Hoover council approves $500,000 to begin power-restoration at Hoover East Park

The Hoover City Council on a unanimous voice vote (with one abstention noted) approved a $500,000 budget amendment and a separate agreement not to exceed $65,000 for project management to begin restoring electrical service at Hoover East Park after testing found failed medium-voltage cables and evidence of past arcing.

City staff and outside engineers told the council the park's primary-meter electrical distribution is deteriorated and that current is leaking through the ground and onto fencing and other infrastructure, creating a safety hazard.

Mindy Wyatt, a city staff member presenting the plan, said, "We are asking tonight for a budget movement for $500,000 to get us started on this first phase so that we can go ahead and get these products on order." Wyatt said the $500,000 request is an initial allocation that would be spent across engineering design, utility transformers, internal crew work and project management while the city develops a procurement and design plan for replacing the field lighting.

Al…