By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

The Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development Council held two separate events on Thursday, Nov. 16 that recognized the award of more than $37,000 in total grant funding and bolstered a variety of projects in the local community.

Cawaco RC&D’s grant announcement day for Shelby County organizations consisted of two events that celebrated its latest steps

During the first event of the day, which began at 10:45 a.m., State Rep. Corley Ellis, Cawaco RC&D Council representatives, Drayton Cosby of the Cosby Company, students and other guests toured Shelby County High School as they were presented displays of two separate projects that received grant funding.

The first of these two projects was an outdoor instructional garden, which received a grant in the amount $5,000 to aid in its further expansion, support and development.

“We try to make sure that we find projects that are vetted, strong and have good support,” Cosby said. “We also get projects that need seed funding in order to get started. This (garden) is just one example.”

Currently, the garden serves as an educational tool to teach gardening skills and agricultural lessons to students and also serves as a source of activities presented to the school’s special needs students. The garden’s initial development also holds its origins thanks largely to preceding grants from Cawaco.

Thanks to community support and these grants, it has now grown from a collection of garden beds to an established, fenced and landscaped area that sits adjacent to an included greenhouse.

“The fact that it has moved from where it was—from just little (garden) beds—to this is just amazing,” Ellis said. “We could not do it without the funding from Cuwaco. It speaks volumes to me on why they do what they do, it gives me chills just thinking about it. When you come out here and watch the students—its teaching them life skills. It’s an amazing thing to do”

Dustin Cleckler, who serves as an agriscience teacher at the high school, also thanked Ellis, members of the Cawaco RC&D Council and the Cosby company, which works closely with the council in their grant efforts on both the state and local level, for their continued support of the garden and the school’s program.

The second grant to go toward Shelby County High School, in the amount of $10,000, was directed toward the purchase and installation of the school’s new theater and stage sound equipment. According to Ashlyn Kuyrkendall, who serves as the school’s choir director, the previous system had been in place since the school’s construction and was partially inoperable and had long needed improvements.

“The new system is such a blessing,” said Kathryn Myrick, the school’s theatre teacher. “We’re so glad it is setup, and everyone can now see everything.”

Following the tour of the high school, Rep. Ellis, Cosby and Cawaco representatives reconvened at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum for the second event at 1:30 p.m. and were met by State Sens. Lance Bell and April Weaver. There, all attendants boarded one of the museum’s historical passenger railcars for presentations of four grants amounting to $22,198.47.

“To everyone at Cawaco RC&D, I want to thank you for being here today and helping us work with our community partners,” Weaver said. “A lot of times we do things in Montgomery that we don’t actually get to see what the end result is. (Cawaco) has always been great partners to us from a legislative standpoint and to be here today seeing all of these worthwhile projects here in our district and our county—I just want to thank you again for supporting all of these efforts, our county and our community.”

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum itself was one of the grant recipients, with a grant in the amount of $5,000 that will go toward the planned establishment of a Discovery Center which will house a miniature train display.

“We had a large model train collection donated to us from a family in South Carolina that encompassed 2,400 square feet of trains,” said Mark Walker, with the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. “It is currently in storage here in Calera and for the last two and a half years we’ve been working on how to get a building to house it as right now we just don’t have the space to put it in. We started out trying to raise money for a master site plan and learned about Cawaco through Jackie Batson with Calera Main Street. Cawaco has helped us do this master site plan and we’re most appreciative of them and of course our legislators.

In addition, John Vanderford, who serves as county extension coordinator with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, spoke on the many efforts the 4-H program undertakes to provide learning experiences to children in Shelby County. This included outdoor activities and the 4-H Clover classrooms, which were the focus of the received grant in the amount of $4,861.91.

“We are extremely blessed in Shelby County, in our office with the partners that we have,” Vanderford said. “We can show kids the impact that farmers have on all of us every single day. It’s very cool to see that lightbulb go off when they see that. They learn that they can make real money (with agriculture) too. They don’t have to have a thousand acres and a tractor, they can make real money doing it with no background, they just have to be exposed to it.”

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is the primary outreach organization for the land-grant mission of Alabama A&M University and Auburn University, which delivers research-based educational programs that enable people to improve their quality of life and economic well-being.

In addition, The Shoal Creek Park Foundation was awarded a grant in the amount of $7,826.03 for their efforts in bettering and expanding the parks offerings including the emplacement of park benches along the trail.

The Shelby County Historical Society also received funding with a grant in the amount of $4,510.53 for their development of the Shelby Iron Works Park’s Historic Ruins Walking Trail.

