City awards bid for new primary school access road
Jun. 28—The work will begin this summer and likely won't be finished for more than a year, but traffic relief is a step closer for parents whose children attend the Cullman Primary School.
At its regular meeting Monday, the Cullman City Council awarded a bid for construction on a new road that will serve as a second point of access to the primary school, with the intent of alleviating congestion along the single shared Stadium Drive entryway that also serves students at Cullman High School. The $946,075 bid went to Maben, Mississippi-based Site Masters Construction, Inc., landing well beneath the $1 million mark that council members said they'd anticipated.
"We were expecting the bids to come in quite a bit higher, so it's a relief that this bid came in under a million dollars," said council president Jenny Folsom. "This will give the primary school a much needed second road in and out, and should resolve the traffic issues that parents and school staff face during the busy hours of the school day."
The new road will bypass Stadium Drive traffic connecting to Oak Drive N.E., which runs from Stadium Drive to Convent Road.
Council members said work on the road should begin this summer and is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.
In other business at its regular meeting, the council:
* Changed the date of the council's next regular meeting from Monday, July 11 to Thursday, July 7 to accommodate scheduling conflicts among council members. The new July 7 date also moves two public hearings on proposed ordinances — one to rezone to Central Business District zoning a property along Third Avenue SE; the other to rezone to B2-Business zoning a property along Eighth Street NE — that previously had been scheduled to take place at the July 11 regular meeting.
* Renewed the city's customary annual agreement with the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce to promote tourism in Cullman.
* Awarded a standing bid for street resurfacing treatment for one year to Wiregrass Construction Co., Inc.
* Adopted an ordinance amending requirements for streets constructed by subdivision developers within the city, to reflect new language stipulating that the city will not accept the new streets into its maintenance system until they have been completed and assessed to meet all local code requirements.
* Adopted an ordinance updating the city's restriction on the use and sale of pyrotechnics, to reflect changes in the definitions of fireworks terminology that have occurred since the original ordinance was first adopted.
* Donated 50 American flags to local VFW Post 2214, to be placed along U.S. Highway 31 ahead of this year's commemoration of the 4th of July holiday.
* Adopted a resolution agreeing to make application for a 2023 federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant that, if awarded, would fund the installation of handicap-accessible sidewalks along Fourth Avenue SW from U.S. Highway 278 to Fourth Street, as well as along Fourth Street SW to the intersection of Fifth Avenue SW.
* At the request of the board of directors of the Cullman Regional Airport, adopted a resolution approving the introduction of staggered terms for members who serve on the board. Because the airport board is jointly appointed by both the city and the Cullman County Commission, the change will not take effect until the county commission also has voted on and approved it.
Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.
