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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

The Clanton Fire Department has been awarded a $49,587 reimbursement grant to purchase emergency communications radios that will be compatible with the proposed countywide emergency communications system.

During a meeting of the Clanton City Council on Nov. 7, Fire Chief David Driver said the department would need to purchase the radios and then submit documentation to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to receive reimbursement from the grant funds.

The funding will allow the department to purchase enough radios to have one in each vehicle, one in each station and 10 handheld radios.

Driver said the radios could be tweaked to work on the existing system while the new infrastructure is being built. This is expected to be completed within a year. Driver said even just using them with the existing system would be an improvement.

The radios will be purchased off of the state bid list.

Councilman Bobby Cook asked how long it would be before the radios were delivered once they were ordered. Driver estimated it would be mid-December or the beginning of January because of the holidays.

The Council approved applying for a Rebuild Alabama grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation to replace the bridge by the SPAN/ PASS Academy building.

“It needs widening,” Mayor Billy Joe Driver said. “It needs replacing.”

He was not sure how much the project would cost, but the grant application would be for $250,000. He said the city would have to pay any additional cost for the project. Because of the potential cost, the project would need to be bid out.

The Council has declared November to be Hospice and Palliative Care Month in participation with the national focus. Representatives from Encompass Health were present for the proclamation.

The designation seeks to raise awareness and support those who work in this area of health care.

According to the resolution, “Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illness, focusing on providing relief from symptoms and stress of a serious illness to improve the quality of life for both patient and family.”

The resolution stated that there is also a growing need for employees in the hospice and palliative care fields as the Baby Boomer generation ages.

Also during the meeting, The Council:

• Approved the appropriation for the Chilton/Clanton Public Library for $21,350.
• Approved their portion of funding for the Industrial Development Authority.
• Approved paying a bill for $23,000 to Thomas Oil.
• Appointed Kim Arrington to the Library Board.