Cawaco Resource Conservation & Development is a non-profit organization that supports educational and community development projects in Central Alabama throughout Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby and Walker Counties.

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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

Mayors from all across Shelby County recently signed a statement, which vocalizes their support for the nation of Israel in the wake of the war crimes committed by Hamas.

“We recognize the brutality of war and the death and destruction it wreaks; however, the battle for justice against injustice and good versus evil must prevail to protect the innocent and ensure liberty,” the statement reads. “We pray for a speedy end to hostilities and a lasting peace.”

The statement goes on to condemn Hamas attacks on civilian populations on Oct. 7, Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself against terrorist forces and demands the immediate release of all hostages currently held by Hamas. 

The document itself cements the mayors of Shelby County as being firmly on the side of Israel, and focuses heavily on the crimes Hamas has committed against the Israeli people. However, the document neglects to mention many of the war crimes also perpetuated by Israel itself on its Islamic population and citizens in Gaza which include the violation of medical neutrality.

The letter was signed by the following local politicians:

• Tony Picklesimer, mayor of Chelsea
• Scott Brakefield, mayor of Alabaster
• Theoangelo Perkins, mayor of Harpersville
• Frank Brocato, mayor of Hoover
• Rusty Nix, mayor of Montevallo
• James Latimer, mayor of Vincent
• Ricky Ray Morris, mayor of Wilsonville
• David Mitchell, mayor of Columbiana
• Jon Graham, mayor of Calera
• Brian Puckett, mayor of Helena
• Brenda Bell-Guercio, mayor of Indian Springs
• Gary Waters, mayor of Pelham
• Larry Riggins, mayor of Westover
• Deborah Wilson, mayor of Wilton

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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

CALERA – Calera Main Street will offer festive features as part of the city’s Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25.

From 8:30 a.m. to noon, Downtown Calera will welcome a visit from Santa Claus that marks his fourth annual visit to the city. The visit and tour serve to encourage everyone to shop small after Black Friday and to bring more holiday shopping and traffic to small and locally owned businesses.

Santa’s visit this year is sponsored by local Realtors Alicia Anderson and Lisa Guarino from ERA King Real Estate.

“This event is very important to me as a small business myself,” Lisa Guarino said. “Our tagline is ‘Your Neighbor, Your Realtor!’ and we try to practice what we preach. Having lived in Calera for more than 15 years, I believe in supporting our fellow small businesses. We are excited about what’s ahead for our historic district and jumped at the opportunity to help out by sponsoring Santa. We have goodie bags planned, festive attire, and bells ready, it’s going to be a fun day for our community.”

The event will officially kick off at Calera’s new courtyard pavilion located at 1120 17th Avenue, Calera, AL 35040, behind the shops in historic downtown.

“Our pavilion is the first new structure of Phase One of the Downtown Development Plan,” Executive Director of Calera Main Street Jackie Batson said. “There is still some finishing work to be done, but we are thrilled that we will be able to use it for this event. We are having one of our Calera High School musical groups performing their unique style of music with Christmas carols mixed in. They will kick off the morning under the pavilion where families will gather. Children will receive sleigh bells to welcome Santa’s arrival at 9:00.”

Santa’s visit will involve multiple stops throughout town, with the first being at Creations Galore and Moore. There, Santa will introduce the Sing Cordelia Sing Vocal Studio as they present “Cookies and Carols.” He will then swing in for a visit at Adventurer’s Coffee Co. and enjoy hot cocoa and listen to and receive letters addressed to him from local children. Before departing, he will then make one last stop at Plant, Gifts and Décor for another photo opportunity.

The full schedule for the day is as follows:

• 8:30 a.m. – The band Flat Cap Boggins performs
• 9:00 a.m. – Santa arrives at the new pavilion
• 9:30 a.m. – Santa at Creations Galore and Moore for “Cookies & Carols”
• 10:45 a.m. – Santa at Adventurer’s Coffee Co. for “Letters to Santa”
• 11:15 a.m. – Santa at plant for “Pictures with Santa”
• Noon – Santa heads back to North Pole

The post Calera announces Small Business Saturday appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

CALERA – The city of Calera announced that they have finished the installation of new security cameras in all of its major parks in an official press release on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 16.

In that announcement, the city cited recent statistics that show a rise in property crimes across the nation, especially in public and parks and recreation areas, as the primary cause for the new installations.

The cameras, which were put in place by the Calera IT Department and with collaboration from the Calera Police Department, were placed strategically throughout every park in the city and now provide clear and live coverage that will serve to safeguard not only the properties but the residents that use them.

