December 2020
December 2020
Happy December,
Please join me in limping to the finish line of 2020. Is it me or is this what a dog’s year is like? One dog year = seven human years? It has certainly been a difficult and challenging year for all of us.
Madison Living Magazine
In a recent (November 2020) edition of Madison Living Mayor Finley gave a clear and concise breakdown of the FY (Fiscal Year) 2021 Budget. You can read that article here: madisonpublications.
CIP Update
At our December 14th City Council meeting we received a CIP (Capital Improvement Projects) Update from our Director of Development Services, AICP Mary Beth Broeren:
Madison Road Widening Project Update:
Hughes Road widening project – approximately 21% complete. Projected completion in Fall 2021
Sullivan Street widening project – approximately 23% complete. Projected completion Winter 2021
Short Street widening and sidewalk project – utility relocation is currently underway. Projected completion May 2021
Balch Road widening project (ALDOT funded project) – Projected commencement in August 2022
Garner Street extension and Shorter Street widening project – Council to award bid in January. Projected completion to coincide with new middle school opening in August 2022
Intergraph Way restriping project (to include widening of Lime Quarry Road) – engineering design is nearly 95% complete. No construction timeline is available at this time.
Wall-Triana Highway / Graphics Drive restriping project (ALDOT funded project) – no timeline for implementation at this time
Resurfacing projects:
Segers Road (city portion) – Projected completion is this fiscal year
Madison Boulevard (Westchester through Production Avenue) – Projected completion is this fiscal year
Balch Road / Gillespie Road intersection – Design work is nearly 95% complete. No schedule at this time for implementation. Hoping to put out to bid in the first Quarter of 2021
Madison Boulevard traffic signals – applied for “Rebuild Alabama” grant for Production Avenue signal and are awaiting approval notification.
Parks and Recreation Updates:
Bradford Farms sidewalk – received “Safe Routes to School” grant funding. Construction is expected to start this week. Projected completion this coming Spring
Mill Creek greenway, Phase 2 – approximately 90% complete and is expected to be completed this Winter
Oakland Springs Branch Greenway, Phase 1 – the Engineering Department is coordinating with the developer of the property to the west and it’s just a matter of timing with grading, and site work
Palmer Park expansion, Phase 1 – Projected completion in March 2021
The ballfield lighting installation has started
The portable restroom has been ordered and is due in February
Home Place Park renovation – mobilization has started. The City is still waiting for ADEM to approve the permit to begin the site work. Projected completion is May 2021
Bradford Creek trailhead project – the parking and walking path have been completed. The portable restroom has been ordered and is due in February. Projected completion in March 2021
Hardiman Road repaving project – Project is now complete with the exception of final striping which will happen in 2021
Miscellaneous Projects that are wrapping up:
Library parking expansion – Project is now complete. The landscaping contract will be presented to Council at their next meeting.
Multi-Use venue – there is still a commissioning item that is being finished there will be one final invoice related to it
Wall-Triana multi-use path is complete and Council can expect the last invoice soon
Mayor Finley Updates
December 1 to 20
Team,
I wanted to start by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!
As we get closer to closing out 2020 we still have several accomplishments and announcements to pass along. Here are just a few of them;
· Thank you again to City Administrator Marc Jacobson for his over 15 years of City Council and Administrator time serving Madison. We wish him well in his retirement!
· On the heels of one going a familiar face is coming back to support our city in a different role. Steve Smith has agreed to support our city in the City Administrator role and he will start December 28th.
· One other announcement…..Carmelita Palmer will be added to our Planning Commission, bringing her years of business and Chamber experience to an already strong team.
· Progress continues to be made to support more commercial and industrial development in the city. The Planning Commission recently approved a 7-lot commercial subdivision at the southwest corner of County Line Road and Huntsville-Browns Ferry Road, and the Zoning Board approved a setback variance that will facilitate 70,000 square feet of industrial space to be built on Westchester Road.
· A new mixed use project was approved in Town Madison, next to the Golf Center. Offering 290 luxury apartments, the project includes eight live/work units, resident co-working space, a variety of open space, a commercial component and will contribute to the construction of a multi-use path and the widening of Lime Quarry Road. Construction is expected to begin 1st quarter of 2021.
· Total sales tax collections for the month of November, 2020 are up 18.38% over collections for the month of November, 2019 and year to date collections are up 22.69% over the same period last fiscal year.
· IT completed the installation and cutover to the new dedicated fiber optic line to the old Celtic facility. The new circuit will provide a direct path between the facility and City Hall. Bottom line is better reliability at a much better price.
· The City of Madison was pleased to (virtually) receive the 2020 Franklin M. Setzer Outstanding Urban Design Project Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association for the Downtown Streetscape Plus Project. Project improvements were implemented in three phases from 2010 to 2019, and demonstrate a commitment on the part of the City and its citizenry to not only the city’s historic beginnings but also to its future by strategically using public funds to make an area more functional and attractive in order to encourage private investment.
· The Rocket City Trash Pandas have received a Professional Development License offer as the Double-A Minor League Baseball affiliate for the Los Angeles Angels in Major League Baseball’s new player development structure. The Professional Development License from the Angels is offered as a 10-year contract, which will run through 2030. This will position the Trash Pandas as one of the 120 affiliated teams in the restructured Minor League Baseball organization.
· Recreation reports they are removing old playground equipment from various parks due to the equipment not meeting playground safety standards. We plan on adding funds to replace the playground equipment in the six-month budget if the budget allows.
· Chief Jernigan presented a $1340.00 check to the American Cancer Society from donations received through MPD for No Shave November 2020
· Public Works reports that their daily ticket backlog is down to 20….a fantastic number. Last week alone their activities included ditch clean out, sidewalk repairs, street maintenance, and even resetting beaver traps.
· Our team has been working this week to design, install, and test the system that we will use to conduct the City Council Zoom meeting on 12-28-2020. We have most of the hardware in place, and we are waiting on some cables to help simplify the setup. Once we have tested the kinks we will work to get out any/all information we can to let our community know.
Please have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year’s…..thank you for all that you do for our citizens and community!
Respectively,
Mayor Finley
In closing,
I hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy 2021. Here’s to kicking 2020 to the curb! As always, I will be updating this blog every couple of weeks. Please check back during the the first quarter of 2021. You can also provide your email address in the box below for a subscription and be notified when the blog is updated I can be reached at Email Maura or 256.337.2408. Thank you again for your continued support!