BY KENDYL HOLLINGSWORTH
KENDYLH@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
SMITHS STATION —
The Smiths Station City Council and Mayor F. L. “Bubba” Copeland issued two proclamations April 11 recognizing April 2023 as Fair Housing Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the city.
According to Copeland, April 2023 marks 55 years since the passage of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly referred to as the Federal Fair Housing Act
Bea Wallace and CEO Chris Lammons of the East Alabama Board of Realtors were present to accept the proclamation for Fair Housing Month.
“They come every year, and we talk about fair housing,” Copeland said. “Fair housing is a big deal … and they care about fair housing. … I thank you for constantly reminding us of what this means.”
A representative from the Rape Counselors of East Alabama was also present to accept the proclamation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). This year’s SAAM campaign theme is “Drawing Connections: Prevention Demands Equity.”
According to the proclamation, one in six women and one in 33 men will be subject to an attempted or completed rape at some point in their lives.
“Thank you so much for bringing attention to such a serious cause,” Copeland told the representative.
Earlier in the meeting, the council appointed Richard Beverly to fill the seat on the Historical Commission previously occupied by Tony Courson.
The mayor and council also discussed various issues with roads at the April 11 meeting. The council approved a resolution to enter into a contract with Phenix Paving and Maintenance LLC for the asphalt overlay project for Susan Place (Lee Road 854).
Copeland asked for citizens to be patient with the city as it arranges for roads to be paved, citing cost as one of the main reasons several roads still need to be repaved. He used the recently completed Cummings Road (Lee Road 294) project — which cost about $222,000 to repave three-quarters of a mile — as an example.
“We have had a lot of water that has fallen in the last four or five years, and anytime you have a torrential downpour, your asphalt is going to come apart, crack,” Copeland explained. “… Yes, we would love to pave every road in the city today, but $220,000 is real money. It’s real money. So, I ask you to be patient with us.
“We’re trying to do our best to patch holes, make our roads last as long as they possibly can. But if you ride around our region — from Phenix City to Columbus to Salem to Opelika — we’re not the only ones [that need repaving]. … It’s pretty rough, but it’s not because we’re not trying.”
In public comments, citizen Blanche Moore called attention to an alleged issue with speeding in the Twelve Oaks neighborhood. Moore said she contacted the city about the issue several months prior but has not seen the issue resolved.
“I’m coming to you because today, this morning, my fiancé was actually mowing the lawn and another delivery truck came around the blind curve and almost hit him,” she said. “He was close to the road, trying to mow our lawn.”
Copeland said “kids at play” signs would be ordered the next day, and the missing speed limit sign would be replaced. Moore had also mentioned speed bumps, but Copeland said she would need to collect a two-thirds majority of signatures from neighborhood residents to get the speed bumps installed in the road.
Copeland and Place 5 Council Member Victoria Green were absent from the April 25 meeting, but the council approved the relocation of a public posting place from Rainbow Foods on Panther Parkway to the U Save It Pharmacy.
“By state law, we have to have four public posting places, so in order to satisfy that requirement, we need to relocate it from Rainbow Foods to U Save It Pharmacy,” said City Clerk Morgan Bryce.
The Smiths Station City Council meets at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Government Center, located at 2336 Panther Parkway (Lee Road 430).