or Shelby County, Borden said. People who live outside Hoover and Jefferson County can purchase a library card for $50. Library staff eventually plan to start offering “grab and go” books at the East 59 Café lockers as well, featuring popular titles in lockers with see-through windows. No reservation will be necessary for those books. However, library staff want to assess the demand for requested items before implementing the “grab and go”
books to make sure they have enough space, Borden said. If necessary, they will add another stack of lockers, she said. The new library lockers at East 59 Café were made possible by a federal grant offered through the Alabama Public Library Service. The project cost about $45,000, with federal money covering 80% of that and the city of Hoover picking up the other 20%, Borden said. Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said this is a great opportunity to serve Hoover residents in the eastern part of the city, as well as others in the north Shelby County region who want to use the “fabulous” Hoover Public Library. “This is really a cool space. It’s a beautiful restaurant,” Brocato said. “I hope that this leads to an actual branch on this side of Hoover.” Brocato praised Borden and her staff for the “phenomenal” job they do nurturing Hoover
residents and making sure they get great service. East 59 Café has a location inside the Hoover Library Plaza at 200 Municipal Drive and opened its newest location in The Village at Lee Branch in October of last year. Amber Tolbert, one of the owners of East 59 Café, said bringing the library services into the Lee Branch location has a lot of meaning for her and others in their family business. When they opened their first location in Birmingham’s Eastlake community, which later closed, part of the whole idea was to help build community, Tolbert said. Even more recently “with the pandemic, people are craving a sense of community — a sense of connecting with others,” Tolbert said. Having library programs, such as children’s storytimes, “Lunch and Learn” sessions for adults, trivia nights or game nights, will help accomplish that, she said.
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A12 • December 2021
280 Living
120 townhomes, 3 commercial buildings proposed off U.S. 280 By JON ANDERSON Signature Homes and Terra Equities are asking the city of Hoover to annex 15.5 acres along U.S. 280 to accommodate 120 townhomes and three commercial buildings totaling about 25,000 square feet. The property is at 5352 U.S. 280, directly across from the Walmart SuperCenter. It currently is zoned as a general business district in unincorporated Shelby County and includes a pawn shop, which would be torn down to make way for two restaurants and a 12,600-squarefoot commercial building. Just south of the 4.5 acres of commercial space to be developed by Terra Equities, a little further away from U.S. 280, would be the 11 acres for the 120 townhomes, according to plans submitted to the city of Hoover. Signature Homes President Jonathan Belcher told the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 8 that the residential portion of the development is expected to be a $40 million project. He is proposing two-bedroom or three-bedroom townhomes with roughly 1,600 square feet of space each and likely priced in the high $200,000s. He plans to pattern the development after the Edenton Lofts that Signature Homes developed in 2010 off Cahaba Beach Road, he said. None of the townhomes would have garages, but there would be 225 parking spaces for residents, Belcher said. Based on past experience, he would expect one out of every 10 townhomes to include a child for the Hoover school system, he said. The Hoover school system has greater capacity for handling more children on the east side of the city, he said. The commercial portion of the development, to be handled by Terra Equities, is expected to be a $10.3 million project and include 190 parking spaces for the two restaurants and third commercial building, Belcher said. The commercial property should generate an
This map shows the proposed location off U.S. 280 for three commercial buildings and 120 townhomes, in white in the middle on the south side of U.S. 280, directly across from the Walmart Supercenter. Map courtesy of Signature Homes.
estimated total revenues of $16 million to $17 million a year, Belcher said. That would mean $560,000 to $595,000 in annual sales taxes for the city of Hoover, $640,000 to $680,000 in annual sales taxes for the state, $80,000 to $85,000 in annual sales taxes for Shelby County and $80,000 to $85,000 in annual sales taxes to schools in Shelby County. The commercial property also should generate $44,000 to $45,000 a year in property taxes, while the residential property should generate about $66,000 a year in property taxes for the school system, Belcher said. Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw said he knows there are a lot of technology jobs in the
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nearby Meadow Brook Corporate Park, and he would like to see places for those workers to live close by, so this type of housing in that location is appealing to him. He would like to see some sort of pedestrian connection between the proposed development and Meadow Brook Corporate Park, he said. Belcher said he has not yet reached out to the property owner in between this property and the corporate park to discuss that, but he would be willing to request that. The property that Signature Homes and Terra Equities want to buy is now owned by Sam’s Real Estate Investment Trust and Sharit Real Estate Holdings. The parties are asking
for zoning for the property first and then to be annexed into Hoover if the zoning application is approved. The traffic study by Skipper Consulting (hired by the developer) determined no significant impact on traffic at the traffic light where this will connect with U.S. 280. The biggest impact was a delay of 4-6 seconds for people turning left onto U.S. 280 from the road that connects to this development. The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to consider the zoning case Dec. 13. If approved there, it likely would go to the Hoover City Council for consideration Jan. 17.
280Living.com
December 2021 • A13
Business Happenings NEW OWNERSHIP Simon-Williamson Clinic has joined the Complete Health family of primary care practices at One-Nineteen Health and Wellness, 7191 Cahaba Valley Road, Suite 300, as the organization continues its growth in Birmingham and across the Southeast. Simon-Williamson is the largest primary care company by patients and providers to join the Complete Health group. Simon-Williamson has been caring for patients in Birmingham for more than 80 years and accounts for an additional 34 providers joining the Complete Health team. 205-583-0480, completehealth.com/practice/ complete-health-greystone Cahaba Ridge Eye Care, 3060 Healthy Way, Suite 104, is now Pearle Vision Eye Care. Its services range from comprehensive eye care to prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and contact lenses fittings. It offers the latest styles in designer brands such as Ray-Ban, Vogue and Coach, along with a wide variety of contact lens brands including Acuvue and Air Optix. 205-968-1995, pearlevision.com
NEWS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Kathy and Troy Dooley, regional owners of EXIT Realty of Alabama and Mississippi, 13521 Old Highway 280, Suite. 249, were named Region of the Year for the second time by EXIT Realty Corp. International during the company’s annual awards event recently broadcast throughout the U.S. and Canada. They also achieved the ranking of the No. 2 in franchise sales for the organization for the second consecutive year. 205-848-2228, exitrealty.com/office/birmingham/al Ambiarch Executive Search, 1036 Newbury Lane in Highland Lakes, recently expanded its service offerings with resume/cover letter writing, LinkedIn optimization and career coaching. The veteran-owned boutique executive search firm focused on finding elite talent and creating long-term, collaborative partnerships with orga-
nizations, key opinion leaders and senior executives. 706-566-9328, ambiarch-es.com Brooks Greene, CFO of the Arc of Central Alabama, 6001 Crestwood Blvd., was recently recognized as one of the Birmingham Business Journal's 2021 CFO Award winners. Greene is a resident of Shelby County and has been with the Arc of Central Alabama since 2013. Honorees were chosen from a field of nominations based on contributions to their company, the company’s track record of performance and the CFO’s role in his or her industry and impact in the community. 205-323-6383, arcofcentralalabama.org Harold Sumerford Jr., the CEO of the J&M Tank Lines trucking company, 1100 Corporate Parkway in Meadow Brook Corporate Park, has been named the 77th chairman of the American Trucking Associations board of directors. The American Trucking Associations group is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry, with 50 affiliated state trucking associations. Sumerford has spent more than 40 years in the trucking industry, most in the tank truck sector. He and his brother, Peter Sumerford, president of J&M Tank Lines, took leadership of the company in 2008 following the retirement of their father, Harold Sumerford Sr. Sumerford Jr. is past chairman of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association and National Tank
Truck Carriers. In addition, he and J&M Tank Lines have been longtime members and supporters of the American Transportation Research Institute, Alabama Trucking Association and the Truckload Carriers Association. Sumerford succeeds Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, president and CEO of Garner Trucking, as ATA’s chairman. Under Sumerford’s leadership, J&M Tank Lines has won numerous state and national safety awards and an ATA Mike Russell Trucking Image Award for the company’s work during the pandemic. 800-456-8265, jmtank.com Capstone Building Corp., 1200 Corporate Drive, Suite 350, has completed construction of a 296-unit apartment complex in St. Petersburg, Florida, called Sur Club Apartments. The 320,384-square-foot complex includes two resort-style pools, a clubhouse, fitness center, business center, dog park and media rooms. The project was started in October 2019 with Phillips Development and Realty as the developer and Reese Vanderbilt and Associates as the architect. 205-803-5226, capstonebuilding.com The Hoover City Council on Nov. 1 approved a license for Kamali Creole Kitchen, 611 Doug Baker Blvd., Suite 205, in The Village at Lee Branch shopping center, to sell alcoholic beverages. 205-573-6003, @kamalicreole on Facebook
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A14 • December 2021
280 Living
TEACHING KIDS TO BE STRONG The Greystone location of KidStrong will be the first in the state. They have a tentative grand opening date of Dec. 4 at its location on U.S. 280 in front of Tattersall Park. Photo courtesy of KidStrong.
By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
When KidStrong opens its first local franchise in Greystone, it will spread the idea its founders had four years ago: building kids with stronger bodies, minds and character. The programming at KidStrong is based on three core pillars: brain development (problem solving, mental toughness, focus); character development (leadership, confidence, teamwork, giving back) and physical development (gymnastics, multisports, fitness and ninja). Chris Weber is the area developer and owner of the Greystone franchise. He has been working in franchising for 11 years and was part of the team that brought Orange Theory to the Birmingham market. “I found KidStrong through my business partner,” Weber said. “He was involved in KidStrong when it first started in Frisco, Texas, in 2017 and then became a franchise at the end of 2018. We ended up jumping at this because we wanted to change the lives of parents and kids.” The Greystone location of KidStrong will be the first in the state. It will have a tentative grand opening date of Dec. 4 at its location on U.S. 280 in front of Tattersall Park. In addition to Birmingham, Weber also bought development rights for Louisiana and Huntsville and most recently acquired the northern Atlanta area. He plans to open three to five locations in the greater Birmingham area, the same number in Huntsville and 10 locations in the Atlanta area. Weber said the 4,500-square-foot space of a former mattress store matched exactly with what was needed for the floor plan. It will feature a two-floor setup that allows two classes to run simultaneously. Participants will learn everything from how to shake hands and look people in the eye to how to do a pullup. The concept prepares them
for more than just being athletes; it prepares them to be better people. “We focus on building the whole child,” Webster said. “We have a whole child development mental program and believe fitness is the best place to learn. We teach life skills that help kids be more confident and mentally tough and our brain program focuses on improving mental development, problem solving and creativity.” Each 45-minute class begins with an affirmation: “I am strong, I am brave, I can do this.” Weber said the program is community-focused, and it works to bridge the gap on building skills that aren’t taught in school or in sports. “Our curriculum is science-based and parent
focused,” he said. “We have a team of programmers, everyone from doctors and physical therapists to pediatric occupational therapists, and our board is full of advisers from school boards from physical education.” Classes are for children who can walk up to age 11, and they are segmented by age groups. Parents of children 4 and younger participate in class with their children, and for those ages 5 and older, parents can watch from the lobby. Weber said after about eight weeks in the program, parents can see massive changes in their children. He said kids who are socially shy typically excel at KidStrong, as the programming makes them comfortable with themselves and gives them courage they need.
KidStrong • WHERE: 5403 U.S. 280, Greystone • CALL: 205-778-4280 • WEB: kidstrong.com/greystone
The location will be open seven days a week and offer classes in mornings and afternoons, along with birthday parties and camps. “This is what kids need now more than ever,” Weber said. “Our goal is to change 100,000 kids’ lives.”
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A15
Oak House restaurant coming to Mt Laurel
Oak House will be located in Dunnavant Square in a space is just shy of 2,400 square feet, with seating for 22 at the bar and an additional 60 seats in the dining room. In spring 2022, the outdoor patio will open and seat around 20. Rendering courtesy of Travis Grappo.
By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Travis Grappo has been in the restaurant business for years. He and his family moved to Birmingham from Vero Beach, Florida, in 2007 when he had an opportunity to work as an operating partner with Fleming’s at The Summit. “I’m a native Floridian, and my wife is from Oregon,” Grappo said. “She had no idea what Alabama looked like, and I’d never been anywhere other than Mobile. When we got into Birmingham, we were pleasantly surprised and signed on the dotted line immediately.” After six years with Fleming’s, Grappo had another job opportunity: to start the Metro Diner market in Alabama in 2016. He was quickly promoted the next year to director of operations, and the family headed to Tampa, where they stayed for three years. When the pandemic hit, Grappo’s position with the company was furloughed, so he and his family moved back to Birmingham — specifically, Mt Laurel — in 2020. “We love where we live, and this area has grown,” he said. “It still feels quaint, and it still feels like the suburbs; we love it out here.” When a friend introduced Grappo to Bill Thornton, the landlord for Dunnavant Square, the two had an instant connection. The empty space in Dunnavant Square beside O’Henry’s Coffee would give Grappo the opportunity to start his own restaurant, something he’s always wanted to do. He said he knew Thornton would make a great business partner. “I met Bill and could immediately tell I’d
love for him to be my landlord, and I trusted his vision for the area,” Grappo said. “Who better to have as your partner than your landlord? I knew he would always have my interest in mind. That was a match made in heaven.” Enlisting a group of family and friends to help him choose a name, Grappo said Oak House was the unanimous choice. It’s named for the Double Oak Mountain area in which it is located, and his daughter’s name, Aylah, also means “oak tree” in Hebrew. Grappo had one person in mind for his head chef: Oliver Robinson, his former partner at Fleming’s. The two had kept in touch over the years and weren’t just business partners, but also friends. Robinson had been running his own successful food truck business, and Grappo said it took the two of them sitting down at lunch for about five minutes for him to say yes. “We always said one day we would recreate that Fleming’s partnership we had and do our own thing,”Grappo said. “Here we are in 2021, and it’s coming to fruition. The opportunity for this to happen right here in our neighborhood, it just couldn’t have been written any better.”
Grappo will be joined by his wife, Sarah, as co-owner and is looking forward to the two of them working together. Sarah was instrumental in creating the restaurant’s interior, which features an “eclectic, modern, fresh and inviting environment,” he said. “It’s very much a more contemporary modern version of an upscale restaurant,” Grappo said. “We got away from the dark mahogany and wood colors and wanted to make it a little more clean and bright. An Italian marble top bar will be a focal point upon entering the restaurant.” His vision for the restaurant is a place where people feel like they are downtown but don’t have to make the drive. Oak House will offer a high quality beverage program with amazing hospitality from owners who are there each day. The space is just shy of 2,400 square feet, with seating for 22 at the bar and an additional 60 seats in the dining room. In spring 2022, the outdoor patio will open and seat around 20. Grappo also plans to hire 20 team members, bringing more jobs to the area. Oak House will offer quality, upscale American fare and feature items including steak,
Oak House • WHERE: 300 Carlow Lane (Dunnavant Square off Shelby County 41) • HOURS: 4-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday but plans to offer brunch in 2022
seafood, scallops, seabass and a signature Oak House pasta with sides of macaroni and cheese, sautéed spinach and asparagus. Grappo said he is planning to open Oak House in mid-December. Reservations are highly recommended, and the restaurant will use the Tock platform that will be available on the restaurant’s website, oakhouseeats.com. “I’m a glass-half-full guy; it’s how I look at life,” Grappo said. “I believe there’s a silver lining to everything that happens. Had COVID not happened, we may still be in Tampa, but I was able to pivot and basically make my own success now doing it on my own.”
