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At the Dec. 10 Troy City Council Meeting, the council awarded the bid for construction of new sidewalks on Academy Street.

A new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalk will be constructed on the north side of Academy Street from Alphonsa Byrd Drive all the way to Academy Circle and on the eastern side of Academy Circle from Academy Street to Elm Street. A sidewalk will also be constructed on the south side of Academy Street from Alphonsa Byrd Drive to Harrison Street.

The low bid from Avery Landscaping and Associates, based in Hamilton, came in under the city’s budget for the project. The city had budgeted $917,334.66 for the project but the winning bid came in at a total of $609,362. The majority of the cost will be paid through a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant from the state with the city’s portion of the cost being $121,872.40.

At the meeting, the council also renewed three-year engineering agreements with Stewart Engineering, GMC Network and KREBS Engineering, along with a three-year professional consulting agreement with Abidance Consulting.

The city also approved a resolution to enter into a five-year professional services agreement with American Tank. Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) requires water supplies to be inspected annually and for all water tanks to be sanitized and washed out every five years. This agreement will see American Tank perform those duties for the city.

The council approved a resolution to apply for an Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) grant to replace and upgrade lighting at the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

In other business, the council approved a resolution to rezone 2.24 acres of property at 1500 Three Notch Street from a residential to commercial zone. The council also reappointed Perry Green and Doug Kitchens to the Board of Adjustment and Evelyn Watson to the Library Board.

In the last order of business, the council approved a resolution to adopt the new redistricting plan for the city, required after the last Census was conducted. According to Mayor Jason Reeves, a total of 39 census blocks were changed in the new districting map. A census block can make up from just one individual to more than 700.

Reeves said that in the coming months, the city would publish the new voting districts online, on social media and in the local media. He also said that postcards will be mailed out to every address with a working power meter detailing what district that address is in to ensure that all Troy citizens are aware of their voting district.

Reeves also said that all city offices would be closed on Dec. 24-25 to celebrate the Christmas holiday. The next City Council meeting will be on Jan. 14, 2025 at Troy City Hall at 5 p.m. A work session will be held upstairs at City Hall at 4 p.m.