Gadsden City Council addresses variety of issues at weekly meeting
The Gadsden City Council covered a number of topics at its weekly meeting Tuesday.
The council unanimously approved a resolution that granted easement to Alabama Power to help continue to push forward the building of a new athletic complex for Gadsden City High School.
"The City of Gadsden owns a section of land around Gadsden City High School," District 5 council member Jason Wilson said. "Gadsden City is building a brand new baseball (and) softball complex; I believe tennis, too, is part of that.
Read this: Gadsden City Council approves Juneteenth as official holiday in city
In other news: Gadsden City High students get in-person lesson in city government
"Alabama Power needs permission to cross over some of the city's land to provide power for the lights at the ballfields," Wilson continued. "We were granting them permission to run their lines over our property so they could continue that project."
In addition, a resolution authorizing an automatic agreement between Glencoe, Rainbow City and Attalla fire departments and the Gadsden Fire Department making equipment, personnel and other resources from all available to any of the aforementioned departments requesting assistance passed with a 7-0 vote.
"A lot of people have said recently that we don't work well with other communities in this county," Wilson said. "I just want to show this as one example that you don't ever really see, where our fire department has agreed to help these other municipalities. If there is a fire close by, we automatically respond. They don't have to ask for it.
"If it happens in certain areas, we show up, and often we show up before the local firefighters do because we may be a little closer to these properties," Wilson added.
Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton was honored in a special presentation that revealed a painting by Lisa Price of him standing in front of Memorial Bridge on Meighan Boulevard.
The new portrait was commissioned and unveiled by Guyton's wife Debra and daughter Gracie and presented to the city.
The council also approved an amendment to the annual budget that allows for a grant related to the purchase of 52 ballistic bulletproof vests. The grant covers about half of the $50,700 cost of the vests.
J.J. Hicks is a news reporter at The Gadsden Times. He can be reached at jhicks1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden City Council covers numerous topics at latest meeting