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A16 • December 2021
280 Living
SoCal Nutrition brings California to Shelby County By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE After Allen Corrigan tried the drinks at 4th and Inches Nutrition in Chelsea, he knew he wanted to open a similar business. He saw that Danny Jones, owner of 4th and Inches, opened his store at the beginning of the pandemic, knew it was thriving and felt he could succeed as well. “These stores have been around for 12 to 15 years, but Danny was one of the first three in the state,” he said. “He brought it here and introduced it. The atmosphere of these clubs created healthy, grab-and-go loaded shakes and loaded teas that you don’t have to go home and make. We’re a health food place, but it doesn't feel like a health food place, but more like an ice cream shop.” He and his wife, Brenda, are both fitness-minded. He has spent time working as a personal trainer, and Brenda co-owns Body By Brii in Chelsea. He said health is always on the forefront of people’s minds. Corrigan, who also works as a real estate agent, found a spot next to The Red Shamrock that faces Shelby County 41 in Mt Laurel and knew it was the right place. He transformed the space to fit his needs in a short amount of time, doing most of the work himself with help from a designer. “When it all came together, I was proud of what it looked like,” Corrigan said. Originally from southern California, Corrigan said he always wanted to open a shop there and had already come up with the name: SoCal Surf Shop. Once the idea for the nutrition shop came to him, he knew exactly what he would call it. He knew he wanted to “bring a little California here.” He designed his logo in 20 minutes, knowing it had to have palm trees and waves. He said Mt Laurel reminds him of Balboa Island where he grew up. SoCal Nutrition opened in mid-October. The space features natural light, a surfboard hanging on the wall and large photos of popular California beaches. Three television screens hang on the wall featuring drink options. He also built the dark stained wooden bar for guests to enjoy their drinks. The expansive menu at SoCal Nutrition features
SoCal Nutrition, a loaded shakes and teas drink shop, recently opened at 46 Manning Place in Mt Laurel. Photos by Erin Nelson.
loaded teas that have 24 calories, four carbs and no sugar, in addition to classic shakes that are great for post-workout or a meal replacement. They are 300 calories at most, with sugars below 15g. “The three critical parts of our business are water, ice and product,” he said. “Our product is already elite and tastes good. We use nugget ice and use a reverse osmosis filtration system.” Corrigan said he loves to come up with concoctions that taste good, and he feels like Willy Wonka creating new mixtures and recipes. He said the menu can be overwhelming with so many options, but he is happy to find something each customer is sure to love. Also working in real estate, Corrigan said he also loves training, teaching and managing people and plans to help others open and operate businesses like his. “Being in real estate, I can help people find spaces and negotiate leases and can train them here,” he said. “I want to help people build this model as long as I can make it successful.” SoCal Nutrition is located at 46 Manning Place in Mt Laurel and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find it on Instagram and Facebook @mysocal nutrition, and orders can be placed on its website, mysocalnutrition.com.
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Allen Corrigan, owner of SoCal Nutrition in Mt Laurel, prepares a Captain America loaded tea at the newly opened store Nov. 1.
280Living.com
December 2021 • A17
Jeremy Clark returns to Brookwood to serve as CEO
Jeremy Clark, the new CEO of the Brookwood Baptist Health system and Brookwood Baptist Medical Center. Clark said he wants to continue to add quality employees and care to the health system. Photo by Erin Nelson.
By NEAL EMBRY Seventeen years after he first began his career at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Jeremy Clark has returned home. Clark, a Birmingham native, is the new CEO of both the medical center and Brookwood Baptist Health, which oversees the center in Homewood along with Brookwood’s diagnostic center on Cahaba Valley Road, Citizens Baptist Medical Center (Talladega), Princeton Baptist Medical Center (Birmingham), Shelby Baptist Medical Center (Alabaster) and Walker Baptist Medical Center (Jasper). Getting the phone call from the board that he had been appointed as the new leader of Brookwood was special, said Clark, who lives in the Mountain Brook area. “It was really incredible,” Clark said. “This is a dream job. It’s just a very special place.” Leading the health system he started his career in is an incredible opportunity, Clark said, and he has plans to help it continue to improve and grow. But first, he has spent time meeting new people and reconnecting with old colleagues and friends. “It’s been great to reconnect with many people I worked with in the past,” Clark said. Clark began at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in 2004 and when he left, was an associate administrator at the hospital. For the past 10 years, he has been leading health care organizations around the Southeast. His most
recent job was leading a health system based in Hilton Head, South Carolina. “With a proven track record of success in growing quality programs, this promotion is a homecoming for Jeremy, who started his career in health care at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center as an associate administrator,” said Dr. Saum Sutaria, the CEO for Tenet Healthcare, Brookwood Baptist Health’s parent company, in a written statement. “He is a proven leader with community commitment to this area, and he is dedicated to ensuring patients receive the highest quality care and service at our hospitals.” Clark said he wants to continue to add quality employees and care to the health system. “We’re going to be looking for ways to continually advance the quality of care we deliver across central Alabama,” he said. “We’re going to be recruiting new positions and new employees to help us bring new services to the various communities we serve.” Along with increasing staff, Clark also will oversee what he said will be the most exciting project over the next few years, the installation
63
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of Brookwood Baptist Medical Center’s new operating room. The Alabama State Certificate of Need Review Board on Sept. 15 granted approval for Brookwood Baptist Medical Center to renovate and replace its operating room. The hospital broke ground for the project Nov. 10. “This important project for our campus will deliver new and updated operating rooms with needed technological advancements, all of which will ultimately improve the experience for our patients, surgeons and staff,” the hospital said in a statement. The new operating room is set to open in early 2023. Clark said it is a $30 million investment to replace the operating suites with 13 new operating rooms, which will be larger than the current rooms and able to handle more advanced surgeries. “We saw this as a great opportunity to reinvest in surgical care and continue to advance the care and be the place that people want to receive care and surgeons want to work,” he said. With other major hospitals in the area, including UAB and Ascension St. Vincent’s,
Clark said making sure Brookwood stays competitive begins with its people and its “outstanding” medical staff. He said he will look to add more surgeons to Brookwood’s team while also investing in the latest technologies to attract both patients and doctors. Like every medical facility, Brookwood was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Clark said he has been struck by the “commitment of our caregivers.” He said the hospital’s COVID-19 population has declined in the past few months, and now patients are returning to seek non-COVID care and elective surgeries. Clark and his wife have two elementary-age children, and he said they were excited to come back home, and so was the rest of his family that still lives in town. As he takes up the mantle of leadership at the hospital, Clark said leading Brookwood is personal. “Brookwood is a special place to me,” Clark said. “Not only did I start my career here, this is where most of my family has received their care for the past 40 years.”
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A18 • December 2021
280 Living
Chamber
County manager gives updates on projects, future plans By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Shelby County Manager Chad Scroggins gave his State of the County presentation during The Shelby County Chamber’s community luncheon Oct. 27. Scroggins highlighted what the county has accomplished over the past two years since the last in-person State of the County luncheon. He said it’s been a challenging time and is thankful to have a strong leadership team in place. “If we just continue to manage Shelby County and the resources we have, we’re going to fall behind,” Scroggins said. “We need leaders who truly lead and make decisions; they’re not just managers in their departments, but leaders in their fields. Since 2020, the county has had: ► A global pandemic; ► A vaccination fight with the state to get the proportionate shares of vaccines for Shelby County; ► A national election; ► A controversy over a potential toll bridge; ► A bid for the largest construction project in 15 years: the new 280 County Services Building; ► The county employee benefits change to stabilize the long-term growth of the financial requirements within the county budget; and ► Sewer legislation Even though the pandemic has been present for most of the past two years, Scroggins said Shelby County
Shelby County Manager Chad Scroggins gave his State of the County presentation during The Shelby County Chamber’s community luncheon Oct. 27. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
operated through it all and was one of two counties that didn’t shut down operations. Shelby County saw a population growth of 5,332 people in fiscal 2021 and now has 223,024 residents. The unemployment rate for the county is 2.1% (compared to the state’s 3.2% and the country’s 5.2%) The 1-cent sales tax brought in
$36,092,500 from October 2020 to July 2021. There were 385 residential building permits from January to August 2021 and 18 commercial building permits for the same time frame. The total county budget for fiscal 2022 is $150,355,318. Scroggins said that’s a significant increase from where it has been in the past. Four of
the main expenditure categories are: ► Public safety: $35,857,252 ► Highway Department (county roads and bridges): $19,007,775 ► Water Services: $21,082,499 (includes some major capital projects) ► Landfill: $12,979,607 (which includes a new cell at the Shelby County landfill). The county was given $42 million in funds by the federal government. The first half came in May. “We aren’t doing any project that doesn’t have a shelf life of at least 20 years,” Scroggins said. “The first project we used a portion of that to create a water line extension of a growth corridor through Chelsea [along] Shelby County 280 running all the way to Harpersville. The other portion will be used to address the need for the county’s radio system to have more capacity and better coverage. We are looking at the best interest of all 808 square miles in the county.” Scroggins said that in many areas, Shelby County is first in categories including per capita income, household median income, unemployment rate, education rate and home median price, but the state of Alabama is at the bottom of national averages. Projects that were wrapped up or started in fiscal 2021 include: ► Independence Hall at American Village; ► Abbey Woolley Park (Alabaster) restroom project and updates
to the courts; ► Alabaster Veterans Park fields ► Joe Tucker Park restrooms and sidewalks ► New pickleball courts at Heardmont Park ► New County Services Building 280 ► A cross-country course around Shelby County 11 ballfields in Chelsea. ► Vincent walking trail ► Inverness Greenway project (adding sidewalks that provide access to the communities on Inverness Parkway) ► New airport hangar at Shelby County Airport ► Vaccination clinics ► Dunnavant Valley Park ► Double Oak Park ► Landfill cell number 5, creating enough space to last for the next 150 years. ► Intersection realignment at the Shelby County 39/47 intersection in Chelsea. Scroggins thanked 58 INC. for its work with economic development in bringing more retail and commercial projects to the county and said his leadership team will continue to plan for the county’s future. “We try to do the right thing, the best thing, but I guarantee you we’re not going to just do nothing,” he said. “We will do whatever it takes to try to progress Shelby County going forward. Our goal is to lead this county to a brighter future than we have right now.”
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A19
Shelby Chamber presents annual Diamond Awards By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The Shelby County Chamber recognized nominees of the annual Shelby County Diamond Awards at a Nov. 4 luncheon. The awards are designed to honor organizations and individuals who help make Shelby County the best place to live and do business in that state. Nominees were chosen from three categories: Nonprofit Organization of the Year, Public Servant of the Year and Citizen of the Year. Nominees were evaluated on three specific criteria: how they have made a positive difference in the county or a specific municipality; their significant accomplishments achieved; and how they have improved the county or a specific municipality. To qualify, the nominated organization or individual had to either operate, work or live in Shelby County. Nominees for Citizen of the Year were: ► Bruce Andrews, Shelby County Arts Council ► Tiffany Bishop, The Onin Group ► David Nolen, volunteer efforts in multiple efforts throughout his career include Shelby County Historical Society, Leadership Shelby County, former Shelby County Economic Development Authority and the chamber of commerce ► Jessie Wade, honoring officers lost to suicide and honoring all of our military heroes ► Martina Winston, volunteer for Pelham Parks, serving on the Pelham Personnel Board, the Junior League and Leadership Shelby County Nominees for Public Servant of the Year were: ► Kevin Morris, Shelby County Commission, District 1 ► Kenneth Paschal, Alabama House of Representatives, District 49 ► Kim Reynolds, office administrator for the Shelby County manager and Shelby County Commission ► Larry Wiggins, mayor of Westover ► Ricky Ruston, City Council Ward 3 and
The winners in each category pose with Shelby Baptist CEO Daniel List, left, Martina Winston, Kim Reynolds, members of M4A and David Nolan. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
mayor for tempore for the city of Columbiana Nominees for Nonprofit of the Year were: ► Blanket Fort Hope ► Calera Main Street ► Hatching Hope ► Jesus Works ► Middle Alabama Agency on Aging (M4A) ► Mosaic Counseling and Wellness ► Second Shift
► Shelby County Arts Council ► Shelby County Historical Society Winners were: ► Public Servant of the Year: Kim Reynolds, Shelby County ► Nonprofit Organization of the Year: Middle Alabama Agency on Aging (M4A) ► Citizen of the Year (two recipients): David Nolen and Martina Winston
“Congratulations to all of our nominees. We truly have some outstanding individuals and organizations operating and living in this county,” chamber President Kirk Mancer said. “We appreciate the commitment and the passion that each of you provide in the time you give and the work that you do to help make Shelby County and all of our communities second to none.”
A20 • December 2021
280 Living
Chamber’s Minute
By The Shelby County Chamber
Your Local Roofers Women’s Business Council
prepares to wrap up 2021 The Women’s Business Council, facilitated by The Shelby County C h a m b e r, has entered its third year. The group has grown from 20-plus women who attended an initial interest meeting in August 2019 to well over 125 active members. In-person meetings resumed this June, and in August, we celebrated WBC’s second anniversary with our monthly meeting at CreACTive Wellness in Alabaster with speaker Lori Newell of Crave Candles giving us a message of hope throughout our often internalized struggles. We welcomed 2021 Health Care Professional of the Year Hannah Stiltner of Soul Story Therapy to Just a Tish in Columbiana in October and will round out the year at Faulkner University with Andrea Huff, owner and operator of plant in Calera, and Alexa James of Blanket Fort Hope at Corbin Farms in Calera for our festive December meeting. “We’ve been lucky to have so much support from the group throughout the pandemic and as we open back up for meetings and events,” said Pari Barzegari,
the chamber’s vice president of community and career development. Barzegari and Jordan Powell spoke during the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama’s fall conference in partnership with The Shoals Chamber’s Olivia Bradford on the importance of women’s programming under the chamber umbrella. Speaking of our hopes for the 2022 year, we aim to grow our innovative group of women business leaders that will meet the diverse needs of the all women in our community. The WBC is an official chamber work group and does require a chamber investment. The Shelby County Chamber encourages you to follow the social media pages for the Women’s Business Council and The Shelby County Chamber for updates and event reminders. If you are a woman in business in Shelby County or a chamber investor and are interested in future WBC meetings, please contact Barzegari at pari@shelbychamber.org. – Submitted by The Shelby County Chamber.
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A21
Events Participants compete in the 2019 Meadow Brook Run 5K and 1-mile fun run races. This year, the event will take place Dec. 18, beginning at 9 a.m. Photo courtesy of Suman Silwal.
Shelby County celebrating art in Columbiana with holiday market By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The Shelby County Arts Council’s annual Holiday Artist Market is back for another year. Lyndsey Dyess, Arts and Education manager for the Shelby County Arts Council, is organizing the event, which has been happening for a decade. Dyess said this year’s market will be “slightly more relaxed” than last year, but vendors will be spaced out inside the building, hand sanitizer stations will be Guests shop at the 2020 Holiday Market at the Shelby available and masks are encour- County Arts Center. Local artisans will bring their handmade items to this year’s event set for Dec. 3-4 aged indoors, but not required. in Columbiana. Photo courtesy of Deanna McCombs. The preview party will take place Friday, Dec. 3, from 6-8 p.m., giving shoppers a first look at items being offered in the sale with some of the artHoliday Artist Market ists onhand. Dyess said there will be complimentary light refreshments and drinks along • WHERE: Shelby County Arts with some holiday music by one of the center’s Center, Columbiana music instructors. • WHEN: Preview party 6-8 p.m. The full market day will be Saturday, Dec. Dec. 3; market 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 4 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Artists will be spread • COST: Free out on both sides of the Grande Hall and the • WEB: shelbycountyartscouncil.com art gallery at the Shelby County Arts Center in downtown Columbiana. Approximately 38 local artisans will have their fine arts and crafts available for purchase. SCAC along with our members.” Several food trucks will be onsite at lunch Options will be at various price ranges and include paintings, pottery, fiber art, photog- on Saturday, and Santa will be set up outside raphy, jewelry, woodworking, fused glass, the entrance for families to take their own stained glass artists, door hangers and more. photos from 10 a.m. to noon. “We have a lot of returning artists and also All proceeds go to the artists. Admission to some new artists this year,” Dyess said. “A the event is free. For more information, visit couple of them include our teachers at the shelbycountyartscouncil.com.