“Our department has been transitioning our communication center into a Real Time Crime center to enhance our ability to prevent crime, solve crime and interrupt crimes in progress,” Calera Chief of Police David Hyche said. “The national trend has been to disband department dispatch centers but I believe that enhancing our internal capabilities and expanding the scope of our training is much more effective.”

Unlike older model cameras, the ones now in place provide real-time monitoring and constantly transmit live feeds directly to the CPD’s dispatch center. In that capacity, officers will also be able to view these feeds directly from their patrol and response vehicles through their in-car computers.

“This technological advancement ensures that our law enforcement is not only present on-site but also has a bird’s-eye view of the entire park network, enhancing their ability to respond swiftly and effectively,” read the release from the city.

What this means for the capabilities and reaction times to officers responding to incidents that occur on these properties is multi-faceted. Not only will CPD officers no longer have to wait for incidents to be reported, they will be able to react as the event unfolds. Strategically placed camera coverage will also allow for the quick identification of suspect vehicles and potentially the suspects themselves.

“Having the capability to monitor cameras, directly communicate with our citizens and officers and conduct real time analytics for our officers in the field is vital in today’s evolving high-tech world,” Hyche said. “These enhancements will further assure us that if anyone ever creates a list of the least hospitable US cities for criminals, Calera will be on it”

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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

CALERA – The Calera City Council voted unanimously to approve a feasibility study that will investigate the city’s potential separation from Shelby County Schools during a regularly scheduled city council session on Monday, Nov. 20.

A public hearing was held during the session on the topic of the feasibility study and members of the audience were allowed to speak openly on the subject.

At the beginning of the session, and prior to public comments, Calera Major Jon Graham spoke in length regarding the potential vote and what it would mean for the city going forward in the event of its passage.

“This is an opportunity for us, the city, to afford a study that would indicate whether or not—and also to help formulate a plan—to move forward with forming a city of Calera school system,” Graham said. “If the city of Calera were to move forward beyond this study, we would incorporate all of our school facilities in the city that are (at this time) operated by the Shelby County Board of Education. At this time, the only thing we are talking about is a feasibility study.”

Graham went on to clarify that in its current state, the study is expected to take at least four months of in-depth work to complete, but in his own estimation stated it could possibly take six months at the longest provided unforeseen circumstances. Graham was also straightforward in his assessment of what the potential outcomes of the study might be in the event that it were to move forward.

“If the feasibility study comes back and says, ‘You don’t have the funds,’ it’s a no brainer, we go back and try to deal with what funds we have available,” Graham said. “If the feasibility study comes back and says, ‘Yes, you can afford this.’ Then we bring that back to the public and the council gets to make that decision. All of this takes time.”

Once the floor was open to public comment, a number of individuals approached the center of the room to have their voices heard. While several voiced their hesitancy to support a separation from Shelby County Schools and a select few expressed their strong doubts that the city had the economic base with which to support such a separation, a strong majority were in favor of at least pursuing the feasibility study to find what options were available to the community.

Ashley Burks, a mother of three children who attend Calera schools, was one community member in favor of the feasibility study.

“I think the finance director spoke many times on where those funds would come from,” Burks said. “I think that if we’ve trusted the finance director all this time, and she has stated where those funds are going to come from, I don’t understand the issue of not giving citizens the options. It’s a feasibility study, we’re just trying to see what it is that we need to do.”

Burks went on to say that even if the study comes back with information that suggests Calera should not move forward with its own school system, it will be worthwhile to know the answers and information moving forward and to discover what aspects might need to be improved in the city if they ever wish to do so in the future.

“I have a senior, I have a ninth grader and I also have a second grader,” Burks said. “Whatever your decision is, it is going impact me and my family. We’re just asking for the option.”

During the meeting, council members made critiques and brought up several questions regarding the move.

Councilmember Turner asked why the committee had only presented the city with one quote and potential study, rather than a multitude of choices. It was a question that received a number of responses from committee members and other city officials.

“When you look at Dr. Ira Harvey’s resume it is extensive,” Calera Parks and Rec Director Seth Gandy said. “He blew us away with his knowledge (on the subject) and he came highly recommended by multiple sources, including Satsuma.”

Gandy went on to detail the long list of sources that recommended the services of Dr. Harvey, which included Alabaster Mayor Scott Brakefield, and several school systems that have utilized his services in the past. As a result of these recommendations, and from meetings with Harvey, the committee determined he was the best choice.

