By NOAH WORTHAM | Senior Editor

ALABASTER – The Alabaster City Council approved work on a $1.6 million multi-use trail that will connect Thompson High School, Municipal Park, Thompson Middle School and Warrior Drive during a regular meeting on Aug. 12.

Development of the multi-use trail is made possible by the Transportation Alternatives Program, a federal grant that funds construction and construction inspection of trails, bike paths, sidewalks and other pedestrian transportation. Funds from the TAP grant support projects at 80 percent, with the municipality receiving a 20 percent match.

During the meeting, Council passed a resolution authorizing a contract with Sain Associates for construction, engineering and inspection services for the Alabaster TAP Multi-Use Trail Project in an amount not to exceed $242,594.

The Council also approved a resolution awarding a contract for the TAP trail project to Massey Asphalt Paving, LLC, for a maximum contract value of $1,625,170.36. The multi-use trail and walkway will connect Thompson High School, the city park, Thompson Middle School and Warrior Drive.

“Massey Asphalt is the general contractor that will build the trail and they will do all the construction work,” he said. “Sain (employees) will do the inspection work, which means they will approve all the invoices for the contractor and make sure that all the quantities invoiced by the contractor have actually been placed in the ground.”

Sain Associates previously designed the multi-use trail project. Construction of the trail is expected to take six months, but work on the project could be completed sooner.

The multi-use trail, funded through TAP, is part of a larger project by Alabaster to create a series of interconnected trails throughout the city. The city also plans to eventually extend the Buck Creek Trail from Patriots Park to Veterans Park.

“This is part of a much larger program, but it will be a long-term, phased approach,” Hawkins said.

In other news, the Alabaster City Council approved:

• At the request of Robert Gregory and Melita M. Conn, a public hearing on the rezoning of the property at 201 Wilderness Lane has been scheduled for Monday, September 9 at 6:30 p.m.
• A public hearing on the rezoning of a 280-lot area east of County Road 17 and Butler Road is scheduled for September 9 at 6:30 p.m.
• Bob Hicks was reappointed to the City of Alabaster Personnel Committee
• Approved an agreement with Lower Bros Tennis Courts for surface, nets and posts for three additional pickleball courts at Patriots Park in the amount of not more than $24,000.
• Approved ClasTrans’s fiscal year 2025 local grant request to provide transit service of this magnitude in the Greater Birmingham area, including the City of Alabaster, in the amount of $10,200.
• Approved employee vacation list for fiscal year 2025
• Was awarded a $72,614 mission control contract
• Approved an agreement with GovOS to develop a software-as-a-service solution to conduct the business license application and renewal process online and in a cloud-based manner for the amount of $39,833.28 with an annual fee of $101,044.20.
• Approved a one-time funding agreement for the Shelby County ARC in the amount of $2,500
• Approved one-time funding of $10,000 for Owens
• Approved a one-time grant of $2,500 for the Shelby County Hall of Fame
• A resolution to repeal and replace Resolution 102521-F relating to the Alabaster Township Traffic Calming Program
• Weed control at 112 Seams Way
• Memorandum of Understanding for the Alabaster Health Fair