Meadow Brook Run back for 27th year By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The 27th annual Meadow Brook Run, a popular December 5K race, is slated for Saturday, Dec. 18. Late registration and packet pick up will take place on race day between 7:30-8:45 a.m. The 5K run begins at 9 a.m. at the USAmeriBank’s Meadow Brook branch, followed by a 1-mile fun run at 10 a.m. Walkers and pets on leash are welcome. An awards ceremony and prize drawings will take place at 10:30 a.m. and feature awards for the top male/female overall/masters and the top 3 in the following age brackets: younger than 10, 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, and 75 and older. A $15 to $25 minimum donation is suggested, and voluntary tax-deductible contributions benefit “The Jesus Video Project of Alabama,” a 501(c)(3) sharing the good news. T-shirts are guaranteed for those who pre-register by Dec. 14. There will be a “Taste of 280” with food from Jimmy John’s, Chick-fil-A, Papa John’s, The Fresh Market, Earth Fare, Golden Flake,
Meadow Brook Run • WHERE: USAmeriBank’s Meadow Brook branch, 1100 Corporate Parkway • WHEN: Dec. 18; registration 7:308:45 a.m.; 5K 9 a.m.; fun run 10 a.m. • COST: $15 to $25 minimum donation is suggested • WEB: facebook.com/meadowbrook-runs-176065945811325/
Bud’s Best Cookies, Ashley Mac’s, Smoothie King, Buffalo Rock, Starbucks and Jason’s Deli, plus with hot chocolate and cider from Valley National Bank. The event will also feature gift bags with coupons from area merchants; a release of lovebirds in special memory of Ellis Porch and Richard Tankersley; “Flowers For Finishers” provided by Norton’s Florist; and a Christmas gift drawing. For more information or to register, visit facebook.com/meadow-brookruns-176065945811325/.
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A22 • December 2021
280 Living
Santa Claus makes an appearance at the Alabama Wildlife Center craft and bake sale in 2016. Photo courtesy of AWC.
The Chelsea High School Marching Band performs during the 2020 Chelsea Christmas parade. The event is each year on the Saturday before Christmas. Photo courtesy of Wayne Morris.
Annual parade aims to bring Christmas joy to Chelsea AWC holiday event returns to Veterans Park on Dec. 11 22nd annual Chelsea By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The Alabama Wildlife Center will host its Holiday Celebration and Craft and Bake Sale again this year so people can get some Christmas shopping done while helping a good cause. The event will take place at Veterans Park on Valleydale Road on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “This event will feature the opportunity to meet AWC education birds of prey, share your holiday wish list with Santa, shop for one-of-akind. nature-themed gifts, and simplify holiday entertaining,” AWC Executive Director Doug Adair said. “Money raised will benefit the Alabama Wildlife Center’s critical environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation mission.” Local artists from throughout Alabama will have handmade crafts and original artwork. At the bake sale, guests can purchase homemade casseroles, baked goods, smoked hams and more, taking some of the work out of holiday entertaining.
Holiday Celebration and Craft and Bake Sale • WHERE: Veterans Park • WHEN: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 11 • WEB: alabamawildlifecenter.org
“These items are created and donated by friends of the AWC who support our work with all the proceeds from the sales going back to the wildlife center,” Adair said. The wildlife center will also have its education raptors for guests to see, along with a birds of prey show. For anyone who would like to donate items for sale to benefit the wildlife center at the event, contact the AWC before the event. Monetary donations are always welcomed, and a wish list of items is available on its website, alabamawildlifecenter.org.
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The annual Chelsea Christmas Parade returns this month for the 22nd year. Always held the Saturday before Christmas, it will take place Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. The parade route will begin at Chelsea Middle School and end behind the WinnDixie. Spectators can grab a spot anywhere along the route to enjoy the sights and sounds of the parade, which will have music by the Chelsea High School Band. Gerri Roberts, Geographical Information Systems coordinator for the city, said there will be at least 14 professional floats featured, as well as several amateur ones. Roberts added that she doesn’t believe the construction at Shelby County 39 and Shelby County 47 will hamper the event in any way. The parade usually draws a crowd of around 3,000. The grandstands will be located behind Winn-Dixie. Following the parade, the Jingle Mingle event will take place outside the Chelsea Community Center from noon-3 p.m. Chelsea First Lady Cindy Picklesimer and Community Center Programs Director Jane
Christmas Parade
• WHERE: Route begins at Chelsea Middle School and ends behind Winn-Dixie • WHEN: 10 a.m. Dec. 18 • COST: Free • WEB: cityofchelsea.com Ann Mueller coordinate the event, which is now in its fifth year. “We moved the event outside last year, and it was so successful, and everybody loved it,” Mueller said. “It was a cool, crisp day, and it felt Christmasy.” Santa and Mrs. Claus, other characters, along with a balloon artist will be there. Guests can also see a puppet show and enjoy bounce houses. The Chelsea Public Library will be on hand giving away books. Families can take their own photos with Santa and children can share their wish list with him. For more details, visit cityofchelsea.com.
280Living.com
December 2021 • A23
Santa will be visiting The Summit daily through Christmas Eve. Reservations can be made online, and walk-ups are also available. Photo courtesy of The Summit.
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Santa, Mrs. Claus to visit The Summit for holidays By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The Summit will be hosting two events this month to celebrate the holiday season. On Dec. 9, Mrs. Claus will be hosting an interactive workshop to celebrate National Christmas Card Day from 4-7 p.m. All ages are invited to come create and decorate cards, enjoy a storytime and have their photo made with Mrs. Claus. The workshop is free. The cards may be addressed to Santa or The Summit will donate to a local nursing home. Santa will also be at The Summit daily through Christmas Eve in his workshop in Saks Plaza. Visits and photos can be booked online, and walk-ins are welcome. Traditional photos will be available, along with a contactless photo. Those without an appointment can use the text wait system, or reservations can be made at thesummitsanta.com. Through Dec. 24, hours are Monday through
Visit with the Clauses • WHERE: The Summit • WHEN: Interactive workshop with Mrs. Claus 4-7 p.m. Dec. 9; photos with Santa daily through Dec. 24 • WEB: thesummitsanta.com
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon-6 p.m. Reservations can be made at thesummitsanta.com. In addition to photos with Santa, Glenwood’s Pecans will have a pop-up shop inside Santa’s workshop with a variety of options for purchase. A portion of sales will go to their 501(c) (3) Pecans for Autism, benefiting those with autism and sensory needs. For more information, visit glenwood.org.
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A24 • December 2021
280 Living
Community Have a community announcement? Email Leah Ingram Eagle at leagle@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
Inverness group to host community training at The Exceptional Foundation By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE The Inverness-based Interaction Advisory Group LLC is working to lead the effort to improve interactions with law enforcement and other first responders. It recently announced a collaboration with The Exceptional Foundation to hold training sessions at its location in Homewood. Both groups believe true inclusion and acceptance for all individuals with special needs is integral for the future. Their collective goal is to improve the interactions between those with special needs and society at large through customized special needs awareness and training. “IAG is very excited about this collaboration and are very grateful to The Exceptional Foundation for their support of IAG’s mission,” said Dustin Chandler, co-founder and president of IAG. “This allows us to reach more families and assist them with preparing for emergency situations, such as a wandering event, or simply encountering police. The collaboration with The Exceptional Foundation will allow IAG to have a centrally located training facility for the first responder training, which is specifically designed for first responders, public service officials, private sector workers including teachers and hospitality professionals, caregivers, self-advocates and community members. It will include a combination of real-world scenarios and demonstrations that allows responders to put their learning into the proper context of their day-to-day profession. As part of the training, IAG will assist attendees with developing “Safety Action Plans” and provide advice on achieving safe interactions with law enforcement.
Dustin Chandler, right, with Columbiana Police Chief Jeff Bowers, left, and Lt. Sasha Lilly Knighten. The Columbiana Police Department completed training with IAG in September. Photo courtesy of Dustin Chandler.
IAG was co-founded by Chandler, a special needs advocate and Inverness resident, and Kirchner Group, a boutique firm that has been helping companies create value while promoting values since 1985. The Exceptional Foundation works to enhance the quality of life for individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities. It provides social and recreational activities designed to promote healthy living, support social relationships, improve functional skills and foster
community involvement. “The Exceptional Foundation believes that the work the Interaction Advisory Group does is absolutely essential,” said Robbie Lee, public relations director for The Exceptional Foundation. “We are thrilled about this partnership and are so excited to help share IAG’s imperative message with not only our participants and their caregivers, but with first responders and the community at large as well. The training that IAG provides makes
our community a more inclusive, understanding place, and we are excited to be a part of it.” The first community development training event will take place Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. Any community member or first responder interested in training can email info@interactionadvisorygroup.com to learn more. To stay updated on upcoming training dates, follow the Interaction Advisory Group on Facebook.
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A25
Stuff the Bus drive nets more than 430,000 diapers for families in need By CARLA DAVIS ALABAMA NEWSCENTER From Sept. 24 through Oct. 3, drivers along U.S. 280 could see a large school bus parked in front of the Target shopping center. Volunteers were holding signs and accepting donations of diapers for the Bundles of Hope diaper drive. The effort came about after a small group of women at Mountain Chapel United Methodist Church in Birmingham hosted a baby shower for a struggling, single mom seven years ago, and they recognized the need went far beyond one person. That simple shower led to the launch of Bundles of Hope, Birmingham’s only nonprofit diaper bank. “Some of the women in our group had recently come back from a mission trip overseas,” said Lindsay Gray, executive director of Bundles of Hope. “While helping people overseas is amazing, we realized there is mission work all around us.” That’s when the women decided to find a way to help the moms in need in their own backyard. “We thought, ‘What do moms really, really need?’ and diapers came up,” Gray said. “We realized there was nothing in the community that focused on providing diapers to these moms.” The group went to work to organize and host a diaper drive. After that first event, they knew they “were on to something,” Gray said. Babies often use eight to 10 diapers every day, which can cost up to $100 a month. Nationwide, one in three families need diapers. Child care facilities require babies and toddlers to use disposable diapers, a hardship for working mothers who can’t afford them. To meet the ongoing need, the group formed Bundles of Hope, which has distributed more than 3 million diapers to families across Alabama since 2015. “Alabama is among the most impoverished states in the country, and many families need
“
About 70,000 diapers for Bundles of Hope’s annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive sit inside a school bus positioned on the side of U.S. 280 in 2017. This year, Bundles of Hope hosted its annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive Sept. 24 through Oct. 3 and collected 430,197 diapers. Staff photo.
At the end of the day, diapering is what we are called to do. But we do it to encourage and support families. That’s what we should be doing: helping families, whether it’s by giving them food, clothing or diapers.
”
LINDSAY GRAY
the support we can give them,” Gray said. “Diapers are super expensive. By giving parents and caregivers diapers, we are encouraging them and letting them know they are doing a great job.” On Oct. 3, Bundles of Hope wrapped up its seventh annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive. During the 10-day drive, passersby dropped off 430,197 diapers, repeatedly filling a school bus that was parked on U.S. 280 on a gravel easement near the Target shopping center. Bundles of Hope also received monetary donations that will be used to buy diapers, pullups, wipes and other baby necessities. Bundles of Hope distributes diapers through more than 40 community agencies and partners, including food pantries, shelters, foster care facilities, churches and Children’s of Alabama hospital. Families in need can pick up free packages of diapers and other baby supplies at the Changing Station, the Bundles of Hope diaper distribution center in downtown Birmingham.
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“We bundle the diapers into packs of 25, so everyone gets the same number,” said Southern Company environmental solutions engineer Ashley Grissom, who coordinated APSO’s involvement in the project for the fourth consecutive year and regularly volunteers at the Changing Station. Collecting diapers is not a one-time effort. In September alone, Bundles of Hope partnered with churches and other groups to host more than 70 drives across the community. The organization is on track to distribute 1 million diapers in 2021.
Monetary donations are welcome. Because the organization buys in bulk from manufacturers, a dollar goes a long way, Gray said. “At the end of the day, diapering is what we are called to do,” she said. “But we do it to encourage and support families. That’s what we should be doing: helping families, whether it’s by giving them food, clothing or diapers.” Bundles of Hope accepts diapers in new or opened packages, and the most needed sizes are size 6 and pullups. For more information or to donate, visit bundlesdiaperbank.org. – Edited for space by 280 Living.
A26 • December 2021
280 Living Copeland Pace, a resident of The Bluffs at Greystone, celebrated his 105th birthday Oct. 22. A party was held in his honor that afternoon, complete with family, friends and other residents along with his favorite coconut cake. A representative from the Hoover mayor’s office was on hand to deliver a proclamation and a key to the city. Photos courtesy of The Bluffs at Greystone.
Greystone resident Copeland Pace marks his 105th birthday By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Copeland Pace moved into The Bluffs at Greystone this summer and came in as the oldest resident at the senior living community. Not only is he the only centenarian there, but he has been one for five years. Pace turned 105 on Oct. 22 and was given a special birthday party, complete with family, friends and other residents along with his favorite coconut cake. A representative from the Hoover mayor’s office was on hand to deliver a proclamation and a key to the city. Residents from Phoenix Senior Living communities sent him birthday cards and the goal was to get at least 105. Pace enjoys basketball and walking in his free time. To keep up to date with news, he said he doesn't watch much TV but just listens to what people tell him. He said he doesn’t have to use his walker, but he does. When asked how he feels, Pace said, “I feel great; I’ve got no aches or pains.” He said he plans on living “a lot longer,” and the secret to a long life was good food and behaving himself. “I’m doing alright to be 105,” he said.
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280Living.com
December 2021 • A27
Have you ever thought of taking a bucket list trip with your banker? Your banker may not be the first person to pop into your mind when you think about travel, but at Valley Bank, we can help you take a memorable trip with no stress. Meet the Valley Bank Prestige Program. This senior-focused program offers unique travel experiences with all-inclusive price tags and plenty of added bonuses. Since 1988, the program has taken travelers to places like Africa, the Amalfi Coast, the Greek Isles and the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada. “On a Prestige trip, they look after every detail for you, which eliminates all the hassle,” said Birmingham retiree Sandy Ridgeway, who took a Prestige trip in late September to upper New York State and Long Island. The trip included everything from visiting the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park and having lunch at the Oheka Castle hotel on Long Island’s Gold Coast to taking a cruise on the Hudson River and touring The Hamptons. “Our guide had visited and researched all the destinations ahead of time, so he knew all the history and facts about each place we went to,” Sandy said. “I learned a lot, had so much fun, and made friends along the way.” Being a part of a small travel group run by professionals also means you can bypass lines and get access to opportunities the average traveler would not have the opportunity to enjoy. Here are four other major benefits related to traveling with Prestige: • We understand how to travel in this challenging time. Travel has changed, and since the pandemic upended our world, planning can be overwhelming to tackle on your own these days. With the Prestige program, you can be confident that we’ll take care of every detail so that the trip is turnkey for you. • You’ll make great connections. Being with other travelers with similar interests offers a great opportunity to make friends and to be with people you trust. • The trip will help building your banker relationship. A strong relationship with your banker provides insights for both you and your banker. By deepening your relationship with Valley Bank, we can better understand your needs and your goals. • Your trip provider will be first class. Since Prestige partners with providers that focus on working with travel clubs, you can expect that the transportation, meals, accommodations and guides will be handpicked and among the best in the industry. Whether you are returning to travel for the first time in years or are a seasoned expert, you can take advantage of all that Valley’s Prestige Program has to offer. Ask a Valley banker about the program, or visit valley.com/Prestige for more information.
Nannette Smith Sheaffer is the Prestige Manager and Marketing Specialist for Valley Bank, based out of Birmingham, and has accompanied Prestige customers around the world. ©2021 Valley National Bank. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. Equal Housing Lender. All Rights Reserved.