“I believe when you’re doing something of this nature, that you get what you pay for,” Gandy said. “I personally don’t feel like we should go with the cheaper or lesser person if we’re not getting the same level of expertise.”

Kelly Ellison, Calera’s finance director, echoed this sentiment and further established that the decision to go with Harvey’s study was backed by his already extensive coverage and study of Shelby County.

“It’s very important to use someone that’s done a study in Shelby County,” Ellison said. “There’s only been three studies done in Shelby County and we’ve diligently looked through all three studies and came to the conclusion on Ira Harvey (due to) studies that he did at Pelham and Alabaster—because he already has knowledge of Shelby County.”

As members of the public continued to speak, there appeared to be a clear line of support for the feasibility study, albeit not as universal as the public turnout during the Nov. 6 session.

“The main concern for us is education,” Shamel Young said. “Our kids are failing so much in school, you’d be surprised how much they are failing at school. We need this study done.”

Other speakers expressed similar concerns, with another voicing that while he did not believe Calera’s schools were terrible in relation to the schooling he had received growing up in southern Alabama, they could easily be better and that the community wanted them to be better. Another speaker voiced her opinion that regardless of the study, the community should take more upon themselves to support and volunteer as a community in the schools to pick up slack wherever it exists, especially in the time between the vote and the potential study’s conclusion.

However, while every other comment of the night came from adult members of the community, which included local residents, business owners, volunteers and parents of students, the standout comment came from the sole student of a Calera school who elected to speak.

Aubrey Stewart, who is a senior at Calera High School, vocally lent her support to the feasibility study as other students cheered her on from the back of the audience.

“I know that I’ve heard multiple times that we need to email the board as a community and the school to try and make a difference for our community, but as a student—and all of us in the back two rows there, we’re all students—we email, we’ve sent our concerns and no one responds,” Stewart said. “We sit there and we need a change because there is nothing happening. Nobody is listening to us, nobody is doing anything.”

Stewart went on to cite her feelings that Calera’s students were being ignored in the current situation and that quick and urgent change is needed moving forward.

“This study needs to happen for us to have a change because there is nothing happening,” Stewart said. “There’s no difference and it’s hard for us to be in this school. As a senior, I’ve been in Calera since I was born, I was raised here and been in school here since kindergarten. There’s no difference, there’s nothing happening when we email. I just think this study needs to happen.”

Stewart’s words were met with loud applause from her classmates and members of the audience, and served as a natural conclusion to the public hearing which was ended following her statement.

Following Stewart’s comments, the Council voted unanimously to approve the funding for the feasibility study, which amounted to $85,000.

In other news the City Council also approved the following:

• A resolution awarding engineering services for State Road 25 Railway Highway Grade Separation Project FY22RCE
• Authorized the acceptance of a grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to construct sewer improvements in the city limits.
• A proposal for streetscape improvements in downtown Calera.
• Authorized the application and acceptance of the Shelby County Commission Department of Development Services Park and Recreation grant.
• Appointments to the Zoning Board of Adjustments

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By JOSH BOUTWELL | Special to the Reporter

TROY – It’s been a long road, but Alabama’s very first legal bourbon whiskey distillery attraction, Conecuh Ridge Distillery, is planning for a May 2024 opening as the complex in Troy nears completion.

Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce the official state spirit of Alabama, Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey. The moonshine whiskey was made famous by former moonshiner Clyde May, a native of Alabama.

After proudly serving his country in the Army’s 77th Infantry in World War II – earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart – Clyde May returned home to Alabama and became known as one of the “most wanted” moonshiners in the state. His original still was set up close to Pike County in nearby Bullock County.

While Clyde May passed away in 1990, his son, Kenny May, launched the legal Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey in 2001 and it became the official state spirit of Alabama in 2004.

While Conecuh Ridge Distillery has bottled and produced its products outside of Clyde May’s home state of Alabama over the years, it will now return to Troy, Ala., when it opens in 2024.

Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce numerous products, including Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey, Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon, Clyde May’s Cask Strength, Clyde May’s Straight Rye Whiskey and Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The facility will feature not only the distillery but also a bottling plant, a restaurant and bar, tasting rooms, a retail shop and a barrelhouse to age barrels of whiskey.  All of that will be part of tours that will be featured at Conecuh Ridge Distillery.

The distillery will create approximately 50 new jobs in Pike County once it is fully operational and up to capacity.

Steve May (no relation to Clyde May) serves as vice president and general manager of the Conecuh Ridge Distillery. Prior to joining Conecuh Ridge, May served as director of marketing operations for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Tennessee.

