By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Alabaster could have lights at its city soccer fields as soon as February if the City Council approves a lower-than-expected bid on the project during its Dec. 17 meeting.

Council members reviewed bids for the project during a Dec. 13 work session, and said they likely will accept the low bid of about $205,000 to install eight banks of lights on galvanized steel poles around the soccer fields at Municipal Park. Council members said the bids were expected to come in at about $350,000.

The light poles will be installed outside the fields’ fences. If the lights are still being installed when the city’s soccer season begins early next year, players will still be able to use the fields, said Alabaster Parks and Recreation Director Tim Hamm.

In other business, the council:

-Announced the city is looking to bid out in-car video systems for 12 Alabaster police cars, many of which will be replacement systems for current cars.

The department currently uses in-car video systems from four different manufacturers. Once the new systems are installed, only two manufacturers’ systems will be used by the department’s vehicles. The city’s ultimate goal is to have a system capable of reading video from all police vehicles, City Administrator George Henry said.

-Announced it likely will vote to donate $3,000 to Creek View Elementary School to help fund a schoolwide Wi-Fi system.

The council previously donated similar amounts to Thompson High School and Thompson Intermediate School.