COUNCIL COMMENTS
Scott Brakefield
Ward 6 | City Council President brakefield@cityofalabaster.com
Greetings! The municipal elections are behind us. I am excited for the opportunity to continue to serve the City that has given so much to me. We still have some pretty important elections coming up. We will have the runoff for Ward 5 on October 6th. Then we will have the big one in November. So, we aren't quite done yet. Please make sure you do not forget to exercise your right to vote! As we are approaching the end of the 2020 fiscal year, I am excited to report that the City is trending to have revenues well in excess of expenditures. That is a great accomplishment considering the impact that COVID has had on our local businesses. Thank you to all of our residents that continued to shop Alabaster first and help our local businesses during some very dark times. It is very encouraging to hear that ALDOT is finally making offers on ROW acquisition for the expansion on Highway 119. This is a huge step forward in the our progress. Once all the ROW has been acquired, it will be on to relocation of utilities and then road construction. Lastly, it was great to see the Warriors take the field vs. Oxford on August 22nd. The second Annual Go Gold Bowl benefiting Childhood Cancer Awareness and Children’s Hospital was a success. I am hopeful that we will continue to move towards some sense of normalcy as we continue to battle COVID. Thanks for everything that each of you do to make Alabaster the absolute best place to live! Scott
Sophie Martin | Ward 1 martin@cityofalabaster.com
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Progress continues in Ward 1. To improve safety for residents and to help address the speeding issue, new speed warning signs were installed in several locations along Weatherly Club Drive. Additionally, the directional street signage was repainted at all stop sign locations in the bike lanes. Thank you to Mark Harris and the Public Works team for getting this completed. Renovations and enhancements continue to be made at Abby Wooley Park located off Hwy.11. For the safety of residents, the park will remain closed until the work is complete which is projected for the first week of November 2020. Once the work is complete, please be on the lookout for a scheduled ribbon cutting and re-dedication service of this very special and historic park. It is a true honor and blessing to serve as council member again for Ward 1 and the City of Alabaster, especially during these challenging times. I am deeply grateful to the residents of Ward 1 for their ongoing support and partnership as we continue to move our great community and city forward. cityofalabaster.com
Rick Ellis | Ward 2 ellis@cityofalabaster.com
I want to start this month by congratulating Scott Brakefield on being elected our city’s next mayor. I would also like to congratulate Stacy Rakestraw and Greg Farrell on their re-election as well as congratulate Seth Gandy on his election in Ward 6. Also, congratulations to Jamie Cole and Mike Mehlhoff on making it to a run-off in Ward 5 later this month. With Kerri Pate and Sophie Martin, who were unopposed, the voters of Alabaster have put together a tremendous team to move this city forward for the next four years! As for me, I would like to thank the residents of Ward 2 for entrusting me to represent you for another four years! It is an honor to represent you, and I look forward to doing so along with this great team! Well, school has started and it is vastly different than any of us would have thought this time last year. Students are learning from home, teachers are not only trying to physically teach at school, but at the same time are trying to teach students virtually as well! Then there are the parents that have to balance a work life and a life with their kids staying home three days a week. This is definitely difficult at best for all of us! I believe that we will eventually get through this and get back to normal, but in the meantime we all have to work together to get through this time in history. Please keep the students, teachers, parents, and administrators in your prayers! Rick
Stacy Rakestraw |
Ward 3
rakestraw@cityofalabaster.com
First, I would like to thank the residents of Ward 3 for voting and allowing me to serve them and the City of Alabaster for another term. It is a joy to serve. As always, call me or email me any time you have a question or concern. On the back of this magazine is my contact information. Our decision to purchase the Kingwood Field property was vetted by several department heads, and the fields and facilities have been kept in good condition. Also, the appraisal of the 8.3 acres with bathroom facilities, field house, sprinkler system, etc. came in around $660,000. The City was able to offer $575,000. We will be able to use this property for little league practice fields and games. It is a turn-key opportunity. In the future, we plan to put a walking trail and playground on the property. In our recent park study, a deficit in park facilities is shown on the north side of town and overall for our city. This purchase will help in the progress of our comprehensive plan and the desire