During his tenure there, he oversaw significant growth in the distillery’s retail sales and annual guest count, which grew from 191,000 to over 300,000 annually. That growth also added to the economic growth of the area. During his tenure, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery invested more than $25 million in capital improvements at the site, as well.

“I was responsible for marketing operations for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, one of the largest tourist attractions in Tennessee,” May said. “Before the pandemic, we had over 300,000 people a year taking tours there and 190 employees just in marketing. It had an enormous economic impact on the area and it’s our hope that we can do similar things in Troy.”

The distillery will offer five different types of tours when it opens with prices ranging from $20 to $45. Tours will begin at the Clyde 240, Clyde May’s original moonshine still, which was named so because it took $240 worth of copper to make the still. After learning the history of May and Conecuh Ridge Distillery, tourists will get to tour the entire distillery facility and process.

“We will be very family friendly. If you bring your children you can take a tour that doesn’t include any alcohol,” May said. “We have a little bit of everything going on here. We are not just a tourist attraction but a full-fledged distillery with a bottling plant that will produce Clyde May’s whiskey and Conecuh Ridge whiskey.”

“We’ll be buying local grain grown in Alabama,” May said. “Our corn will come from farms right here in this area.  We’ll sell our spent grain, which is very nutritious, to local cattle farmers.”

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said that he believed the distillery would bring a unique tourist experience to Troy.

“The Conecuh Ridge Distillery will provide a quality tourism destination and investment on the north side of Troy,” Reeves said. “It will be a unique opportunity for those traveling through Troy as well as those within a few hours who would like to take a weekend or even a day trip to see our community and the Clyde May brands’ process. I have no doubt it will be a distinctly fun experience.”

Steve May said that the distillery is planning for a May 2024 opening, but weather and other issues may push that back. Regardless, Summer 2024 looks like it will see the opening of Alabama’s first whiskey distillery that will be located off Highway 231 where 3 million cars travel annually.

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By SASHA JOHNS | Special to the Reporter

Shelby County Schools is on the lookout for new school bus drivers to meet the ongoing needs and growth of the county’s school transportation system.

Currently, there are available driver positions all over the county, but there is also a great need for substitute drivers, particularly in the Helena and Oak Mountain school systems.

Wanda Adams, who works out of the main Bus Shop in Columbiana, wants potential drivers to know that there are benefits to both having a regular route and being a substitute driver and that each offers attributes that may appeal to different kinds of candidates.

“The obvious benefit to taking on a regular route is the county benefits like health insurance and retirement, but substitute drivers have more flexibility in their schedules and can choose which days they want to work,” Adams said. “And of course, there (is no working on) weekends or holidays for drivers.”

There are also available opportunities for drivers to pick up extra work, such as driving for field trips and transporting students and teams for games.

Bus driving is a great job for retirees and stay at home parents, but often entrepreneurs find that it works well with their schedules too, and it presents a viable route to receive benefits.

The Bus Shop will accept a new class of trainees on Thursday, Jan. 4, but wants interested parties to know there are a few things that candidates need to accomplish to qualify for the class. Most importantly, those interested need to acquire a CDL Learners Permit and must submit to a background check as well as a few other prerequisites.

One new driver, Connor Preston, is one of several new additions to the roster who completed the most recent class this past fall and did so in a search to acquire insurance. Preston, who is also a children’s minister at a local church, is currently working as a substitute driver in Columbiana.

“When I first started the classes, I didn’t realize all the things I’d have to learn when it came to the safety checks you have to memorize for the pre-trip and it was a little intimidating,” Preston said. “Austin Shifflet, one of the bus mechanics, was a great trainer though and it ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be.”

Interested candidates can hear more information about the qualifications and prerequisites needed to join the January bus class by visiting the Shelby County Board of Education website under the Transportation tab or by calling the Bus Shop at 205-682-7130.

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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

CALERA – The Calera City Council discussed a new school resource officer (SRO) led school program and the growing issues surrounding youth vaping at a regularly scheduled city council meeting on Monday, Nov. 6.

The meeting, which also saw active discussion surrounding the potential funding of a feasibility study, began with the official unveiling of the Calera Police Department’s new student accountability program. Under the name of CASE, which stands for Calera Accountability and Success through Education, the program seeks to educate students on the dangers of a great number of behaviors and topics facing the youth of today.

“We want to come up with an intervention and prevention program for drugs, vaping (and) other activities (Calera schools) have had issues with, as have all schools in the county,” Calera Police Chief David Hyche said. “(This includes) sex-exhortation, sexting and all of the hot button topics and areas that are of such huge concern to parents, educators and all of us.”