A28 • December 2021
280 Living
Faith Life Actually By Kari Kampakis
10 things to do when your teen is mad at you Nothing breaks a parent’s heart more than arguing with your child. Even when a debate is needed, it’s painful and unsettling to be at odds with the person for whom you would walk through fire. During the teenage years, the tension can escalate as teenagers push boundaries in their search for independence. This pushing helps them grow up and form an identity and life apart from their family. For parents in the trenches, it can be scary and unnerving. It’s not always clear how to find the right balance between loving your teenager and still being their parent, correcting the attitudes and behavior that may hurt them long-term while keeping a strong relationship. Like all parents, I’ve done many things right and many things wrong. What I’ve realized over time is how it’s possible to argue well and recover from mistakes if our hearts stay in the right place. With that in mind, here are steps that we can take when the tension gets high. 1. Give your teenager the space to process their thoughts and feelings. Let them have time alone in their bedroom (if they want) because that’s the only room in the house that belongs solely to them. 2. Calm down, pray and get your mind in a rational place. Ask God to help you see the situation clearly, set your pride aside and guide you through the conflict. 3. Try to empathize and understand
your teenager’s point of view. Even if you disagree with them, putting yourself in their shoes and remembering yourself at their age can keep you from overreacting or reacting in a way that makes your child shut down. It’s possible to stay strong while still showing compassion for how they feel. 4. Seek good counsel after big fights. Especially if you’re unsure or doubting yourself, talk to someone who gives good advice: your spouse, your mom, your wise best friend. If they agree with your decision, you’ll feel more confident to stick by it. If they tell you you’re being too strict, too lenient, too dictatorial or too acquiescing, you can reflect on their observations and talk them over with God. 5. Circle back around after you’ve both had time to calm down. Apologize for your mistakes (“I’m sorry I lost my temper; I plan to work on that and do better next time”) and remind your teenager that even when you argue, you still love them with all your heart. If they pick another fight, don’t take the bait. If they give you the cold shoulder, don’t take it personally. If they open up and talk, don’t catalog all the reasons why they are wrong. Instead, listen closely, encourage respectful honesty and talk about how to move forward and grow from this experience. 6. Buy your teenager’s favorite food. Present it as a peace offering or to remind them that you are on their team, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
7. Remember how conflict is a part of life, and learning healthy ways to work through it is a crucial life skill. Even in marriage, the No. 1 predictor of success is how well the couple can resolve conflict, according to John Gottman, America’s top couple’s therapist. By teaching your teenager how to respectfully work through their differences with you (a secure relationship where they can make mistakes and not lose your love) you set them up to thrive in other relationships, too. 8. Remember, too, that the ultimate goal is to fight for your teenager, not with your teenager. Choose your battles wisely and save arguments for what really matters. If every conversation gets heated (or turns into a lecture/lesson), your teenager will tune you out and look elsewhere for advice. 9. Be patient with your teenager just as God is patient with you. Every relationship consists of two imperfect sinners doing the best they can with what they know at the time. Like you, your child is a work-in-progress, and they need grace and room to grow. Be the first person to believe in them and the last person to lose faith in them. Remember we are all on this journey together: making mistakes, learning and being transformed through Christ. 10. Let God love you as you love your child. While some fights end quickly, others take time. Find comfort in knowing that God
cares about you and understands. He is close to broken-hearted and can heal, strengthen, and deepen any relationship that seeks to honor Him. Parenting would be easier if we just didn’t care. If we didn’t set rules or boundaries, we wouldn’t get pushback. At the same time, our teenagers need us to care. They need us to have their backs, look out for their well-being, and teach them how to thrive. So when your teenager pushes your buttons, stop and take a deep breath. Don’t lash out or speak out of anger. Instead, aim for reconciliation. Show love even when there’s not a quick fix. One day, when your teenager is grown, they’ll understand your decisions better. They’ll have a blueprint they can follow. They’ll know how to respond when conflicts arise — and apply the lessons they learned through tensions with you to build better and stronger relationships. Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis is a Birmingham-area mom of four girls, author, speaker and blogger. Her new book for moms, “Love Her Well: 10 Ways to Find Joy and Connection with Your Teenage Daughter,” is now available on Amazon, Audible and everywhere books are sold. Kari’s two books for teen and tween girls — “Liked” and “10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know” — have been used widely across the country for small group studies. Join Kari on Facebook and Instagram, visit her blog at karikampakis.com or find her on the “Girl Mom” podcast.
Opinion Sean of the South By Sean Dietrich
A tree salesman, Brownie and the spirit of Christmas Trees everywhere. Big balsam firs. The old man who runs the Christmas tree lot is almost 73. He keeps a small travel trailer, 16 feet, with a television, a bed and a microwave. When things are slow, he’s inside, eating his TV dinner. He has a dog. The dog’s name is Brownie. He doesn’t even remember how he named this dog because Brownie is pure white. “He pees all the time,” says the old man, poking a fork at his dinner. “Brownie loves to pee on people’s tires; I don’t know why.” The old man is a friendly salesman. When customers look at his trees, he accompanies them and entertains. He has a little routine, complete with jokes, and hard candy for the kids. Sometimes horehounds, which is a candy I haven’t had in ages. My grandfather used to eat horehounds. “I used to give out caramel chews,” the old man says, “but they’re expensive.” Brownie runs all over, wandering between trees. He checks on people and gets free rubdowns from anyone who will touch him. “Yeah, he’s a little Cassanova,” says the man. “Never met a stranger, and never met a car tire he don’t wanna tee-tee on.” The old man’s son helps manage the lot. But he and his son aren’t “super close,” as the man puts it. The old man admits that he walked out on his son and his family when his son was a little boy. Years later, they reunited, but it’s been slow going. “When you screw up like I did,” says the man, “there’s no coming back from it. All
you can do is try to be in your family, free of charge. He kid’s life, be a friend.” also brought a truck full of There are customers at toys and gifts for the kids. the tree lot tonight. A young “I pretty much just went to family. The old man leaves Kmart and bought everything, his TV dinner to help them. even stuff for the parents. I They have two kids: a boy didn’t have the money to do and a girl. The man does it, I was broke, man, but I just his usual routine, a joke or couldn’t stand thinking those two, some candy. Mom and people couldn’t even afford Dad settle on a tree, and a tree, and the kids wouldn’t the old man asks the kids get nothing.” for approval. They give the He says he felt bad afterDietrich thumbs up. ward, not warm and fuzzy He ties up the tree. He and like he’d expected. He felt his son strap the thing to the top of the family like he’d intruded, like he’d insulted their minivan. But the old man has a few more pride. The last thing he wanted to do was to tricks up his sleeve. embarrass hard working parents on tough Before they leave, he refunds the money times. back to Dad. Secretly. “Merry Christmas,” he “But I must’a done the right thing,” he whispers to the young man behind the wheel. says, because the next day he had more busiDad is dumbfounded. He asks why the old ness than he could stand. He had so many man is doing this. Later, I asked the old man customers buy trees that he sold out. He made the same thing. more money in a few hours than he expected “Aw, I just had a feeling,” the old man tells to make all year. me. “Sometimes I get these feelings.” “I couldn’t keep none of the cash,” he He gets a lot of feelings. He gives a lot said. “It just felt wrong, like, you know, like of trees away — sometimes to people who it wasn’t meant to be spent on me.” are well-off, sometimes to people who aren’t. So he gave all the profits to a local church, which he found in the phonebook. He gave Sometimes he even delivers them. “One time,” he tells me, “When I was anonymously because he likes it that way. younger, this couple came around wanting a Then he ordered more trees. tree, they had a bunch of kids, I could tell they A few days later, he sold out again. This didn’t have a pot to pee in …” He stops. “I’m time, he made even more money than the last sorry, can I say that word in your article?” time. One night, he delivered a tree to this “I was starting to get creeped out,” he said.
He got rid of the profits again. This time, he bought toys and he donated them to several needy families he’d heard about from a local organization. “My son and I dropped the gifts off in the middle of the night. Left everything on needy people’s porches. We were crying all night long, man. Intense, you know?” We are interrupted again. Another family is looking at trees. The children are inspecting the branches. He approaches them. He goes through his song and dance again. Dad is laughing. Mom is smiling. The children are happy. And when he gives the kids candy, everyone’s faces light up like, well … Christmas trees. They buy a tree. The old man straps the fir to the family Chevy. Before they leave, the old man leans toward the father in the driver’s seat. He gives the man his money back. Dad looks like he’s shocked. He says, “What’s this for?” “I do this sometimes,” the old man says. “It’s just my way of saying Merry Christmas. Now get outta here.” And in the true undying spirit of Christmas, before the family drives away into the night, call it a gesture of goodwill toward men, Brownie pees on the Chevy’s back tire. Sean Dietrich is a columnist and novelist known for his commentary on life in the American South. He has authored nine books and is the creator of the “Sean of the South” blog and podcast.
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WILLIAMS
CONTINUED from page A1 her research and talked to different county leaders and other tourism managers to find out what the day-to-day operations were. “Reading the description and thinking about where the position could take Shelby County was really exciting,” she said. “I feel like everything I have done has led me into this position.” Williams applied, along with 80 other applicants. She went through the two-phase interview process, and after receiving the job offer, she was hired and started a month later. The three main roles of her position are event planning and recruiting; marketing and branding; and serving as the executive director of Leadership Shelby County, a group she was already involved with. With Carol Bruser, the former director of LSC, stepping away from the role, the board decided to combine that position with the tourism and events position. “Having LSC under the county better aligns it with the goals and mission of the organization,” Williams said. Williams graduated from LSC in 2012, began serving on the board in 2013 and has remained involved since. She said she has been implementing ways to run the program more efficiently. “In my first year as director, being involved from the selection process to setting up each class day has been eye opening and rewarding to know the full circle of the entire program,” she said. On the tourism side, Williams said her goal is to appeal to three different types of tourists: residents, who are the greatest ambassadors for the county; leisure travelers, who come for events like concerts at the Shelby County Arts Center’s Black Box Theater or to visit Oak Mountain State Park, the largest state park in Alabama; and those who come for a specific event and come back by choice. “I began to look at how impactive [this position] could be for our county and how we could make it more of an attractive destination place,”
Shelby County Tourism and Events Manager Kendall Williams at the 1996 Soccer Fields on U.S. 280. The county recently joined the Sports Events and Tourism Association, a national organization that helps match the rights holders/event planners to destinations that would be a good fit for their event. Photo by Erin Nelson.
she said. “What I’ve found is that no matter what your interests are, there’s something here for you in Shelby County,” she said. Shelby County is already host to several large annual events, including the XTERRA triathlon at Oak Mountain State Park. Williams said it was nice to come from the event planning side to being a partner for the event. “I think having been on the actual event organizer side gave me a unique perspective,” she said. “We don’t just support the event financially, but let them use ATVs to get people around, digital signs to help advertise, the city of Pelham provides police officers. That’s the mentality that has helped drive what we’ve done over the last six months: We just want to be a good partner for these events.” During a presentation she made at a Shelby County Chamber meeting earlier this year, Williams pointed out some other popular spots in
the county that host events. The Pelham Racquet Club hosts many tennis tournaments, and the Pelham Civic Complex hosts a national qualifier billiards event. Many BUSA and club soccer tournaments are hosted in different municipalities and at the 1996 fields on U.S. 280. Additionally, the 4H Center in Columbiana hosts many corporate events, and Lay Lake is on the Alabama Bass Trail and hosts tournaments that bring up to 350 boats a day. “We also recently joined the Sports ETA (Events and Tourism Association), a national organization that helps match the rights holders/event planners to destinations where their events would be a good fit,” she said. Williams said tourism is important to the county because the lodging tax that comes from hotels, and the residual sales tax from people getting gas, eating in restaurants and shopping in local stores bring in money. That money can
STUDY
CONTINUED from page A1 will be hearing it.” Picklesimer added that the decision to form a school system will be a vote of Chelsea citizens, and the meeting was to begin the process of learning what that vote will be about and what the requirements to accomplish that would be. “The citizens of Chelsea will make the decisions whether or not we move forward with the recommendation,” Picklesimer said. The work session was open to the public, although no public comments were taken, and it was also livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page. Copies of the study were available at the meeting and also posted on the city’s website. The Criterion K-12 Consulting Group was commissioned in June to handle the study, which was not to make a recommendation for or against a new school system, but to provide the necessary data that would be required to do so. The architecture firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood was tasked with completing an assessment of the current Chelsea High School and providing information regarding a new high school. Representing The Criterion Group were Phil Hammonds, a lifelong educator who has served in many capacities in school systems all around Alabama and also as superintendent of Jefferson County Schools; Kim McPherson, CPA with Criterion; and Frank Costanzo, a retired school superintendent. Gary Owen, vice president and Birmingham office leader for Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, presented a report regarding the state of the current Chelsea High School and the costs associated with building a new one and also created a program for a potential new school to accommodate between 850-900 students. The total budget for a new high school was projected at $82,140,000. Presented during the meeting was an overview of funding for K-12 schools in Alabama, student transportation, pro forma budgets, additional revenues that would be necessary to support a new school system, transportation costs, longterm debt service and revenue streams needed to maintain a one-month operative reserve.
The Nov. 18 specially called work session to review the findings of a school system development feasibility study was open to the public, although no public comments were taken, and it was also livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Of the two proposed plans, one included only students living in the Chelsea city limits and the other included those zoned for the town of Westover, should they vote to be annexed into Chelsea. Castanzo presented information on transportation. In the Chelsea student attendance zone, the average number of students transported daily is 1,263, which would require 38 buses, (30 regular, three for special education, four spare buses and one spare special education bus.) It would require 40 transportation positions, including 33 bus drivers. McPherson created the pro forma budgets and said she believed in conservative budgeting. Revenue for a new school system would total 55% from the state, 41% from local sources and 4% from federal funds. Local tax revenues within the Chelsea city limits only would total $10.7 million dollars and $11.7 million when the town of Westover was included. Federal revenues within the Chelsea city limits only would total $1.2 million dollars and $1.4 million when the town of
Westover was included. Approximately 328 educators would be needed for those students within the Chelsea city limits, and the number would increase to 353 when combined with the town of Westover. Along with a one-month operating reserve of $1.8 million, which is required by the state of Alabama, the city would also have to take on the debt of what is currently owed on the schools. “You would be pulling $20 million total debt that applies to the schools currently in the Chelsea area,” McPherson said. “This is pretty heavy debt to take on, but it’s typical.” So how much would city residents have to pay for the new system and new high school? Eleven mills of taxation would be required just to reach one month of operating reserve, along with another 11 mills to fund a new high school for a total of 22 mills. Costanzo shared three scenarios for different options ranging from 22 mills to 33 mills: ► Impact of 33 mills: Includes everything in the report. This would include 11 mills for
be used to invest back into the communities to improve the quality of life for residents and also provide a better visitor experience. In 2019, the budget included $2,342,305 from lodging taxes. That number took a hit during the pandemic, dropping to $1,757,119 but was back up in 2021 at $2,194,315, coming in at $800,000 over what had been budgeted. Williams will work to find out why certain events aren’t being held in Shelby County and what could be done to get them here. “If it’s infrastructure and facilities, maybe we can build the structure or improve existing facilities to perhaps draw in the event next year,” she said. “Part of the job I’m learning is how we can grow to attract those different events.” One improvement for visitors, as well as residents, is trail maintenance and improvements. A project that recently got underway includes the Double Oak Park (at Shelby County 43) and Dunnavant Valley Park (at Shelby County 41). The county bought 750 acres of land for trails that will be used for mountain biking, hiking and running. “Being in the planning stages has been eye opening,” Williams said, “to think about the front end from the event side when mapping out trails and how we can build those to accommodate and be attractive to new events in the area. I’m learning stuff every day.” Shelby County will also host several events during the 2022 World Games that begin in July. Four confirmed events will be at Oak Mountain State Park, including wakeboarding, canoe marathon, waterskiing and middle distance orienteering. “There are lots of details to work out to make it the best fan experience with the actual infrastructure that we have,” Williams said. If there was a benefit to the pandemic, Williams said it allowed people to look in their own backyard and discover things that had been there all along, which they never had a reason to seek it out. “It helped us to be able to promote the beauty and highlights of Shelby County that people may not have otherwise taken the time to explore,” she said.
the new school system and 22 mills for a new high school, with estimated total construction costs of $82.14 million. ► Impact of 29 mills: This would take out the athletic facility package and furnishings, and include 11 mills for the new school system and 18 mills for a new high school, with estimated total construction costs of $69 million. ► Impact of 22 mills: This would include major upgrades to the current high school, renovations and athletic facilities and include 11 mills for the new school system and 11 mills for major upgrades, with an estimated cost of $40 million. The costs for the taxpayers would be determined by the property value’s home value. Based on the above scenarios of 33, 29 and 22 mils, respectively: ► A $200,000 home would have a $440, $580 or $660 annual tax increase (between $37-$55 per month) ► A $250,000 home would have a $550, $725 or $825 annual tax increase (between $46-$69 per month) ► A $300,000 home would have a $660, $870 or $990 annual tax increase (between $55-$83 per month) ► A $400,000 home would have a $880, $1160 or $1,320 annual tax increase (between $73-$110 per month) ► A $500,000 home would have an $1,100, $1,450 or $1,650 annual tax increase (between $92 and $138 per month) At the end of the presentation, Hammonds gave a summary, stating “the data and information throughout the feasibility study was presented to assist Chelsea’s city officials in making an informed decision regarding the formation of a new municipal school system. If a decision is made to move forward, a possible time frame would be approximately two years for all necessary steps to be completed before the new system begins operating. If a new high school is constructed, it would be two years of planning followed by two years of construction. “It is hoped that the scope and contents of this feasibility study will be invaluable to city leaders and the community as decisions are considered that will best meet the needs of students and their families both now and for many years into the future,” he said.
