City of
PELHAM
NEWSLETTER Embrace the Outdoors – Southern Style
August 2018
Official News from the City of Pelham, Alabama
Budget Season Underway
UPCOMING EVENTS
The city department heads and I deferred due to priorities in other areas have begun developing the 2018/19 of the city, etc. Alternatives for budget. The budget will be adopted by achieving objectives are reviewed and City Council before the new fiscal year often further research is needed. begins on October 1, and I want to Step 5: Department heads meet share with readers the steps with City Manager a second to preparing a municipal time to review any budget budget. lines to reduce or increase Step 1: Staff members and and/or applicable projects to elected officials exchange defer. The central and information about what’s continuous consideration been done and what still throughout this process is, needs to be accomplished in “how does this program or the budget/plan for the expense benefit the citizens current year, and City of Pelham?” Council and Mayor provide Step 6: Department heads DiFante high level direction regarding and City Manager present finances and priorities. draft budgets to City Council and Step 2: Keeping in mind direction Mayor and receive feedback from from elected officials, department elected officials. Any needed changes heads submit draft budgets to the City are made. Manager. Step 7: City Manager presents final Step 3: City Clerk/Treasurer and budget to City Council and Mayor for a City Manager analyze projected vote. revenues for upcoming year as well as Adopting a budget is a lengthy and the city’s debt service and any ongoing challenging process; however, when capital needs and those projected done well it results in a budget that expenses. delivers on the priorities of the people Step 4: Department heads meet as represented by the elected officials. with City Manager and Clerk/Treasurer It also serves to uphold Pelham’s to review draft budgets. This step healthy fiscal environment, supporting provides for a valuable exchange of a great quality of life and sustainable ideas during which operations are development in our city for decades to analyzed against the mission of the come. If you have any questions about department and the projected funds the city budget, please email me at available. Some budget cuts are made gdifante@pelhamalabama.gov at this point for several reasons, i.e., projected expenses may need more analysis to substantiate the level of Gretchen DiFante is the city financial commitment, projects may be manager of Pelham.
New library open to public
FILE PHOTO
Pelham’s new library opened on May 17. Did you know Pelham's new library opened it's doors at the Pelham Park Campus on May 17? More than 16,000 people visited the new Pelham library in the month of June. This is a 36% increase over last June.
Since opening it's doors in May, the library has seen a 114% increase in issued and renewed library cards. The beautiful study rooms at the new library have been used by nearly 200 people already. Visit your new library today!
Beautification Nominations
COUNCIL MEETING August 6th 7:00 PM
FILE PHOTO
Bob Rigney has rejoined Ballantrae and he plays 18 holes of golf at least twice a week
‘The godfather’ returns to Ballantrae Being able to play golf at Ballantrae again is one golfer’s dream come true. Bob Rigney joined Ballantrae as a charter member soon after the course opened, and he came to the course almost every morning to play golf. He eventually teamed up with three other senior golfers, and they played together almost every day, rain or shine. If Bob saw another senior golfer playing by himself, he would ask him to join the group. They continued adding members, and Bob was their leader, setting up tee times and organizing overnight golfing trips. Eventually, the group grew so large it had to split in two. The groups – who affectionately call Bob “the godfather” – now have about 20 members each. The original group was known as “The Rigney Group,” and the members honored Bob by dedicating a permanent bench in his name. It is erected at the Starters House and practice green on hole #l. The inscription says: “To Bob Rigney – “Thanks for the good times.” A few years ago, Bob experienced the first in a series of health issues that seemed likely to put an end to his golfing days at Ballantrae. It began with a heart infection that was treated with a long hospital and rehab stay, followed by Salmonella poisoning. Both diseases were almost fatal, and doctors said Bob was lucky to have survived. However, they left him confined to a wheelchair. He told his doctors about his love for golf and wanted to know if he would ever be able to play golf again. They generally sidestepped the question and gave him the standard “anything is possible” answer. Months of blood diseases, transfusions, antibiotics and painkillers had taken a toll on Bob’s body. He began retaining fluid in and around his lungs and heart. During what was supposed to be a minor operation to drain the fluid, Bob suffered as many as 10 strokes. Around this time, a large malignant tumor was discovered during a
colonoscopy. So back in he went to have the tumor and part of his colon taken out. Soon after, his cardiologist told Bob his heart was failing and he would die unless he got a new heart valve. He was admitted to three hospitals to see if doctors could control his fluid retention and operate on his heart. At the third hospital, Bob’s doctors told him, his wife and their three children nothing else could be done. They would release Bob and send him home with hospice to make him as comfortable as possible. Angry at his prognosis, Bob was determined not only to prove his doctors wrong, but to tee the ball up one more time at Ballantrae. With his wife, Mary, pushing him, he miraculously started getting better. Doctors at Princeton Baptist Medical Center performed the operation and also put in a pacemaker, and Bob’s prognosis turned around dramatically. During his health problems, his buddies from Ballantrae visited, encouraged and prayed for him. But Mary provided constant care and inspiration. For the better part of four years, Mary did everything for him and never left his side. Last fall, Bob experienced his greatest challenge when Mary, his wife and sweetheart of nearly 60 years, passed away unexpectedly after a short illness. Bob was devastated, and the grief was almost more than he could take. Doctors cannot fix his broken heart., but being around his friends at Ballantrae again is making life enjoyable and helping to heal his wounds. So, the next time you go to Ballantrae, chances are you’ll see an older gentleman who walks with the help of a cane on the back driving range hitting balls. Or maybe in the Pro Shop or Grill. This is Bob Rigney. He has rejoined Ballantrae and he plays 18 holes of golf at least twice a week. The next time you see him, introduce yourself and say, “Welcome back to Ballantrae.”