A major position and objective of CASE is to curtail vaping and nicotine addiction among Calera’s youth. This objective includes the prevention of students using and possessing vaping products that can be currently purchased legally by adults, as well as products which have been altered and illegally tampered with on a secondary market.

“Other issues facing our schools that we plan to work on include illegal drug use, bullying, sexting and sex-exhortation,” Hyche said.

However, unlike with a good number of awareness programs, CASE is seeking to also drive change through the usage of an active arm of enforcement. As currently designed, SRO’s will issue tickets, in the amount of $50, to students caught vaping or with vaping materials and will be required to appear in front of Calera’s municipal court judge along with a parent or legal guardian.

There, the student will be provided the choice of paying the fine or attending a 10-week vape cessation course helmed by Calera’s SROs. SROs are already in the process of becoming certified to teach such courses through the American Lung Association, which is a nationally approved and selected curriculum.

This course will be included in a number of other lessons that will fall under the program’s banner, many of which the department hopes to bring to classes as preventatives and not just corrective actions.

“We plan to train and use our seven Calera school resource officers to present the students and parents material that is relevant to a variety of issues that are facing our youth and community.,” Hyche said. “All presentations will be approved by the principals of each Calera school or their designee and our hope is that this material will help the SROs form positive relationships with students and provide useful information to the students and parents. We’ve already begun the training.”

Hyche described the program as one that will remain under active development and able to evolve in reactions to issues and will intend to maintain training to SROs as each need arises.

Additionally, Hyche lauded the program’s unique use of SROs in the educator role, a designator that will allow for a continued presence and relationship with students that is simply not possible with similar programs that utilize singular individuals in a visiting role.

“education is the utmost important thing for both the parents and the kids,” Hyche said. “I don’t think one person working part time in our schools is enough.”

Outside the schools, the CPD is also looking to enforce requirements already in place on gas stations and stores to prevent the wrongful display and sale of certain products that present risk to youth in Calera.

As of this moment, several sections of the program are underway with available department funds but budget numbers are rough and hard cost numbers on the program as proposed have not been settled upon. However, Chief Hyche insisted that such details and information will be forthcoming. Already, the CPD has identified multiple areas that can present potential funding routes for the program.

Hyche also gave credit to Calera’s Police Explorers program for serving in youth and community outreach.

“These are more opportunities for interaction,” Hyche said. “The more interaction and transparency that we have with what we do I think the better. If we don’t have the help of the parents, and the schools, and the school board, and the police and you guys all working together we’re not going to be able to accomplish anything. Everybody has got to be pulling in the same direction, if we do that, we can do great things.”

Prior to Hyche’s debut of CASE, the City Council had already brought the discussion of vaping to the forefront, as the topic dominated sections of the preceding work session.

At the forefront of this discussion was the announcement from Councilmember Debbie Byers of her intentions to pursue a moratorium, and potential further steps, on limiting new vape and smoke stores from coming into Calera. This measure, as she stated, would be intended as a method to cut down on instances of vaping materials making their way to, and being used by, underage teens in Calera.

“I think they are catering on promoting the vapes to the children and the students,” Byers said. “I was at the high school a couple of weeks ago and they confiscated what looked to be a teddy bear but what was actually a vape. We need to be responsible and possibly control what vape stores—smoke stores—are coming into Calera.”

According to Calera City Attorney Bill Justice, a moratorium on a legal business has to have a time limit and a stated purpose that relates to why the moratorium is being imposed. Such as a one being put in place until regulations can be drafted or until studies can be done on existing regulations in order for amendments to be made to municipal codes or law.

This clarification ended with Byers acknowledging an intent for her to investigate and produce such a purpose that will result in a moratorium.

“I don’t want our city to be known for advertising a vape or smoke shop with a big marijuana leaf on it,” Byers said. “I don’t want our city to be known for that. So, I personally will take this on as a challenge to come up with (steps similar) to what Pelham did and see how we can tailor it to our needs and do something to help Chief Hyche and our students.”

Byers sentiment against vaping was not a unique position and was shared by several other Council members.

Councilmember Turner took Byer’s sentiments even further and displayed a desire to make movements against the abilities of gas station owners to sell vape and smoke products in the city in order to prevent the sale of items to underage youth. Turner further voiced a wish that the law allowed the ticketing of students caught with these products allowed for them to be ticketed in the realm of $250, rather than the legally limited $50.