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Sports B4 Schoolhouse B16 Metro Roundup B22 Real Estate B26
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Local teams looking ahead to new season By KYLE PARMLEY High school basketball season has arrived, and with that, the promise that this season will be the one each team breaks through and has a terrific campaign. Will any of the local teams be able to match what Oak Mountain’s boys did last year, when the Eagles captured their first state championship in program history? Spain Park’s boys and Chelsea’s girls made it to the state final four in their respective classes last year, but both teams have plenty of challenges ahead if they hope to get back to that stage. Both Briarwood and Chelsea teams have the unenviable task of navigating a challenging Area 9 in Class 6A, while Oak Mountain and Spain Park have their hands full with Areas 5 and 6 in 7A. The season began the first week of November and the regular season runs through the beginning of February, so there will be plenty of ups and downs for each time throughout.
LIONS LEANING INTO STRENGTHS
The Briarwood Christian School boys basketball team plans to get everyone involved this year. That’s because head coach Bobby Kerley feels he has plenty of players capable of contributing in a major way. The Lions are shifting to the Princeton offense this season, an offensive system that generates several passes per possession and causes teams to play at a more deliberate pace. It will allow the Lions to capitalize on areas they will have an advantage most nights: shooting and the ability to read situations. “These kids are so smart,” Kerley said. “I’m
See PREVIEW | page B14
Briarwood’s Baylor Gann (5) shoots for 3 points as Homewood’s Woods Ray (0) moves in to block during a January area game at Briarwood Christian School. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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LYSINE AND VIRAL INFECTION Evidence suggests that lysine, an essential amino acid your body uses in the production of protein, may help prevent or treat viral infections. A research article published on researchgate.net called Lysine Therapy for SARS-CoV-2 by a group of virologists, Christopher Kagan, Alexander Chaihorsky, Rony Tal, and Bo Karlicki suggest lysine could help prevent or treat COVID-19.
this study took 1,000 mg twice a day. The researchers recommend that lysine should be taken a minimum of one hour before a meal with 2 cups of water. The reasoning for 2 cups of water was to aid in absorption, anticoagulation and to dampen the appetite of the participant and thus help reduce the intake of arginine. Be sure to speak with a health care professional BEFORE considering implementation of lysine.
More over, a small study was undertaken by Bio-Virus Research Inc. and published in September 2020. The company works on both vaccines and therapeutic approaches to illness. In this paper they report on results they had using L-lysine against COVID-19. Since L-lysine works universally on all herpes variants, the researchers believed it would be reasonable to expect that it would have the same effect on this viral family. The effectiveness of lysine was evaluated in approximately 140 patients, eight of whom were living in the U.S. The majority of the patients were in the Dominican Republic and ranged in age from 16 to 77. According to the researchers, approximately 80% of participants with acute symptoms showed a minimum of 70% reduction in the first 48 hours. The researchers / writers stressed that Lysine is a treatment for the condition and not a cure! Instead, it is dependent on the individual’s immune response. The participants in
Lysine has a friend, arginine, which work in concert with each other in the body. The ratio between lysine and arginine influences viruses and your immune system function! In a particular study, the researcher’s intent was to lower the amount of arginine in the body by restricting foods high in arginine while raising levels of lysine using supplementation.While the lysine and arginine amount in brewed coffee is nearly identical, the researchers completely restricted coffee and other caffeinated drinks as they triggered a return of symptoms. The researchers reference one study that showed lysine suppresses RNA and DNA viruses, potentially by interfering with the incorporation of arginine into the virus. They found that lysine inhibits the absorption of arginine.“… lysine supplementation and the reduction of arginine-rich food intake can be considered as prophylactic
and therapeutic regimens against these viruses while also providing a paradigm for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals.” Also, the researchers wrote of evidence demonstrating lysine decreases production of nitric oxide, which limits the pathogenesis of inflammation and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests that independent of its role in suppressing arginine, lysine may also suppress viral replication such as in the herpes variants. However, it’s all about balance. Your body needs a balance between lysine and arginine to function optimally. Consider consuming foods that are rich in lysine such as lean meat, tuna, low-fat ricotta cheese and organic milk. Also, these foods are rich in arginine, which are seed-based flours, seeds, nuts, egg and chocolate. Many people’s diets are richer in arginine than they are in lysine. Benefits of lysine are not limited to your immune system. For example, studies have demonstrated that lysine can reduce anxiety levels and reduces vascular calcification. One of the symptoms of lysine deficiency is high blood pressure. In one study of 50 adults with lysinedeficient diets and high blood pressure, supplementation produced a significant reduction in blood pressure. One of the best ways to balance your lysine and arginine levels is through diet modification. However, during a viral
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illness lysine supplementation at levels lower than 3 grams per day may help shorten the length of your illness. Again, consult your health professional before starting. To summarize: Lysine is an essential amino acid that has demonstrated positive results in the treatment of COVID-19, decreasing symptoms of infection in 80% of patients by 70% in the first 48 hours. Lysine has been well-studied and utilized against herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2; the best results were seen in patients who also restricted their arginine-rich foods. More benefits of lysine include a reduction in anxiety, reduced vascular calcification, faster wound repair and lower blood pressure in people with lysine deficient diets The best way to balance your lysine and arginine levels is through dietary changes. If you supplement during a viral illness, the researchers caution to avoid zinc or calcium supplements. Consult your a health care practitioner before starting if you have any questions. Chiropractic Today is here to restore health naturally. Contact us for help. Resources for this article: mercola.com
9.75” x 7.59” 5 Oct 2021
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December 2021 • B3
B4 • December 2021
280 Living
Sports
Football Highlights Photos by Shawn Bowles, Todd Lester, Erin Nelson, James Nicholas and Kyle Parmley
Above: Briarwood running back Luke Reebals (23) finished his career by helping the Lions advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they ran into the top-ranked Cougars of Clay-Chalkville. Clay ran away with the game in the second half, but Reebals had a strong game, going for 86 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Left: Oak Mountain’s Garrett Murphy (16) wore multiple hats for the Eagles this season, as a leader on defense and serving as the team’s kicker. He admitted to being nervous before the kick, but Murphy booted a 32yard field goal as time expired to lift Oak Mountain to the playoff win over James Clemens. Right: It would be hard for anyone to handle the recruiting hype any better than Briarwood quarterback Christopher Vizzina (17) this fall. He managed to set aside the distractions and lead the Lions to a terrific season. In their first round playoff game against Fort Payne, Vizzina scored three rushing touchdowns, gaining 91 yards on the ground and another 268 yards through the air. Far right: After suffering an injury in a loss to Oak Mountain, Evan Smallwood (7) was able to return for the conclusion of the regular season. Despite the team’s loss to Hueytown in the season finale, Smallwood passed for 195 yards and two touchdowns. In a win over Tuscaloosa County, Smallwood threw for 150 yards and a touchdown.
Oak Mountain got a glimpse of the future by necessity in the game against Hewitt-Trussville, after primary quarterback Evan Smith got hurt. The Eagles wound up falling 28-7, but led 7-0 after a quarter thanks to Will O’Dell’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Blackwell.
Oak Mountain quarterback Evan Smith (9) capped off a legendary high school football career this fall. Smith accounted for more than 2,200 total yards of offense and accounted for 28 touchdowns (17 rushing and 11 passing). He led the Eagles to a playoff win for the second straight year. Against an unbeaten James Clemens team, Smith rushed for 259 yards with three touchdowns, while throwing for two more.
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B6 • December 2021
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Chelsea kicker John Seymour (47) certainly contributed to the Hornets’ effort in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the Hornets surrendering the lead in the second half, Seymour converted on field goal attempts of 38 and 43 yards, impressive kicks for the high school level.
Above left: After missing much of the season due to a preseason ankle injury, Briarwood receiver Nicholas Dicen (24) managed to make an impact in the final few games. In the first round playoff win over Fort Payne, Dicen caught seven passes for 160 yards. Above right: Oak Mountain wide receiver Cade George (10) came up big for the Eagles in their first round playoff win over James Clemens. George scored two receiving touchdowns in the game, including a 7-yard reception that put his team ahead midway through the fourth quarter. He finished the game with six catches for 82 yards.
Oak Mountain receiver Ethan Hammett (11) ended his season on a high note, saving some of his best moments for the playoffs. In the first round win over James Clemens, Hammett hauled in a 24-yard catch in the closing seconds to set up the game-winning field goal. The next week against Thompson, Hammett caught five passes for 68 yards and the lone touchdown for his team.
Left top: Briarwood receiver Ethan Anderson (7) turned the Lions’ game against Homewood on its heel. After a sluggish first half in which Homewood held a 7-0 lead, Anderson took the opening kickoff of the third quarter 97 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. Left below: Spain Park receiver Pierson Cole (1) finished off his career in impressive fashion, eclipsing the century mark in his final game with the Jaguars. Against Hueytown, Cole caught a 71-yard touchdown pass and finished with 101 receiving yards.
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HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL BUCCANEERS FOOTBALL COVERAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU THROUGHOUT THE SEASON BY
December 2021 • B7
B8 • December 2021
280 Living
The Jags storm toward head coach Kellye Bowen, not pictured, as Bowen brings the Class 7A state championship trophy to the team after sweeping McGill-Toolen for the Class 7A state volleyball title at Bill Harris Arena at Birmingham CrossPlex on Oct. 28. Photos by Erin Nelson.
A PERFECT ENDING Counterclockwise, from left: Spain Park’s Audrey Rothman (8) spikes the ball in the Class 7A state championship game against McGillToolen. Spain Park’s Lilly Johnson (1) sets up the ball for Rothman (8), in the foreground. Spain Park head coach Kellye Bowen hugs Rothman (8) after the Jags clinched the championship.
Jags sweep McGill to win Class 7A state volleyball title
By KYLE PARMLEY Audrey Rothman vowed to herself things would be different next time. After falling to Hoover in the Class 7A final last fall, Rothman and her Spain Park High School teammates walked off the floor at Bill Harris Arena knowing they had lost to a great team, but disappointed in their own showing. In the heartbreak of the moment, Rothman walked up to coach Kellye Bowen and delivered a succinct, yet powerful, statement. “Hey, I’m winning this next year,” player told coach. From that moment, the team worked toward getting back to that stage, on that floor, with a second chance. The Jaguars got that opportunity, and they earned redemption Oct. 28. Spain Park put a bow on a dream season with a 3-0 win over McGillToolen in the state championship match, earning the program’s first state title and validating the belief of many that it was the best team in Alabama all season. “They said it’s our year to win and they were determined from that moment on, from offseason to summer and in August and September. They had one vision and they played like it for four months. I couldn’t be more proud,” Bowen said following the match. Over the last five years, Rothman put together a varsity career that will wrap up as one of the best in state history. She capped it off with 24 punishing kills and 12 digs in the final and was named the state tournament MVP. While she may command much of the spotlight, far be it from her to handle herself as anything less than the ultimate teammate. That was never more evident than late in the second set, with Spain Park
backed up against the wall. With the set tied 22-22, Rothman chased down a ball headed for press row. Instead of conceding the point, Rothman lunged over the table and not only made contact, but saved the ball back into a position for Spain Park to ultimately win the point. “It’s our standard,” Rothman said. “There’s nothing going through your mind other than it’s your responsibility to your team [to go after that ball].” The Jags went on to a 25-23 win in that second set following a 26-24 victory in the first. McGill-Toolen led much of the third set, but that did not deter the Jags. They stormed back to win 25-23 and sweep the match. “We’ve had some special groups and this group is really gritty and they played with a lot of guts,” Bowen said. In the final, Lilly Johnson racked up 22 assists and 12 digs in a scrappy effort, while Bella Halyard had 10 assists and 7 digs. Libero Brooklyn Allison finished with 14 digs and 7 assists. Emily Breazeale, a strong offensive option, tallied 11 kills to go along with 7 digs. Spain Park (47-4) lost just one set in the postseason and proved its mental toughness in the final by winning each set by just two points. “We practice that every day,” Bowen said. “We practice being down, we practice facing adversity, how to overcome adversity. Practice prevailed today.” The season was not without its challenges. An injury to Halyard early in the season forced a couple other players to step into bigger roles, but it forced the Jags to grow together as a team. “Everyone knows their role and nobody has a problem with their role,” Allison said. Following the match, Breazeale and Rothman laid out the three
characteristics the Jags live by throughout the year: grit, dominance and relentless energy. Breazeale added another word to that list as well. “We really showed that we love each other,” she said. Halyard, Paige Ingersoll, Rothman, Brooke Gober and Olivia Myers capped off their high school careers by helping bring the program its first title and the first in Bowen’s coaching career as well. “I’m not shocked, but it’s this feeling of we did what we set out to do,” Bowen said. “I knew if they played
their best, nobody could beat them.” The Jags reached the final with a pair of wins the day prior. They took care of business in its first match, knocking off Enterprise in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-21). They then left little doubt in the semifinals, cruising to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-19) win over Sparkman. Spain Park notched many big wins throughout the season, including winning its own HeffStrong Tournament. The Jags won the Area 6 regular season and tournament titles, and came out on top in the
North Regional. At the regional, Spain Park beat Hoover 3-1 in the opening round. The following day, the Jags beat Grissom 3-0 and defeated Thompson 3-0 to earn the top seed from the North. A special season could not have ended in a more fitting way. On championship point, Allison knew where she was going with the ball, setting a perfect ball to the outside of the court, where Rothman put the hammer down one last time in a Jags uniform. She made good on her word. “Perfect,” Bowen said.
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December 2021 • B9
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B10 • December 2021
280 Living The Jags celebrate with the Class 7A state championship trophy after sweeping McGillToolen for the state title at Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Oct. 28.
SNAPSHOTS Photos by Erin Nelson
The Jags celebrate with the Class 7A state championship trophy.
Above and below: The Jags react after sealing the win over Enterprise in the AHSAA Class 7A quarterfinals at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Oct. 27.
Spain Park head coach Kellye Bowen reacts as the Jags come off the court for a timeout in the Class 7A state championship game against McGill-Toolen on Oct. 28.
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December 2021 • B11
B12 • December 2021
280 Living
7th grade Jags overcome odds, make it to title game By KYLE PARMLEY This year’s Berry Middle School seventh grade football team didn’t end up with the ultimate prize at the end, but that does nothing to discount the progress the Jaguars made this fall. Berry put together an undefeated regular season, winning the South division to advance to the Metro championship game. On Oct. 13, the Jags fell to Pizitz 40-12 in the final game of the year, as they finished as the league runner-up. But getting to that point was a great accomplishment, according to Berry’s coach. Entering the summer, most of the team had never played tackle football before. “You just didn’t know what to expect,” head coach Rusty White said of the season. “They just continued to work hard over the summer, continued to learn the plays and learn fundamentals.” That work paid off. Once the Jags beat Bragg Middle in a season-opening jamboree game, White knew the team had a chance to put together a good season. And behind the likes of All-Metro players quarterback Hudson Hibbard, running back and linebacker CJ Cowley, running back and defensive end Joseph Hall, tight end and linebacker Isaac Eaker and a host of others, Berry went on a roll. Berry opened the schedule with a 10-point win over Mountain Brook, blew out Homewood and knocked off Oak Mountain 22-12. The Jags had their lone shutout of the season in a 24-0 win over Liberty Park before thrashing Thompson 32-12. The most thrilling win of the season came against crosstown rival Bumpus. The Jags rallied and defeated Bumpus 42-40 in triple overtime. They then defeated another local rival, Simmons, 26-20 to cap off the regular season. White was impressed with the way his guys overcame adversity throughout the season, in
Pizitz’s Will Bochnak (9) moves toward Berry’s CJ Cowley (26) in the second half of the seventh grade Metro championship football game Oct. 13 at Spain Park High School’s Jaguar Stadium. Photo by Erin Nelson.
the way of key injuries and tough games. “It’s a really unique group because they get along so well, had great team chemistry and worked so hard and that contributed to the season they had,” he said. “I love all the teams I’ve coached, but this one hands down is a special group, because they overachieved based on their experience [entering the season]. I’m very proud of them for that.”
