The Observer

City and county meetings recap | Oct. 3, 2024

The Observer Staff

County To suspend service for nonpaying citizens for trash pickup

Meridian Waste Commercial Frontload Truck

BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER
FOR THE OBSERVER

LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Commission met Monday night and discussed an issue that is a hot topic for many citizens — trash pickup.
Lee County has had a contract with Arrow Disposal for curbside pickup. As of earlier this month, Arrow was acquired by Meridian Waste.
The issue in place, however, is that many citizens have been unhappy with the contract. Before the Arrow contract, citizens took trash to dumping sites around the county. Because of the discontent, many citizens haven’t paid the bills associated with the contract to their homes.
Monday night, the commission discussed its policy — Lee County Commission Guidelines for Residential Garbage Fees, which was adopted in May 2024 — for what to do when those bills are unpaid, which includes no longer serving the house in question and removing the bin. The policy has not included a section on rules and regulations for stopping serving, up until Monday night’s discussion.
Many citizens were concerned that the commission would be pursuing civil litigation against individual citizens.
“You’re threatening civil action against people that are having their tax payers pay for Arrow Disposal … now, when they are charged and then there’s civil action, if they do not come to that designated time, date for there courtroom, then there will be a warrant issued for their arrest,” said one resident, Lance Farrar. “Then it turns into criminal action for a contract they never signed for. Arrow was signed with the county commission.”
The commission confirmed Monday night that this is not the case. Although the policy had a section in place discussing civil action, the commissioners asked for this section to be removed.
Most commissioners expressed concern.
“I’m not interested in suing a citizen of the county,” said District 2 Commissioner Ross Morris.
County Attorney Stan Martin is in the process of removing and rewriting and it will be represented to the commission at the next meeting.
The policy states that bins will be picked up beginning Oct. 7 for delinquent accounts.

Other Business:

Opelika council suspends hotel license

BY MICHELLE KEY | PUBLISHER

OPELIKA — The fate of the Springwood Hotel was on the agenda for Tuesday night’s Opelika City Council meeting. There was a public hearing for the demolition of the hotel as well as a resolution to revoke the owner’s business license.
The hotel was the subject of a nearly four hour long due process hearing held on Sept. 3. Following the hearing, the council voted to table the motion to revoke the business license until the Oct. 1 meeting. Less than one week later, the state fire marshal’s office out of Montgomery, instructed the hotel’s management to evacuate the property. Local nonprofit organizations, the Opelika Police Department (OPD) and individuals have been assisting the residents of the hotel that were displaced since that time.
Hotel owner Pravinbhai M. Patel attended Tuesday’s council meeting with attorney Allen Sheehan from Capell & Howard P.C. in Opelika.
According to Sheehan, the building was inspected by Gordon L. Davis PE, a structural engineering firm based out of Montgomery.
During the public hearing Sheehan read the following statement from the engineering report:
“It is my opinion that no modifications or repairs to the primary structural components of this facility are necessary. It is my opinion that the framing members are functioning as should have been intended at the time of the design of this facility. It is my opinion that this structural is in a safe condition. It is also my opinion that some minor functional deficiencies exist due the deterioration of wall coverings and floor coverings. It is my opinion that this deterioration does not affect the satisfactory performance of this construction.”
In response to the statements by Sheehan, City Building Inspector Jeff Kappelman explained the specifics provided by the building codes pertaining to the resolution to demolish the building.
“We’re using the 2015 building codes,” he said. “Under Property Maintenance Codes, Section 108.1.1 – Unsafe Structures [It reads] ‘When a structure or equipment is found by the code official to be unsafe, or when a structure is unfit for human occupancy, or is found unlawful, such structure shall be condemned pursuant to the provisions of this code.’
“Now the checklist comes from Section 108.1.5 – Dangerous Structure or premises: ‘For the purpose of this code, any structure or premises that has any or all of the conditions of defects described below shall be considered dangerous.’
“I don’t have any architect plans.” Kappelman said. “No permits have been issued, the plumbing and electrical have not been addressed; smoke detectors were not found when I went there, I looked inside the buildings, the smoke barriers were completely gone, no fire stops or smoke partitions. This has not be obtained.”
After two motions to modify the resolution, the council ultimately voted to suspend rather than revoke the business license contingent on repairs being made and passing comprehensive city of Opelika building and fire inspections. The council also voted to remove the resolution for the demolition of the building from the agenda.
Ward Two Council Member Erica Norris voiced her concerns about how the matter has been handled.
“I still have some concerns about how this was conducted on the behalf of the city” she said. “I do not believe that we were fair in our dealings; I am not, not holding BRP Hospitality LLC responsible because they do have a lot of work that needs to be done over there.”
Norris mentioned that she had not received additional information that had been requested from various city officials.
“I am completely distrusting of this process,” she said.
When asked how he felt about the decision, Patel said that he “is positive about it and is confident everything will get resolved.”

IN OTHER BUSINESS

Auburn City Council approves $18.2 million construction of Boykin-Donahue Project

BY ANITA STIEFEL | THE OBSERVER

AUBURN — At its regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 1, the Auburn City Council approved a contract for $18,234,000 plus a 10% contingency fund with W.W. Compton Contractor LLC for construction of the Boykin-Donahue Campus Project and Cultural Center.
Council member Connie Fitch-Taylor announced there will be a Ward 1 community meeting on Oct. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Boykin Center.
The council voted 8-1 to authorize temporary street closing and temporary beverage licensing for a special event, AU’s Tipoff at Toomer’s, which will take place on Oct. 17. Ward 8 council member Tommy Dawson opposed the motion, citing public safety concerns, including fatigue of Auburn police officers following five straight AU home football games. as well as security issues associated with having large out-of-town crowds at a free open-air concert.
The council approved a contract for $635,587.86. with C Spire Business for enterprise storage expansion
The council approved the purchase of property located at 406. N. Donahue Drive from Morningview Properties LLC for the Boykin-Donahue Project at a cost of $15,233.
The council voted 8-1 to approve purchase of two 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4×4 trucks from Stivers Chrysler Doge Jeep Ram at a cost of $93,564.20 to be used by the Water Resource Management Department, as well as purchase of one 2024 Ford F150 4×4 pickup truck from Stivers Ford Lincoln at a cost of $52,496 to be used by the Public Safety Department. Ward 2 council member Kelley Griswold voted against the purchases, saying he thinks should “made do” with the equipment currently on hand.
The council passed resolutions to purchase for the Environmental Services Department one 2025 Peterbilt 520 Chassis with Wittke Superduty 40‐yard front loader and dual cart tipper from Environmental Products Group Inc. at a cost of $409,925.41 and three 2025 Kenworth L770 New Way Sidewinder XTR 31‐yard Automated Side Loading Refuse Collection Body trucks from Sansom Equipment Co. at a cost of $1,256,127.
The council approved the following easements:

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