In other news the City Council also approved the following:

• The leasing of one garbage truck through a buyback program to add to the city fleet.
• The donation of a check in the amount of $500 to Owen House with funds received from a CivicPlus award
• An official recognition of the retirement of Roy Hogg
• Resolution No. 2023-38 for the Sewer Tap and Capital Recovery Fee Schedule.
• Stonebriar Street Repairs – 5 Sections on Stonebriar Drive.
• A bid award for Buxahatchee Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation Phase 3 InSite projects.
• A bid award for Buxahatchee Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation Phase2 InSite projects.
• An agreement for engineering services for a traffic light upgrade bid package proposal for Highway 25 and Highway 31 at 18th Avenue.
• Setting of the Severe Weather Preparedness Tax Holiday for Feb. 23-25, 2024.

The post Calera police debut new school program, youth vaping discussed at Calera city council appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

A hazy smoke fills the air, forcing cars to a stop as police close one of the busiest highways between Columbiana and Alabaster on Friday, Nov. 3 as local firefighters tried to control a fire spreading across the dry grass and leaves along County Road 26.

This has been a common theme recently with seven brush fires occurring in Shelby County during the past 30 days, while 393 have been spurred across the state with more than 3,000 acres burning.

“It’s definitely very dry,” said Chelsea Fire Chief Joe Lee, who recently had his department battling a brush fire near U.S. 280. “We haven’t had significant rain in a couple of months now.”

A fire requires only three specific things in order to occur which are fuel, the right weather conditions and a single spark. At the moment, Alabama is dangerously abundant with all three.

Fuel

In Alabama, the months of October, November and December are marked by a steady dryness and lack of humidity. Weeks can and do go by without a drop of rain, rivers and streams run lower and lower and combustibles, such as dead leaves and dry grass,  gather on the forest floor. For the last 60 days there has not been any rain in the entirety of Alabama, and Gov. Kay Ivey has officially declared both a statewide “no burn order” and a “drought emergency.” 

“We haven’t gotten a lot of rain recently,” said Dave Holley of the Alabama Forestry Commission. “When you combine that with other weather conditions like relative humidity that dries out the leaves, the grass and just everything else. You can hear it when you walk through the forest. Everything just goes ‘crunch, crunch, crunch.’”

Similar to starting a campfire, a forest fire begins with small combustibles being set aflame. The fire then rapidly builds from there, spreading out and consuming sticks then logs and then finally larger materials, such as trees and buildings

“The number of wildland or grass fires has increased this year,” Calera Fire Department Deputy Chief Shane Stoudenmire said. “Nothing has been really big yet, and we’ve been significantly blessed for that.”

To some people, the obvious answer to the problem of having this degree of kindling lying around and simply waiting to start a massive fire is to just have a series of controlled burns. But this is not viable for a couple of reasons.

“Population density plays a big role in that, because of air quality,” Stoudenmire said. “When you start burning off all the underbrush in rural areas some of it will start to settle in the nearby urban areas and create all sorts of issues with air quality.”

Stoudenmire noted that the way the winds have been working the last few months plays a big factor in this, both in how they push smoke into more populated areas and how they can help wildfires spread quickly.

Correct weather conditions

In addition to a fuel source, fire also requires the presence of oxygen and active winds help flames grow and spread. This leads to wildfires finding purchase in more of the dry grass and kudzu that covers much of the county.

“Windy days are when you’re at your highest risk when you burn, because the wind is gonna push these embers in the direction of the land,” Stoudenmire said.

Higher wind speeds and drought are both major contributors to wildfire risk, and both have also been linked to global warming and climate change.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has stated that increased temperature has resulted in a severe lack of moisture in potential fire fuels such as trees, shrubs and forest debris. Studies have also shown that this has in turn more than doubled the rate of large wildfires in the US since 1984.

The current weather conditions may be providing the perfect environment for wildfires, but ultimately a fire cannot be started without a source. While wildfires do naturally occur, brought about by lightning and other natural phenomena, more often than not they are brought about through human action and error.

The spark

When the Saginaw Fire Department reported that six acres of land was burned in a brush fire near County Road 26 on Friday, Nov. 3, they were able to determine that the fire’s origin stemmed from a single bottle rocket.

When conditions are as primed and prepared for fire as Alabama is currently witnessing, something as small as a bottle rocket can lead to a wildfire that can potentially consume countless acres. It was only thanks to the immediate action and reaction from firefighters that this latest fire only spread across six acres.

According to Stoudenmire, the incident was hardly an outlier, saying he has been called to multiple scenes where fires have been started from something as small as someone tossing a smoking cigarette out of their window while driving down the highway.