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The way the team progressed from start to finish and kept progressing is something White will use as a teaching experience in future seasons. “I can talk about this 2021 team and how they fought through adversity,” he said. “They kept grinding and stayed positive and they played a really good Pizitz team in the championship game.”
2021 Results Mountain Brook.................... W 22-12 Homewood.............................W 30-14 Oak Mountain........................ W 22-12 Liberty Park........................... W 24-0 Thompson.............................. W 32-12 Bumpus....................W 42-40 (3 OT) Simmons...............................W 26-20 Pizitz........................................L 40-12
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December 2021 • B13
Varsity Sports Calendar BASKETBALL BRIARWOOD Dec. 2: vs. Childersburg. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9: @ Leeds. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10: vs. Woodlawn. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16: @ Calera. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20-22: Boys at Woodlawn Tournament. Woodlawn High School. Dec. 20-22: Girls at Clay-Chalkville Christmas Tournament. Clay-Chalkville High School.
Dec. 16: @ Pelham. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.
SPAIN PARK
Dec. 17: Boys vs. B.B. Comer. 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 3: @ Hoover. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 29: Boys @ Mortimer Jordan. 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 7: Boys vs. Thompson. 1 p.m. Legacy Arena.
Dec. 30: vs. Priceville. 5 p.m.
Dec. 10: vs. Homewood. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.
OAK MOUNTAIN
Dec. 11: Boys vs. Hazel Green. 7 p.m. Plainview High School.
Dec. 2: @ Helena. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 13: @ Tuscaloosa County. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3: @ Huffman. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7: vs. Pelham. Girls at 5:30 p.m.; boys at 7 p.m. Dec. 10: @ Vestavia Hills. Girls at 5:30 p.m.; boys at 7 p.m. Dec. 14: vs. Chelsea. Girls at 5:30 p.m.; boys at 7 p.m.
CHELSEA Dec. 3: @ Helena. Girls at 5:30 p.m.; boys at 7 p.m. Dec. 6: Boys vs. Thompson. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7: vs. Helena. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10: vs. Clay-Chalkville. Girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14: @ Oak Mountain. Girls at 5:30 p.m.; boys at 7 p.m.
Dec. 16: Girls @ Mountain Brook. 6 p.m. Dec. 20-22: Boys at Steel City Classic. Birmingham CrossPlex. Dec. 20-22: Girls at OM Lady Eagles Invitational. Oak Mountain High School. Dec. 28-30: Boys at OM Holiday Invitational. Oak Mountain High School.
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Dec. 17: Boys @ Hueytown. 7 p.m. Dec. 20-22: Boys at Steel City Classic. Birmingham CrossPlex. Dec. 20-22: Girls at Chevron Classic. Spain Park High School. Dec. 27-29: Arnold Tournament. Panama City, Florida.
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD Dec. 5: Magic City Invitational. Birmingham CrossPlex. Dec. 12: Holiday Invitational. Birmingham CrossPlex.
B14 • December 2021
280 Living
PREVIEW
CONTINUED from page B1 really excited about how we’ll play as a team. We’re going to be really hard to scout and defend.” The Lions will have two seniors this year in Baylor Gann and Miller Stubblefield. Gann plays the point guard spot and Stubblefield plays center. Briarwood is heavy on juniors, with Miles Gilbert expected to take on a big role. William Lloyd is a solid guard, while Grant Mears is a knockdown 3-point shooter. Matthias Leib, a soccer player as well, will play forward and bring defensive intensity to the floor. Christopher Vizzina, the Lions’ standout quarterback, is expected to play as well. Sawyer Russell and Zach Lamey are two other juniors. Josh Thompson, Luke Schultz and Caleb Keller are three sophomores who will have a role as well. “I would expect us to really play great team basketball and I expect it to be a really selfless group,” Kerley said. “If we can commit and buy into it, it really is the most fun way to play basketball, where you don’t care who gets the credit or who’s scoring the basket.”
Left: Spain Park’s Colin Turner (25) shoots a layup during the AHSAA Class 7A boys Northeast Regional final against Huntsville at Pete Matthews Coliseum at Jacksonville State University on Feb. 24. Above left: Chelsea’s Cooper Griffin (21) dribbles the ball guarded by Vestavia Hills’ Jude Cleary (1) in a Nov. 12, 2020, game at Chelsea High School. Above right: Oak Mountain’s Evan Smith (1) looks to make a play while being guarded by Enterprise’s Keion Dunlap (15) during the AHSAA Class 7A boys state championship game at Bartow Arena on March 3. Photos by Erin Nelson.
HORNETS SEE PLENTY OF ROOM TO GROW
The Chelsea High School boys basketball team doesn’t return a wealth of experience, but the Hornets do have one of the best players in the area back in Paul Lanzi. Lanzi, now a junior, led the Hornets in scoring last year and has continued to improve, continuing a family legacy of great players to roll through the Chelsea program. “He’s shot the ball really well,” Chelsea head coach Nick Baumbaugh said. “He’s a vocal leader on top of everything else. He’s really going to be our best player. We’re going to look at him to do a lot of things offensively.” Baumbaugh believes his team has a high ceiling this season, though, because several of the players with no varsity experience to speak of have the ability to grow into big roles. “This team has a ton of upside,” Baumbaugh said. Cooper Griffin and Carson Camper are the Hornets’ two seniors this season. Both got some playing time last season and will have more extensive roles in their final year. Juniors Alex Redd and Caden Cook also played some last year. Also in that junior class are Dylan Brown, MJ Conrad, Walker Gailey and EJ Hudnall. Chelsea should also get major contributions from some of the underclassmen, as sophomores Avery Futch and Carter Abrams and freshman Aiden Owens will help out a great deal. Chelsea has failed to make the playoffs the past few years and this group is eager to stop that trend. “These kids expect to win,” Baumbaugh said. “They want to do what it takes. This group has a different mindset.”
EAGLES LOOKING FORWARD AFTER STATE TITLE
The Oak Mountain High School basketball team capped off a special season last year with the program’s first Class 7A state championship. After the graduation of Noah Young and the early departure of Will Shaver, the University of North Carolina signee who is getting a head start on his college career, some have said the Eagles have no chance at repeating. But don’t tell Evan Smith, Wilder Evers and the rest of the Eagles. “We all have a huge chip on our shoulder,” Oak Mountain head coach Chris Love said. “We just want to go out and prove them wrong.” With that being said, having a chance at another state title is not Oak Mountain’s sole objective. Love has far too much respect for the process and journey of each season to boil down a season’s success to that. “Our kids have really taken on the challenge of getting better,” Love said. “At the end of every summer, we sit down with our kids and talk to them about where they can improve. To a player, they have come back and improved on what we felt like they needed to improve.” Smith concluded his remarkable high school football career in the fall and will put a bow on his hardwood career this winter. Love calls him one of the most competitive kids he’s ever coached. Evers, a junior, had a big role last year and
Left: Briarwood’s Mary Beth Dicen (3) dribbles the ball as Homewood’s Anna Grace Gibbons (15) and Caidyn Cannon (10) move in on coverage during a January area game. Right: Chelsea’s Nia Cummings (12) dribbles the ball while being guarded by Huffman’s Jakayla Smoot (4) in the Class 6A Northeast Regional final in February.
will take on an even bigger one this season and is working on becoming a more consistent player in order to do that. Ryan Giegel is a potential breakout player for the Eagles this season, as is Brady Dunn. Matthew Heiberger is a 6-foot-4 left-handed shooter and Love said there are days he plays as the best player on the team. Ean Gove, Gavin Nelson, Jah’Ki Mullens, Cam Whitaker and Cam Atkinson all had solid summers and gives Oak Mountain nine seniors. Devan Moss and Tre Thomas lead a group of juniors who will help the Eagles throughout the year as well. “We’re not trying to win anything or prove anything,” Love said. “We’re just trying to prove that we’re a quality team.”
NEW-LOOK JAGS SEEK TO IMPROVE EACH DAY
The Spain Park High School boys basketball program put together one of its best seasons in program history last year, reaching the state final four and coming just shy of an appearance in the state championship game. If the Jaguars have intentions of replicating that kind of success once again this season, they will have to do so in a slightly different fashion after losing eight seniors to graduation. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that are going to have to fill roles and figure it out, but there’s a lot of opportunities for guys to grab spots,” Spain Park head coach Chris Laatsch said. Two players who aren’t young, though, are Colin Turner and Josh Harrington, who will be third-year starters and were key
components to the Jags’ success each of the last two seasons. Laatsch is leaning heavily on both of them for a high level of on-court production and off-court guidance. Zach Gray and Pierson Cole are the only two other players returning that played a good bit for the varsity team a year ago. Laatsch is counting on Gray to have a great season, citing his talent handling the ball and his improvement on the defensive end. Sam Wright and Chase James are two others with an opportunity to take hold of a significant role for the Jags. Ben Corley, Chantz Pickett, Solomon Robinson, Hunter Davis and Andrew Nails give the Jags eight seniors in the program. Chad Pickett, Evan Houser and Hunter Herritt are juniors. Korbin Long, Alex Williams and Braylon Bernard are sophomores. One of the reasons Spain Park was so successful last year was the team’s unity and collective hatred for losing. Laatsch believes this team can accomplish great things if it can establish those traits again. “This group’s got some talented kids, but we’ve got to develop the oneness and the competitiveness and those things. We’re going to have to learn and grow into it. This team can be good enough to make some type of run,” Laatsch said.
the idea that a team has to replace virtually all of its production. But the Lady Lions do have some key players returning from last year’s team, led by sophomore point guard Mary Beth Dicen and senior forward Kate Saunders. Dicen started as a freshman last year and possesses electric quickness. Saunders has been a major contributor on the varsity team for three years now. Saunders is one of three seniors for Briarwood this year and head coach Lorie Kerley has been impressed with how Saunders, Claire Lehane and Ella Coons have led the way so far. Another senior, Ashby Mixon, suffered her third significant knee injury in the summer, and will be out for the season. Those seniors have had the task of blending a team with a wide variety of ages. There are three juniors, two sophomores, a freshman and two eighth graders on the team this year. Sigourney Bell, Piper Eighmy and Taylor Smith are the team’s juniors. Colleen Lehane is a sophomore, Taylor Leib is a freshman and the Lady Lions have brought up eighth graders Ann Tatum Baker and Emma Kerley to the team. Briarwood hopes to pick up the pace on offense even more this year — after playing at a fast pace last season to begin with — and aims to notch some wins in Class 6A, Area 9.
LADY LIONS SENIORS FOSTERING POSITIVE CULTURE
LADY HORNETS FINDING NEW WAYS TO WIN
The Briarwood Christian School girls basketball team lost nine seniors from last season. A statement like that is typically followed by
The Chelsea High School girls basketball team had a dream season a year ago, making a run to the Class 6A semifinals and the state
280Living.com
December 2021 • B15 Parmer said she wants her team to be more aggressive this year on both ends of the floor. “We want to be a pressuring defense and want to be an attacking offense,” she said. Oak Mountain is determined to end this season on a better note than the last two. “We like to push each other and have fun together,” Gordon said. “We all want to go to the elite eight, so we work together.”
LADY JAGS FUELED BY LOW EXPECTATIONS
Left: Oak Mountain’s Abby Gordon (2) shoots a layup in a game against Chelsea at Oak Mountain High School in February. Right: Spain Park’s Camille Chase (24) dribbles the ball while being guarded by Hoover’s Devon Davidson (4) in a December 2020 game at Spain Park High School.
final four. From that team, a couple of key seniors, Mackenzie Titus and Ellen Fleming, graduated. They were already going to be tough to replace. But the Lady Hornets were dealt a significant blow in the summer, as junior Sophia Brown went down with an injury. There’s no covering up the fact those losses will hurt the Lady Hornets. But they still have the makings of a solid team this winter. “We have really good pieces coming up from a solid junior varsity team,” Chelsea head coach Jason Harlow said. “We were pretty deep last year. We had some kids come off the bench last year that will have big roles.” This year’s team will be led by senior point guard Sydney Schwallie, who recently signed with the University of West Alabama. She has been a key part of the team since her freshman season. Mary Cartee and Nia Cummings are two players who thrived in a complementary role
last year. Now, they will be relied upon on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis. Ashley Washington has some varsity experience as well and will take on a big role for this year’s team. Harlow mentioned that Lexi Redd and freshman Haley Trotter could have breakout years. The Lady Hornets have five seniors this season, Sydney Bridgeman, Cartee, Cummings, Schwallie and Washington. Nora Breedlove, Hardy Erwin, Madison Moore and Redd are juniors. Madeline Epperson is a sophomore and Trotter and Sadie Schwallie are freshmen. “We’re going to defend, we’ve just got to find our offensive identity in the first month,” Harlow said. “Hopefully that translates to success around Christmas and January.”
LADY EAGLES DETERMINED TO TAKE NEXT STEP
The Oak Mountain High School girls basketball team has been right on the edge of breaking
through the last two years. The Lady Eagles have advanced to the Class 7A regional tournament each of the last two seasons, a great accomplishment for the program on its own. But in the regional semifinals each season, they felt like they let an opportunity to advance to the next round slip away. “We felt like we should’ve gone further and they think that now,” Oak Mountain head coach Beth Parmer said. “They feel they can, so they've got a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, they’ve got something to prove which is good.” Tamia Threatt, Charity Shaw and Abby Gordon are the team’s three seniors and will be tasked with helping get the Lady Eagles where they want to go. Threatt and Gordon combine in the backcourt to take care of the ball handling duties. Shaw can play any position on the floor and Parmer calls her an “all-purpose” player.
Mike Chase doesn’t mind the underdog role. In fact, he embraces it. After several years being at or near the top of the totem pole in Class 7A, not much is expected from the Spain Park High School girls basketball team this year from the outside. However, the Lady Jaguars want to exceed those expectations. Spain Park has dealt with more roster attrition than normal. In addition to the normal graduating seniors, the Lady Jags have also lost a few players who transferred schools and a few others who excel in other sports and chose to exclusively focus on them. With that being said, the Lady Jags will move forward with what they have, which is a team full of players willing to compete each and every game. “I’ve got kids that will listen to everything I tell them to do,” said Chase, the Spain Park head coach. “They’ll run through a brick wall. We’re going to be competitive.” One thing Chase believes will make a difference this season is his four seniors. Those seniors have been in the program for several years and know exactly what Chase expects from his teams. Camille Chase, Kerri Barnes, Paxton Gillipsie and Alex Baskin will lead this year’s team on and off the court. Camille has been a contributor for a few years and will need to have a strong year on both ends of the floor to give the Lady Jags a chance, but the other three will have their chance to make a significant impact as well. “Everybody thinks we’re going to be down, but I just like that situation and I think our kids like that situation,” Chase said.
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280 Living
Schoolhouse Have a schoolhouse announcement? Email Leah Ingram Eagle at leagle@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
New principal named for Inverness Elementary School By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Amanda Hamm will become the next Inverness Elementary School principal after the retirement of current principal Christine Hoffman at the end of the month. Hamm’s new position was approved by the Shelby County Board of Education during its Nov. 18 meeting. Hamm has 10 years of experience in education. She began her career in education as a kindergarten teacher and also worked as an Instructional Coach for Shelby County Schools. Hamm earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood special education from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree in early childhood education from the University of West Alabama, certification in instructional leadership from the University of Montevallo, and an education specialist degree in early childhood education from the University of West Alabama. Also during the meeting, the election of board officers was held. Current president Aubrey Miller was once again elected to serve as president, and David Bobo was again elected to serve as vice president. During the superintendent’s report, Lewis Brooks recognized several employees for recent honors: ► Larry Haynes, principal of Oak Mountain Middle School, was recently recognized by the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools as the middle school principal of the year. ► April Brand, present secondary coordinator for Shelby County Schools and former Helena High School principal, was recognized as the high school principal of the year. ► Cindy Warner, public relations
The Shelby County Board of Education named Amanda Hamm as the next principal of Inverness Elementary School during its Nov. 18 meeting. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
supervisor for Shelby County Schools, was recently elected as vice president of National School Public Relations Association Southeast Region. Brooks shared that he recently accompanied Mt Laurel fifth grade teacher Aundrea Blevins and library media specialist Heather Braswell on a trip to Washington, D.C., for the recognition of MLES being named a National Blue Ribbon School of Distinction. The week of Nov. 15-21 was recognized as National Thank a Teacher Week, and a video featuring Brooks was shown during the report thanking the Shelby County teachers for all that they do.
