By Terry Schrimscher, For The Tribune
SPRINGVILLE — The Springville City Council met for the second regular meeting of June on Monday night, June 20. Much of the pre-meeting work session discussion focused on increasing security in response to recent shootings.
Councilmember Sherry Reaves and Sgt. Maggie Milazzo discuss security for Springville schools. (Photo by Terry Schrimscher)
“You know what’s been going on lately on the news. It’s happening in our schools. It’s happening in our grocery stores. It’s happening in our churches,” Springville Police Sergeant Maggie Milazzo said.
Two weeks ago, a school resource officer (SRO) in Gadsden shot and killed an intruder attempting to enter Walnut Park Elementary School. Last week, a shooter entered a church dinner social in nearby Vestavia Hills and killed three people before being subdued.
“We feel like it’s irresponsible not to learn from what’s already taken place. We think it’s playing with fire to pretend like it can’t happen within our own community,” Milazzo said. “We’re being very proactive, but we’re here to ask the council tonight, and our community, for support in hopefully funding an SRO.”
Councilmember Sherry Reaves has been working on plans to coordinate efforts to increase security in Springville schools.
“The blood is going to be on us. Anything happens to those children, anybody at that school, they’re coming to us and say why. Because we did not protect their kids,” Reaves said. “God laid it on my heart very heavy, and I’m not stopping.”
Reaves has discussed options with Springville police and with leaders of neighboring communities Argo and Margaret, who use the county schools in Springville to partner in increasing security.
“It’s time for us to stand up, and this is really important,” Reaves said.
She said there are options to apply for grants, but ultimately those costs revert to the city after three years.
In other business, the council approved $8,068 bonus funding to be distributed to city retirees. The council also approved the reallocation of funds from zoning to parks to fund the new manager position at the nature preserve approved in the June 6 meeting.
Councilmember Tim Walker expressed concern over the process for zoning requests and said the potential for conversion of agricultural land to residential property could impact the city’s infrastructure.
“Should we not make a temporary moratorium on rezonings until we can figure out how many houses we can actually support here in the city of Springville,” Walker asked.
In response, the council approved a proclamation, prepared by City Attorney James Hill, stating the position that the city will not approve garden home and other high-density developments until the infrastructure is deemed adequate.
According to the proclamation, it is the position of the council to “decline requests to rezone property within the city of Springville, Alabama to R-4 garden home residential district, and that the city expects this intent to continue until such time as the city council determines that the city’s limited infrastructure resources are capable of adequately accommodating the additional strain on such resources caused by such developments.”
The proclamation was approved with amended language to include all potential high-density housing developments and not strictly garden home communities.
The council moved the July meeting to Wednesday, July 6, due to the Independence Day holiday.