“Luckily those fires are usually small, but if you get a good windy day, they can quickly get hard to control,”  Stoudenmire said.

Similar to the Smokey Bear saying, “Only you can prevent wildfires,” local fire departments across Shelby County are asking for the help of the public to make sure residents aren’t put into those dangerous situations.

“The best thing that people living in the community can do is just refrain from outdoor burning of all types,” Lee said. “If they can just hold out until this winter when we have plenty of rain, then it’ll be fine. But this isn’t the right time of year to have fires outside.”

The Dangers of fighting fires

When fighting a wildfire, it’s less about putting the fire out and more about just keeping the flames contained and preventing the spread of destruction.

“Depending on the terrain and where the fire’s at, we sometimes just can’t get water up there,” Cahaba Valley Fire Chief Buddy Wilks said. “A lot of times, it just gets into a position where we’re just trying to contain it by clear-cutting lines into the ground.”

Wilks noted that fire departments often call in the local forestry commission to aid in wildfire containment efforts by using tractors to dig trenches around the fire. 

“It’s a lot,” Wilks said. “It’s a very strenuous activity because we are just basically using rakes, hoes and chainsaws to cut down trees and to monitor things.”

Alarmingly, these wildfires can continue on for days. Wilks went so far as to comment that several fire departments in Shelby County have been fighting the same fires for days on end at the time of this writing.

“It’s a very difficult operation we go through and very manpower intensive,” Wilks said. “Just rotating companies around and working with the forestry commission to keep things contained.”

Sometimes, though, the environment gets ahead of the firefighters. The wind may start blowing the other direction, or a stray ember may jump over the trenches and into a fresh batch of dead leaves. That’s when things get truly dangerous.

“There comes a point that you just have to let it go because you can’t get can’t get ahead of it,” Wilks said. “Then it’s all just trying to protect houses and doing your best.”

Luckily, there have been no recorded fatalities in Shelby County from any of the recent wildfires, and all of the firefighters across the assorted departments in the county have expressed their dedication to continuing fighting fires and keeping people safe. They all stressed the importance of abiding by the burn ban as long as it lasts.

“The rain this weekend, if we get it, will probably help the fires that are burning right now,” Wilks said. “But it’s not going to change the drought conditions enough to keep fires from starting elsewhere. It’ll help a little bit, but we’ve got a long period of time for us to get out of real danger.”

The post Battling the blaze: Local fire departments combat wildfires during recent drought appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

CALERA – Calera Elementary School welcomed parents and veterans to their 2023 Veterans Day Assembly on the morning of November 7.

At the event, which saw all second-grade students attend in person and all kindergarten and first-grade students watch virtually, students began the ceremony by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem.

“I’ve worked with the second grade, we learned the Star Spangled Banner and we also learned the history of the song and about Francis Scott Key,” said Holly Smith, music teacher and the event’s coordinator. “We talked about what patriotism means and what the different branches of the military represent and what Veterans Day is for.”

Following the ceremony’s opening, the school welcomed the return of Joshua Panther in a last-minute addition to the event. Panther, the father of one of the second-grade students, surprised his son with a return from active service overseas and sat with him during the ceremony.

“I did four months in Jordan and Iraq and then did a little side trip into Syria but mainly Jordan and Iraq for the past four months,” Panther said. “He knew that I was coming home soon, but didn’t know when.”

A number of second grade students then led the assembly and welcomed a large number of guests that included parents and family members who have, or are still, serving the nation.

Several of the students had also been tasked with writing short essays which answered the question “What is a veteran?”. In all, eight students delivered their short essays before all students sang the song “My Country Tis of Thee”, which they had learned to recite for the event.

“They were actually very excited about it,” Smith said. “Especially when we talked about the War of 1812 and the Battle at Fort McHenry. I was able to pull that history into music class and the students got very excited about it. We talked about how to be respectful during the National Anthem and we also talked about different patriotic music on top of that.”

Following the essay recitals, the school asked all veterans in attendance to stand and make their way to the front of the room, where they were applauded by all in attendance. They then took the time to identify themselves, and their lengths of service as students presented them with a reception in their honor.

“We are honored to have local veterans visit with us today,” read one of the students. “Please make our veterans feel welcome.”

After the event’s conclusion, Panther and his son departed the lunchroom together with the intention of spending the rest of the day together.

“We’re going to check out,” Panther said. “We’re going to go get some lunch and some ice cream, I think. Then we might go home and play some Legos and some video games.”

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