Jay Peoples, coordinator of instruction, spoke about upcoming textbook adoption. A committee made up of elementary and secondary teachers was formed, and every school in the county was represented. District personnel were also included to assist in the work. Textbook samples have been solicited, and a virtual meeting was Nov. 16 for all members. The schools will have several weeks to review the samples, and the state textbook committee will formally adopt in January. Live presentations will take place in January and February, and formal recommendations will come in March followed by the purchase orders in April.
Peoples also recommended the approval of several state field trips that had been previously submitted. “The system has done a fantastic job of putting together a review process as requests come in,” he said. “The sponsor of the trip works with local administrators to apply the rubric determined to see if it's worthwhile and can be done safely and responsibly. Then permission goes to the grade level coordinator when they and the principal feel good about it, the system review team gets involved. We want to make sure we have done our due diligence and have a good plan. I feel all of these have been through a rigorous process and I don't have any hesitation about standing with these tonight.” Other items approved by the board were: ► Approval for technology recycling/reuse pickup to Computer Recyclers USA for a total bid price of $33. Instead of just throwing away old and outdated technology equipment, some money will be returned for those items. ► Approval for CNP pizza delivery to three different subsidiaries of Domino’s to deliver to schools throughout the county in light of nationwide supply chain issues. ► Approval for a CNP produce vendor was awarded to Forestwood Farms for $371,493.10. This will save about $22,000 from the former vendor that requested a 22% price increase. ► Approval of personnel actions, bus subs and aides. ► Approval of a construction contract for gymnasium floor repairs at Montevallo Middle School was awarded to Covington Flooring Company for $36,448. The next board meeting will be Dec. 14 at noon at SCISC in Alabaster.
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December 2021 • B17 Board members Jimmy Bice, David Bobo, Jane Hampton and Aubrey Miller, along with Assistant Superintendent Lynn Carol, at the Nov. 4 Shelby County Board of Education meeting. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Shelby County opens bids for new produce vendor By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE During its Nov. 4 meeting, the Shelby County Board of Education agreed to cancel the bid to CNP Produce after learning it was going to implement a 22% price increase. John Gwin, assistant superintendent of finance, said the Finance Department didn’t think that was feasible so the items will be rebid, giving other vendors a chance at the opportunity. “Next meeting, we will come with new bids,” Gwin said. “Based on the contract, they [CNP Produce] gave us 30 days written notice,
so they will continue through Dec. 2 under the agreed prices, and after that the new bid would take over.” A change order for a combination project for water damage repairs and refinishing of the Chelsea Middle School gymnasium floor and Montevallo Middle School gymnasium floor was approved. The two projects were originally in the same bid together totaling $46,279. Since that time, David Calhoun, assistant superintendent of operations, said they learned the Montevallo project is more extensive in scope than was originally anticipated.
“We are changing the order and backing out the cost of the Montevallo project, which leaves $27,754 as the price paid for Chelsea Middle School,” Calhoun said. “We will come back in the future for a new contract for the work at Montevallo. We are not getting money back, just separating the two projects.” Helena Middle School will be getting an additional 20 classrooms. This is the first of several capital improvements from the approved $42 million that will address growth issues across the system. The base bid consisted of 16 classrooms and two alternate bids for additional items. Six
contractors bid on the project, which was budgeted for $6,450,000. The job was awarded to Williford Orman Construction, who came in under budget at $6,632,264, including architectural fees, to do the base bid and both alternates. The board also approved an editing change to the Shelby County Schools’ Code of Conduct and personnel actions. Deputy Superintendent Lynn Carroll filled in for Superintendent Lewis Brooks, who was in Washington, D.C., with two teachers from Mt Laurel receiving an award for being named a National Blue Ribbon School.
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B18 • December 2021
280 Living
Schools reap rewards from Nick Grant program By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Funds from the city of Chelsea’s Nick Grant program continue to provide the five schools in Chelsea with items they may not otherwise be able to obtain. The grant is named for Chelsea parent Nick Parsons, who advocated for monies from the 1-cent sales tax to be used for education, in addition to athletics. When the program was first implemented, Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer said he was overzealous about this project and that no other city in the state was doing anything like it. “It will be a game-changer in schools, from an educational and instructional standpoint,” Picklesimer said. The money generated from the 1-cent sales tax increase that went into effect in October 2019 goes directly into an account only used for schools. In 2020, the tax produced $2,080,012 and as of press time, had produced $1,822,979 in 2021. The total amount for five schools for 2021 grants total was $366,438. Here is a recap of how much each school received in 2021, what they were able to purchase, and how it has impacted their school/ classrooms.
Clockwise, from above left: Chelsea Park Elementary School received more than $60,000 in Nick Grants in 2021. Forest Oaks Elementary received more than $93,000 in Nick Grants in 2021. Staff photos. Mt Laurel Elementary then-Principal Celita Deem and Assistant Principal Tina Neighbors pose with Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer after receiving Nick Grant funds in 2019. Photo courtesy of Shelia Alaniz. Chelsea Middle School Principal Celita Deem poses with Chelsea Council member Chris Grace and Picklesimer after receiving a Nick Grant in 2020. Photo courtesy of Caroline Obert.
CHELSEA PARK ELEMENTARY
► Spring grants: $48,340.90 (Laptops, books, SMART Panels, EV3 kits, Whiteboard desktops and STEAM carts) ► Fall grants: $11,976.80 (Chromebooks, computers, document cameras, science magazine subscription and reading manipulatives) ► Overall total: $60,317.70 “The Nick Grant gives educators in Chelsea the opportunity to purchase those additional things that we may not have the money to fund during the school year,” Chelsea Park Principal Mary Anderson said. “We are very grateful for the city of Chelsea for providing those additional funds so we can purchase the much needed resources and equipment we need to
better serve our students.”
FOREST OAKS ELEMENTARY
► Spring grants: $72,077.56 (Chromebooks, SMART Panels, books, iPads, laptops, manipulatives and supplemental reading resources) ► Fall grants: $21,129.69 (five Promethean SMART Panels, Smart Boards, OSMO kits and materials, books and reading manipulatives/ resources)
► Overall total: $93,207.25 Third grade teacher Brianna Whitehead said the Nick Grant has been such a blessing to her classroom, and she has written a grant in every round since the Nick Grant opened for applications. “They have provided my classroom with a new Elmo document camera, tables to replace worn-out desks, a high quality desktop computer, a new projector and, most recently, a ViewSonic touchscreen display,” Whitehead
said. “I would not be able to have this variety of materials for my students without the Nick Grant. The city of Chelsea is making such a difference in our schools, and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get these resources for my students.”
MT LAUREL ELEMENTARY
► Spring grants: $36,982.52 (Chromebooks, SMART Boards, iPads, laptops and books) ► Fall grants: $9,431.67 (Laptops, Hover
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December 2021 • B19
cameras, books, art supplies and STEM activities) ► Overall total: $46,414.19 Assistant Principal Tina Neighbors said the grants have been instrumental in providing Mt Laurel with materials and resources that enhance the instruction for all of their students. “It has been a seamless process in which teachers write a grant for materials or resources for their classroom, and the city’s grant committee approves the Principal Brandon Turner stands outside Chelsea High request. When the mayor School. Photo by Erin Nelson. delivers the Nick Grant check, it is like Christmas for our teachers and students. We are very swing soon. We plan to purchase materials that grateful for the generous grants provided to our will allow us to be able to set up a small busiteachers and students, as well as the impactful ness to sell some of our products to supplement partnership.” our Nick Grant. My students love working in Music teacher Haley Spates Houston said she the garden and are able to learn life skills and cannot say enough good things about how the generalized academic skills and apply them in city has supported their music department and real life activities. This program would not be they are very grateful. possible without Nick Grants.”
CHELSEA MIDDLE
► Spring grants: $39,708.70 (SMART Board, books, tablets, Hover cameras, band chairs, human body model and robotics workstations) ► Fall grants: $34,334.77 (Additional security cameras, six SMART Boards, Gimkit, printer and toner, and puzzle subscription) ► Overall total: $74,043.47 “The Nick Grants are important to the teachers at ChMS as the grants give them an opportunity to advocate for supplemental resources that expand traditional educational opportunities,” Principal Cynthia Cruce said. Special education teacher Huntleigh Dodson said she applied for a Nick Grant in 2019 to start a raised garden and outdoor sensory classroom. She applied for another one this year to maintain and continue adding to the garden and sensory classroom. “We have purchased a storage bin for our materials and will be purchasing additional raised garden beds, garden tools and a new
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CHELSEA HIGH
► Spring grants: $69,892.60 (Travel trailer and saxophones for the band, laptop, simulation lab, science models, wrestling mats, mobility chute, simulated operating room) ► Fall grants: $22,562.97 (Volleyball net system, projector, monitor, computer, simulation software, EKG machine, ELMO document camera) ► Overall total: $92,455.57 Principal Brandon Turner said the high school has benefited greatly from Nick Grants. “The Nick Grants have helped us fill in some gaps and provide assistance to multiple programs including general instruction, fine arts, athletics and career technical education. We are very thankful for Mayor Picklesimer, the Chelsea City Council and the Nick Grant committee for all of their support. It has been a great resource for multiple programs at our school, and we are looking forward to our continued partnership for the students of Chelsea.”
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B20 • December 2021
280 Living
2021
HARVEST FESTIVAL
Left: Kade Bretl, 4, and his younger brother, Hayes, 2, pet a corn snake held by Erin Dye of the Alabama Wildlife Interpretive Center during the annual Harvest Festival at Oak Mountain State Park on Oct. 23. Top: Ramya Lagadapati, left, takes a photo of Ramya Pamidi, Siya Pamidi, 4, Akhil Lagadapati, 5, Anjali Lagadapati, 9, and Abhiram Pamidi. Photos by Erin Nelson.
Right: A child holds an ear of fresh, fire-roasted corn. Above: Children participate in horse rides through the Rusted Roof Barn. Below: Guests meander through various booths of arts and crafts.
Guests pet an Eastern box turtle named Alice, held by Erin Dye of AWC.
280Living.com
December 2021 • B21
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B22 • December 2021
280 Living
Metro Roundup HOOVER
Moss Rock Preserve serves as movie set By JON ANDERSON A new movie featuring Richard Dreyfuss was filmed mostly in Hoover recently, though the famous actor himself never set foot in Alabama. The movie, “Abandonment,” is about a woman who goes hiking in the Appalachian mountains and is abandoned in a cave by her Brought to companion after being you by our attacked by a bear and sister paper: breaking her leg, according to Ben Moon, one of the producers, who lives in Bluff Park. hooversun.com Dreyfuss plays a 911 operator who tries to get the woman help as she seeks to find her way back to civilization. The 74-year-old Dreyfuss, famous for movies such as “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” had all of his scenes filmed in San Diego because he doesn’t fly anymore, Moon said. But 90 to 95% of the movie was filmed in Hoover at the 350-acre Moss Rock Preserve nature park, said Jen Miller Mishalanie, another Bluff Park resident who was the production designer and an actress in the film. The film crew spent 11 to 12 days filming in Hoover and two days in California, she said. About 100 people were involved in the show, from pre-production to post-production,
HOMEWOOD
A scene for the movie “Abandonment” was filmed at Hoover City Hall in September. The film is about a woman who goes hiking in the Appalachian mountains and is abandoned by her companion after being attacked by a bear and breaking her leg, according to Ben Moon, one of the producers, who lives in Bluff Park. Photo courtesy of Candi George.
and most were on site at one point or another, Mishalanie said. The most on site at any one time was probably about 40, she said. The majority of the crew was from the Birmingham area except for the director, director of photography and script supervisor (who were from Los Angeles) and a couple of “background actors” (also known as extras) who were from the Huntsville area, Mishalanie said. While most of the filming in Hoover took place in the nature park, the crew also filmed a flashback scene at Moss Rock Tacos & Tequila, another scene in a home in The Preserve and two scenes at Hoover City Hall. One of the scenes at City Hall involved turning the William J. Billingsley Council Chambers into a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “war room,” and another that used the new community room across the lobby as a high school classroom. It was Mishalanie’s job as production designer to make the spaces appear to be something they are not. Hoover Councilmen Curt Posey and Mike Shaw and Melanie Posey-Joseph, the public
information officer for the city of Hoover, were among the background actors in one of the scenes at City Hall. The movie now is in post-production and will likely be shown at festivals to find a buyer to distribute it, Moon said. It usually takes at least a year to sell a show, and it likely will go straight into streaming instead of hitting the big screen, he said. Moon, who has lived in Hoover since 1997, has been working in the film industry in Alabama for 20 years, and Mishalanie, who has lived in Bluff Park about 20 years, has been helping him produce shows for about five years. They handle a wide range of tasks, from lining up the film crew to finding sets, equipment and props, arranging lodging for outof-town guests, providing food, handling accounting and payroll and applying for tax incentives from the state. Producers from Los Angeles don’t know how to find the resources needed for filming in Alabama, Moon said. “We save them so much money.” Moon and Mishalanie have helped produce a
variety of films with big-name actors, including Bruce Willis (“Out of the Fight” and “Wrong Place”), John Travolta (“Trading Paint” and “Fanatic”), Nicholas Cage (“U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage), Steven Seagal (“The Perfect Weapon”), John Claude Van Damme (“Kill ’Em All” and “Blackwater”), Tyler Hoechlin and Julianne Hough (“Bigger”), and Dolph Lundgren (“Castle Falls”). While one of the scenes in “Trading Paint” was filmed in Hoover at the former Golden Rule Bar-B-Q restaurant, this is the first time Moon and Mishalanie have filmed most of a movie in Hoover. They would like to film more in Hoover because there are plenty of good hotels for outof-town guests and a variety of good shooting locations, such as parks and mansions, Moon said. One thing Hoover is lacking is a “downtown” scene, but they can go to Bessemer or Birmingham for that, he said. They recently were scouting locations for another film called “The Wizdor Hotel,” which is slated to include Bill Cobbs, Bill Smitrovich and Hal Linden.
Dog owner turned inventor, entrepreneur By INGRID SCHNADER
Foster Phillips, left, and Seth Griffin, founders of Hitch Leash, with Griffin’s 2-year-old silver Labrador, Grace, and their Hitch leash at Homewood Central Park. The Hitch leash is a retractable leash made with a carabiner clip, designed to easily hook onto stationary objects to allow an owner’s dog to roam hands-free. Photos by Erin Nelson.
Homewood resident Seth Griffin lives right across from Homewood Central Park, so he loves hanging out there with his dog. But if you ever see them out there, you might have questions about the dog’s leash. Griffin and his friend Foster Phillips — who also lives in Homewood — are co-founders of a new startup called Hitch Leash. They make and sell a retractable leash with a carabiner handle that allows dog owners to hitch their dogs to almost anything, such as chair legs, tables, tree branches and more. Griffin got the idea for the new leash when he was hanging outside with his then 6-month-old puppy. He tied the retractable leash to a railing so that she could enjoy the retractability of the leash without getting away. “I thought, ‘It’s a shame you can’t clip the handle to anything like that,’” he said. “So I went on Amazon and Google and searched for a carabiner retractable leash, assuming there was already one out there, so I could get one for myself. It didn’t exist.” His first thought was to call Phillips, with whom he previously worked at Luckie & Company. When they worked together, they often brainstormed and solved problems together, Griffin said. With Phillips’ background in industrial design, Griffin knew Phillips could help him turn this into a
Griffin hooks a Hitch leash to a park bench at Homewood Central Park with his 2-yearold silver Labrador, Grace.
