HAMILTON — After a unanimous vote during its Monday, March 17, meeting, the Hamilton City Council authorized the sale of 5.6 acres of property in the Bedford Industrial Park to be sold for the purpose of building a Ready-Mix Concrete Plant.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Page said the plan is for the land to be sold to Hayes Shirley and associates, but details have not yet been finalized.
The council set the price for the land at $10,000 per acre. They noted the revenue from the sale would be added to the Industrial Development Board’s certificate of deposit.
Regarding a timeline on getting started with the project, the mayor said he’d been getting daily calls from the prospects saying they were enthusiastic about moving forward.
“It’ll be nice to have a Ready-Mix plant back in Hamilton,” he said. “It’ll be much handier for people, and when they call in for concrete, they won’t have to wait so long.”
The mayor noted the location for the plant would be at the end of the industrial park road near the sub-power plant, across from the new jail on the upper side.
In other city business, the council:
• Voted to approve councilor Wade Williams as the voting delegate for the upcoming Alabama League of Municipalities Annual Convention on May 15. Page will also be attending the meeting, and will be the first-alternate voting delegate.
• Passed a resolution to authorize the City of Hamilton to withdraw as a plaintiff against the Pharmacy Benefit Managers Portion of the Opioid Class Action Suit. The mayor noted later the city was following the recommendation by the lead council for this region handling the opioid lawsuits. As this is a legal matter, the mayor could not disclose more information other than the city had been advised to withdraw.
• Authorized the posting of a job opening for the position of a maintenance worker for the Hamilton Park & Recreation Department. The council noted the opening is due to the upcoming retirement of Heath Atkins.
“He’s a great employee,” Page said. “We’ll miss his employment and hope we can find another good man to fill that position.”
• Approved a recommendation to extend city water services to connect nine households on County Highway 11 between State Highway 17 and County Road 35. These residents will pay $1,500 per home to connect to city water. The mayor noted the cost was for materials, and the meter set.
“Folks were really needing water over there,” Page noted. “This will be a worthy project.”
• Approved the payment of the balance of the city’s Municipal Workers Compensation Fund insurance for $53,809. The mayor noted the amount of the final payment came after the usual payroll audit was completed and all discounts were applied.
Other business not on the agenda
Prior to the meeting, the mayor also made an announcement regarding the Hamilton Industrial Board, noting Mike Shotts would be re-appointed to the board.
“Mike has been serving on the board for some time,” Page said. “His three-year term ended this month, and I talked with Mike and he’s willing to serve another term.”
The mayor noted Shotts’ new term would end in March of 2028.
“He does a good job attending the meetings, and he has a lot of input. He’s a real good member,” he said.
After the agenda items, the council voted to amend the agenda to add another consideration.
The mayor explained the addition was in regard to the Cooper Lift Pumping Station project, with some urgency, as grant funds awarded must be spent by December 2026.
Noting the time frame necessary for putting the project out for bids, and the completion of the project, he said it could be a push to make the deadline.
After approval of the addition, the council also approved the acceptance of a proposal for a different design plan by Engineers of the South.
Page said the alternate project plan would better fit the monies granted and would be a 20-year fix for the sewage pumping station.
“We’re not obligated to accept the plan,” he noted. “We’re just voting to authorize them to create a different design.”
Previously, bids received for the original project were more than double the $1 million estimated cost.
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