By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Reporter

Montevallo ­– The Montevallo City Council approved funding for multiple improvements to the city’s parks and golf course at its regularly scheduled Feb. 13 meeting.

Shoal Creek Park will get a trailhead and restroom facility built by TurnerBatson Architects, the same group that built city hall, according to city clerk Herman Lehman. The city approved a resolution to expend $25,000 from the Regions Reserve to match the grant funding of $100,000 the city had already received.

The Stream Enhancement Project in Orr Park will receive $25,000 from the State Capital Improvement Account to match the $25,000 grant received for the project from Alabama Power.

The council received bids for the project and realized the cost would be greater than they initially expected. The cost of about $100,000 came as a surprise, but the council worked to figure out how to complete the project with help from the community.

“We figured out a way to do most of the important parts of the project with the money we have,” Lehman said.

The project received $25,000 in funding from the Montevallo Development Cooperative District and some donated materials and labor. City workers will do an estimated $10,000 in labor.

They also received $15,000 from the Montevallo Water and Sewer Board because many of the planned stabilizations will protect the sewer lines that run along the creek.

The city was still about $25,000 short of being able to do everything they wanted to stabilize the creek, so the council approved to give extra money to fulfill the plans.

Montevallo will spend the first of the $100,000 in Mahler Gift Funds on the golf course to enhance irrigation. The first $2,600 has been approved for the improvements.

In other business:

City employees will now have President’s Day off after the council approved it as an annual city holiday.

The council will propose a contract with Alagasco for a two percent franchise fee for 10 years.

Salary for city workers was discussed. Council members made note that the salaries do not compare favorably with nearby cities in the county. The council said they would continue to seek ways to improve the competitiveness of jobs for Montevallo.