“tangible output.” and they decided to focus For the next few on its ability to clip to Brought to months, the pair went back small things, like to the you by our and forth on sketching out legs of a park bench and to sister paper: the future hitch leash and a hand railing. They went figuring out the best way through multiple iterations to solve the problem. of the leash and then got thehomewood “You start dreaming their first working protostar.com a little bit,” Phillips said type in January 2020. The about the process. “You’ve product launched on Kickgot a picture in your head starter in late October. that wants to start to come out when “It’s extremely gratifying and excitpeople talk about ideas.” ing,” Griffin said. “It’s one thing to One thing Phillips liked about the have it in your hand, because we’ve idea from the beginning was that it thought about it for so long. But we was so straightforward, he said. brought the prototypes to Do Dah Day “This is one of those things where at Cahaba Brewing Co., and you get you think, ‘This has to already exist,’” kind of nervous and you start to think, he said. “Seth was ready to go out and ‘Is this only a good idea in my head? buy it. Some of those best ideas are Are other people going to like it, too?’ like that.” But to see all of the positive feedback They knew they wanted the leash there was really great.” to be comfortable. They also had to For more information, visit decide how big the leash should be, hitchleash.com.
280Living.com
December 2021 • B23
B24 • December 2021
280 Living
BIRMINGHAM
Independent Presbyterian Church to host 72nd annual Holiday House Tour By JESSE CHAMBERS Independent Presbyterian Church in Highland Park will renew a church tradition when it hosts its 72nd annual Holiday House Tour fundraiser this month. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the house tour will again be presented virtually, as it Brought to was in 2020. you by our The tour will feature sister paper: three Birmingham-area homes, as well as Pursell Farms, an outdoor leisure resort in Sylacauga. However, the event ironcity.ink will return to an in-person Holiday House Tea to be at IPC on Saturday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with the release of the virtual tour. “In these unique times, the tour has adapted, and last year was our first ever virtual Holiday House Tour,” Holiday House Committee Chair Elizabeth Miles said in an IPC news release. The church got a good response to the inaugural virtual tour in 2020. “People were excited that we were able to provide a virtual window into a few private homes, especially since we were unable to spend as much time in each other’s homes last holiday season,” IPC Communication Director Lindsay Jones said. At the in-person tea, attendees “can enjoy the fellowship that was so missed during the height of the pandemic last year,” Miles said. The Great Hall is decorated by IPC members, and IPC will serve its Holiday House Tea, finger sandwiches and homemade cookies. IPC will also stream the tour at the tea for attendees to watch. The net proceeds from tour ticket sales help
Decorations in one of the homes on the virtual Holiday House Tour hosted by Independent Presbyterian Church in 2020. The virtual tour and an inperson Holiday House Tea returns in 2021. Photo courtesy of Independent Presbyterian Church.
support IPC Community Ministries, which offers financial assistance, food and other support to needy local families. The event will benefit First Light Shelter; Children’s Fresh Air Farm, a summer program; and STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading), through which tutors work with Birmingham
second graders. In 2020, IPC raised funds “at near pre-pandemic levels,” Jones said. Everyone who purchases a ticket ($35) to the virtual private home tour is also invited to the Holiday Tea. After Dec. 11, people can still purchase tour
tickets and will receive a link. They can watch the tour as many times as they like through Dec. 31. Tickets can also be purchased as gifts, and IPC will send the link to the gift recipient. For tickets, call 205-933-3716 or go to ipc-usa.org/holiday-house.html.
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280Living.com
December 2021 • B25
HOMEWOOD
BIRMINGHAM
Walk for a Claus spreads Christmas cheer, raises money for prostate cancer research By ERIC TAUNTON The Homewood Santa Claus Society is hosting its third annual Walk for a Claus event Sunday, Dec. 12, to raise awareness of prostate cancer. The society invites men 21 and older to dress up as Santa Claus Brought to or wear their you by our favorite Christsister paper: mas attire while enjoying drinks and a 1.5-mile parade. thehomewood Richard Padstar.com dock, organizer of Walk for a Claus, said the event was inspired by the annual Witches Ride hosted by women in Homewood. The men in the community thought it would be a good idea to have an event for men, Paddock said. “We’re a men’s organization trying to better the funds and the awareness for prostate cancer,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of guys in the group that have all been either personally affected by prostate cancer in one way shape or another or have had a family member be affected by it, so we just wanted to do something to bring awareness to it.” The event starts at noon at Grocery Brewpub in Homewood, and the walk begins at 3 p.m. The “Santas” will travel by foot and motor vehicles such as golf carts, floats and ATVs while passing out candy and spreading Christmas cheer.
Work in progress on the Birmingham Green Refresh at the corner of 20th Street North and Fourth Avenue North, seen Nov. 3. The project should be completed in time for The World Games in July 2022. Photo by Jesse Chambers.
Work underway on extensive Birmingham Green Refresh By JESSE CHAMBERS
A group of Santa Claus rides down the street during the 2019 Walk for a Claus event. Photo courtesy of Richard Paddock.
Walk for a Claus • WHERE: Grocery Brewpub, 2823 Central Ave., Homewood • WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 12 • COST: $75
Green Refresh on Oct. 11, and the project should be completed in In the early 1970s, the city of time for The World Games, set for Birmingham, with support from July 7-17, 2022, according to REV the business community, completed Birmingham, one of the project an extensive redesign of 20th Street partners North. The 20th Street North project The Birmingham Green project stretches from Morris Avenue to ironcity.ink was seen as a way to help beautify Linn Park and includes expansion and revitalize downtown, which of the bike and flex lanes installed faced stiff competition from suburban in 2020. shopping malls. It included new sidewalks, There will be new native and drought-relandscaping, lighting and street furniture. sistant landscaping, similar to that in Railroad The 20th Street portion of the project was Park and Rotary Trail. dedicated in September 1973, according to All businesses on 20th Street North plan to bhamwiki.com remain open throughout construction. Beginning in 2018, officials began studying For more information about Birmingham ways to further improve 20th Street, especially Green Refresh, including construction phases after the city was awarded The World Games. and the history of Birmingham Green, go to Construction began on the Birmingham revbirmingham.org. Brought to you by our sister paper:
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B26 • December 2021
280 Living
280
Real Estate Listings MLS #
Zip
1303733
35242
1304151
Address
Status
Price
144 Biltmore Drive
New
$699,900
35242
936 Greystone Highlands Circle
New
$279,900
1304078
35242
5404 Brooke Trace
New
$389,000
1304077
35242
946 Greystone Highlands Circle
New
$285,000
1303439
35242
6028 Terrace Hills Drive
New
$359,000
1303974
35242
432 Old Brook Circle
New
$319,000
1303547
35242
4126 Somerset Ridge
New
$705,000
1303663
35242
2121 Raines Run
New
$814,900
1303638
35242
5660 Double Oak Lane
New
$849,900
1303600
35242
2009 Kinzel Lane
New
$849,900
1303598
35242
5008 Greystone Way
New
$899,900
1303283
35242
294 Chateau Way
New
$372,000
1304207
35043
1012 Preston Place
New
$234,900
1303426
35043
1036 Crawford Court
New
$250,000
1303890
35043
168 Belmont Way
New
$329,900
1303886
35043
345 Timberview Trail
New
$629,900
1304088
35043
224 Oaklyn Hills Drive
New
$599,000
1303839
35043
2020 Fairbank Circle
New
$235,000
1303692
35043
488 Lake Chelsea Way
New
$399,900
1303551
35043
704 Hickory Hollow
New
$829,900
144 Biltmore Drive
1012 Preston Place
Real estate listings provided by the Birmingham Association of Realtors on Nov. 19. Visit birminghamrealtors.com.
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280Living.com
December 2021 • B27
Calendar 280 Area Events Through Dec. 24: Santa at The Summit. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Santa will be at his workshop in Saks Plaza daily through Christmas Eve. Visits and photos can be booked online and walk-ins are welcome. Visit thesummitsanta.com. Dec. 3-4: Holiday Artist Market. Shelby County ARts Center, downtown Columbiana. Local artisans offers wares including artwork, pottery, photography, jewelry, woodworking, glass work and more. Food trucks onsite for lunch, and Santa will visit for pictures from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Visit shelbycountyartscouncil.com. Dec. 11: Holiday Celebration and Craft and Bake Sale. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Veterans Park. Hosted by the Alabama Wildlife Center, all proceeds from sales of handmade arts, crafts and baked goods to benefit the wildlife center. Santa Claus and birds of prey will be in attendance. Visit alabamawildlifecenter.org. Dec. 18: Chelsea Christmas Parade and Jingle Mingle. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. from Chelsea Middle School and end behind the Winn Dixie. Following the parade, Jingle Mingle will be held at the Chelsea Community Center from noon-3 p.m. Visit cityofchelsea.com. Dec. 18: Meadow Brook Run. USAmeriBank’s Meadow Brook branch, 1100 Corporate Parkway. Registration from 7:30-8:45 a.m.; 5K begins at 9 a.m.; 1-mile fun run begins at 10 a.m. Walkers and pets on leash are welcome. $15-$25 donation suggested to benefit “The Jesus Video Project of Alabama.” Visit meadowbrookruns.org.
North Shelby Library The library will be closed Dec. 24-25 for Christmas and Dec. 31 through Jan. 2 for the New Year. Registration link: northshelbylibrary.evanced.info/signup/calendar FAMILY Through Dec. 28: Winter Family Geocaching Scavenger Hunt. Put on your hunting hats and join in for family fun with this virtually aided, seek and find scavenger-style hunt to explore what’s hidden in plain sight at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Registration required. Dec. 5: Ornament Make & Take.1-5 p.m. Stop by the library and make an ornament for the library tree and one to take with you. No registration. Adult assistance required. Dec. 17: Local Author Visit – Emma Fox. 2 p.m. Meet local author Emma Fox, who will be selling copies of her book, “The Arrow and the Crown.” Visitors can make an arrowhead craft to take with them. Snacks provided. STORYTIME Dec. 8: Family Storytime. 10:30 a.m. A story program ideal for pre-K with caregivers nearby. Stories, songs, finger plays and fun make up a lively 30-minute program. Registration required.
Dec. 14: Virtual Music and Books Club. 5:30 p.m. Online program with music and books with Ms. Samantha. TEENS Dec. 13: Teen Book Club. 5 p.m. Join Mrs. Amy each month for book discussion and a free dinner. ADULTS Dec. 9: Book Club. 10 a.m. Dec. 13: Medicare Info. 4 p.m. Debra Quinn will be available to walk you through the ins and outs of Medicare.
Dec. 15: K-5th Homeschool Art Craft Kit-to-Go. 1 p.m. Create candy catapults. Registration required. Ages 5 and older. TWEENS (AGES 8-12) Dec. 1: Tween Activity Kit – Make a Paper Gift Box. Pick up a kit to learn how to make a paper gift box. Instructions are included or use CreativeBug to watch a video tutorial. No registration. Dec. 3: Tween Leadership Council virtual meeting. 4:30 p.m. Planning programs via Zoom. Registration required. Dec. 7: Tween Minecrafternoons. 4 p.m. Online program. Registration required. Dec. 13: Snowcraft – A Creative Minecraft Challenge. 4 p.m. Join your peers and challenge yourself with this wintry-themed Minecraft Creative Build Challenge.
CHILDREN
TEENS
Dec. 1-15: Disguise a Gingerbread Man. Create a disguise for your gingerbread man and return by Dec. 15. No registration. While supplies last.
Dec. 1-16: Teen Exam Kits. Sign up and get a self-care kit to get you through exam season.
Dec. 1: Activity Bundles. Each bundle comes with a themed picture book to borrow and eight worksheets to promote literacy skills for children in preschool, kindergarten and first grade. Designed for pre-K through first grade.
Dec. 1: Monthly STEM Kit-to-Go. No registration. While supplies last. Adult assistance required.
Dec. 2: Board Game Night. 6 p.m. Drink cocoa and play a variety of board games. Registration required. Dec. 6 and 20: Teen Dungeons and Dragons. 6 p.m. Dec. 11: Teen Volunteer Day. Help the library and earn community service hours. The library will host several volunteer days this semester. For sixth through 12th graders. Registration required. Dec. 11: Teen Council presents Hide
and Seek. 6 p.m. Play hide and seek in the library. Dec. 15: Teen Homeschool Hangout – 3D Printing. 1 p.m. Join over Zoom and create fun 3D print designs. Library will print and contact for pick up. Dec. 15: Teen Homeschool Art Kit-toGo. 2 p.m. Registrants will pick up a take-home kit and instructions to make painted ornaments. Registration required. Dec. 16: Teen Council presents Holiday Nailed It! 6 p.m. Recreate holiday cookies with provided supplies. Registration required. Dec. 30: Teen Minecraft Build Competition – Winter Wonderland. Complete your ultimate Minecraft wintery build in an hour. Registration required. ADULTS Dec. 1 and 15: Language Club. 6 p.m. For those who want to practice with like-minded individuals who all have the same goal of improving their language education. Dec. 7: Holiday Painting Program. 10 a.m. to noon. Paint a glass ornament hanging from a tree. All supplies provided. Registration required. Dec. 8: True Crime Digital Book Club. 6 p.m. The True Crime Club covers true crime books and documentaries. Registration required. Dec. 9: Talk Books with Dee. 6 p.m. Join Dee for a fun evening book club and discussion about the books we have read and the books that are coming out. Bring an appetizer to share. Drinks will be provided. Dec. 13: “Polar Reading” Virtual Painting Kit-to-Go. 10 a.m. Paint “Desert Reading.” Registration required. Dec. 16: NSL Book Club. 10:30 a.m. to noon. December's book is “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. Registration required only if you are meeting via Zoom.
Mt Laurel Library
CHILDREN Dec. 11: Lego Day. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Create with Legos and have your creation on display.
Dec. 15: K-5th Homeschool Hangout – Candy Science. 1 p.m. Explore the scientific method with a game of "Will It Sink or Will It Float?" Registration required.
Dec. 16: Virtual Zoom Pajama Jam Storytime. 6:30 p.m. Wear your pajamas and log in through Zoom. Registration required.
Dec. 1: Monthly Craft Kit-to-Go. No registration. While supplies last. Adult assistance required.
Chelsea Public Library
Dec. 7 and 14: Tech Tuesdays. 3:30 p.m. A weekly drop in tech-based activity.
The library will be closed Dec. 24-25 for Christmas and Dec. 31 for New Year’s Eve. FAMILY Through Dec. 28: Winter Family Geocaching Scavenger Hunt. Put on your hunting hats and join in for family fun with this virtually aided, seek and find scavenger-style hunt to explore what’s hidden in plain sight at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Dec. 5: Mt Laurel Tree Lighting Treats. 6 p.m. Stop by after the tree lighting in the town center for treats, a craft and balloons. Dec. 1-23: Mt Laurel Holiday Bingo. The library will have bingo sheets available with all sorts of holiday fun. Get five in a row and bring your sheet back to be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card.
CHILDREN Dec. 3 and 17: Toddler Tales. 10 a.m. Storytime for ages 19-36 months and a caregiver. Registration required. Dec. 11: Crafty Saturday. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pick up a fun Christmas craft at the library. Dec. 16: Build a Snow Monster. 4 p.m. Read a snow story, stuff our snow monsters, and eat a fun snack. Registration required. TWEENS Dec. 8: Tween Felt Ornament. 4 p.m. All materials provided. Registration required.
Dec. 13-17: Tween Gumdrop Challenge. Registration required. ADULT Dec. 2: Mt Laurel Book Club. 7 p.m. “Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World” by Laura Spinney. Meet at the library and via Zoom. Dec. 9: Holiday Door Swag. 6 p.m. Lauren from Laurel and Sage Florals will be leading a class to show you how to make a fresh greenery door swag. This is an in-person program, and no take-home kit will be provided. Registration required.
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in December 2021!*
Andy Cook and his sons enjoying their new 2021 GMC Sierra 1500
Two Generations. One GMC. After we matched Andy Cook with his perfect new 2021 GMC Sierra 1500, we couldn’t imagine that truck putting a bigger smile on anyone else’s face. But we might stand corrected. After Andy sent along some photos of how excited his sons were for their family’s new ride, we honestly don’t know who’s loving it more! And there’s a whole lot to love about Sierra. More cargo bed volume than any competitor means the Cooks can haul a whole lot more happiness for years to come. Class-leading 15 available camera views help keep eyes on precious cargo when pulling out of the driveway. Who knows where a new Sierra could take you and your family. Visit us at the corner of I-65 and Highway 31 in Vestavia to find out!
(205) 823-3100 · www.royalbuickgmc.net 3010 Columbiana Rd · At the Corner of I-65 and Highway 31 in Vestavia