Did you know... The City has an ongoing program to replace the PVC water mains within the water distribution system. These mains are among the oldest in the system and are most prone to leaks and breaks. Water main leaks and breaks increase the amount of unaccounted for water in the system and also can result in service interruptions to customers. PVC mains are replaced with ductile iron which is a significantly stronger pipe material. The water distribution system includes 94 miles of water mains. Approximately 20 miles of these mains are PVC with the remainder being predominantly ductile iron. There are 10 water storage tanks in the system with a total storage capacity of 7.8 million gallons and 3 water booster pumping stations. The City of Pelham’s water source consists of five drinking water wells with a combined pumping capacity of 6,600 gallons per minute (9.5 million
gallons per day) as well as three purchase connections from the Shelby County Water system that can provide in excess of 2 million gallons of water per day. The City currently serves approximately 11,700 residential customers and 2,259 commercial customers. Residential water demands average 5,400 gallons per month per customer and commercial water demands average 21,000 gallons per month per customer. From all sources, the City delivers just over 1.5 billion gallons of water annually with a peak day demand of approximately 6.2 million gallons per day. Our goal is and always has been, to provide to you a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. The Annual Drinking Water Quality Report is located online at https:// pelhamalabama.gov/ArchiveCenter/ ViewFile/Item/74.
PARENT UNIVERSITY Thursday, July 26, 2018 Location: Old Thompson High School Address: 100 Warrior Dr. Alabaster, AL 35007
Officer Isaac Cruz, Pelham Police Department Compact 2020 Bradford Introduction Parenting with Purpose Presentation: The effects of drugs and alcohol on the adolescent brain Counselor Wesley Goodenough: Mental Health Presentation Discussion Panel All families welcome!
EDUCANDO A LOS PADRES
Thursday, July 26, 2018 Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Location: Old Thompson High School Address: 100 Warrior Dr. Alabaster, AL 35007
El Oficial Isaac Cruz, Pelham Police Department Compact 2020 Bradford Introduccion Criando a Nuestros Hijos con Proposito: Efectos del Alcohol u Drogas en el Cerebro de los Adolescentes Consejero de Salud Mental Wesley Goodenough: Salud Mental Tenderemos en Panel de Discusion Todas las familias son bienvenidas! August 6th and 20th City Council Meeting at City Hall
PENTATONIX AT OAK MOUNTAIN AMPHITHEATRE Thursday, August 2 Pentatonix fans get excited – your favorite a capella group are coming to perform live at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre on Thursday 2nd August 2018, on tour with their upcoming new full-length studio album!! Grab your tickets while they last!! Date: August 2, 2018 Time: 7:00 PM
OAK MOUNTAIN BMX - LOCAL RACE
Date: August 9,11 and 25th Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Location: View Facility Oak Mountain BMX Track
PELHAM RACQUET CLUB
August 9-12 Alabama State Closed Age NTRP
COUNCIL MEETING August 20th 7:00 PM
Pelham City Council Members
Rick Hayes
Mildred Lanier
Beth McMillan
Maurice Mercer
Ron Scott
Gary Waters
Council President rickhayes@ pelhamalabama.gov
Council President Pro Tempore mildredlanier@ pelhamalabama.gov
Council Member bethmcmillan@ pelhamalabama.gov
Council Member mauricemercer@ pelhamalabama.gov
Council Member ronscott@ pelhamalabama.gov
Mayor mayor@ pelhamalabama.gov
CITY OF PELHAM 3162 Pelham Parkway Pelham, AL 35124 205-620-6400