Irondale mayor outlines $3M paving plan, parks expansions and capital projects at town hall

Mayor (Mayor) addressed residents at an Irondale town hall on topics including parks, paving, recent property purchases and upcoming capital projects. The presentation covered use of new sports facilities, the city’s park master plan, a $3 million paving budget for 2025 and several capital projects scheduled for bid or construction this year.

The city’s parks update focused on the Ruffner Park Sports Complex, the newly opened playgrounds and a temporary conversion of an old ball field to parking. "We have about 106 kids that are now participating" in the youth programs at Ruffner, the mayor said, and the city has collected roughly $4,000 in rental fees plus about $15,000 in concession revenue in the first month of operation. The mayor said bathroom facilities at parks will be opened only during events to limit vandalism.

Nut graf: The meeting combined an overview of existing and planned park investments with specifics about how the city will fund and phase work on streets and facilities. The mayor framed the work as part of a broader "Blueprint Irondale" master plan and said the city is using engineer-led priorities, external grants and its credit/borrowing capacity to move projects forward.

On paving, the mayor said the city will spend about $3 million on pavement maintenance in 2025 and that engineers completed a 12‑year pavement plan in roughly two years. "We are projecting to spend about $3,000,000 on paving this year," the mayor said. The plan prioritizes engineer-identified needs rather than council picks, and the city will combine city funds with grants and gas tax receipts. The mayor said the city expects a $700,000 grant from ALDOT (referred to in the presentation as "LDOT") to assist with Grants Mill Road and mentioned about $1 million in gas-tax funds available for paving.

Public works director Frank (Frank, Public Works Director) explained the city’s mobilization approach: contractors are paid to move heavy equipment between neighborhoods, at a stated cost the presentation put between $15,000 and $30,000 per mobilization. Frank said that concentrating work in defined areas reduces mobilization expense and extends available paving dollars.

Residents used the Q&A to request specific streets. The mayor read a list of streets slated for 2025 work, including Fourth Avenue South, Fifth Avenue South, McCoy Street, Lawrence Street, Denton Lane and several Holiday Gardens streets (Sharpsburg Drive, Dresden Road, Danton Lane, Wonder Lane, Beacon Circle, Cornell Drive) and said a separate bid package will include lengths for each segment. Several residents from the Rock Ridge / Sunny Rock area asked the city to prioritize Sunny Rock Road and a crumbling corner at Sunny Rock Road and Sunny Rock Circle; the mayor asked public works to review those locations.

The mayor also reviewed other capital projects and acquisitions. Highlights included: - A 16‑acre Cahaba property the mayor said the city bought for $1,000,000 in cash and which is listed as part of future park phases; the presentation also showed a larger Cahaba-area tract described elsewhere in the slides as about 105 acres (these appear to be distinct parcels). The mayor said the city has acquired multiple parcels and that total potential green space has grown from 56.25 acres to approximately 400.65 acres after recent purchases. - A property off John Rogers Road purchased for $300,000 that will host a new fire station; the mayor described site access and two drive-in gates planned for apparatus circulation. - Irondale Civic Center renovations with alternates prioritized from the park master plan; the initial alternates called out a splash pad and an inclusive playground. - The library renovation, expected to be finished in June with a move following shortly afterward.

The mayor said the city has a double-A credit rating and noted approximately $20 million in available borrowing capacity (described as an available credit line). She also said the city intends to put the Ant Man Building (name used in the presentation) and other projects out to bid in the coming months.

On parks programming and community events, the mayor highlighted a dog park at Ellard Park (cost cited as roughly $900,000), a book walk with 22 stations in partnership with the Auburn Extension Center, Beacon Park concerts and a movie series funded with city-owned audio/visual equipment. The mayor said a recent microchip clinic placed chips in about 50 dogs and 10 cats. An upcoming community event will include an Easter egg event with roughly 11,500 eggs, and a fireside chat featuring Anthony Ray Hinton was announced; the mayor said $15,000 in scholarships will be awarded through the Irondale Community Foundation at that event.

Interstate lighting work was discussed: the presentation cited 181 poles in the system with 61 down and said the city paid about $500,000 to replace poles. The city is repairing 12 light-control centers one at a time and plans to turn repaired centers over to Alabama Power when ready.

During the Q&A the mayor invited citizens to use the city's financial transparency tool (ClearGov) to review budget, debt and revenue information and announced a mid-year financial review at the next budget meeting. A resident and other attendees confirmed they had used ClearGov and described it as easy to use.

Ending: The mayor closed by asking for continued public feedback on the park master plan before the council finalizes it and thanked residents for attending. Staff follow-up items the mayor and Frank noted included engineering reviews of requested streets, sign replacements, and prioritizing alternates if bid results leave additional funds.

Quotes in this article are taken from the town hall presentation and the public Q&A and attributed to speakers who spoke on the record at the meeting.