Pelham City to honor community advocate June Fletcher; parks staff and Pelham Civic Complex receive awards

Mayor Gary Waters told the City Council on Feb. 3 that the late June Fletcher will be honored with a proclamation at the council’s Feb. 17 meeting and that the mayor will ask the council to add Fletcher’s name to the obelisk at City Park. The mayor said Fletcher “became the social conscience of the City of Pelham” and that her sister will attend the Feb. 17 meeting for the proclamation.

City Manager Gretchen (first name given in the meeting) told the council the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena’s rodeo — held last July and produced with Venue Works — was selected by the Professional Cowboy Association (PCA) as the PCA’s best rodeo of the year. In remarks the manager read from the PCA website, she described the association as “a nonprofit association 501(c)(3) established to promote the sport of rodeo” and said the PCA selects events based on management, livestock care and fairness. The manager congratulated Seth Greenberg and Venue Works staff for the recognition.

Parks and recreation staff and community volunteers were recognized at district and state award events. District-level awards included a community service award to the Pelham Garden Club (represented by Jim Collins) and an innovative program-of-the-year award for an NHL Street program led by Jared (last name not given). Jake Dickens received a merit award for maintenance and evening supervision, and Tabitha Dudley received the outstanding young new professional award. The city’s submissions won duplicate recognition at the state level: Jared and the Pelham Garden Club also received state-level recognition.

The city manager outlined activities that supported the Pelham Garden Club’s award: a wildflower planting program at the golf course and Coker Park, invasive-species removal twice yearly along the City Park creek, construction and monitoring of approximately seven bluebird houses, partnership cleanups with the Cahaba River Society, maintenance of the Historical Society Garden and Destiny’s Memorial Monument Garden, and assistance in planting “almost 40 plus” trees in multiple parks.

The manager also said the city received the results of the 2024 citizen engagement survey and that “the city received satisfaction improvement scores on 99% of the areas surveyed.” She said the council will receive a public presentation of the survey results at the Feb. 17 meeting.

Other announcements from the meeting: Taste of Pelham 2025 is scheduled for April 3, and the council is accepting applications and resumes from Pelham residents through Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. for several municipal boards (Pelham Board of Education; Pelham Stormwater Board; Pelham Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeal; Pelham Commercial Development Authority).