Listen to @cityofOpelika Mayor Eddie Smith @ONTHEDMARK1 recapping City Council 11-5-25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Council meetings, and on Wednesday we have the City Council
reports from our mayors, Mayor Rilly from Valley, Mayor Smith
from Oplaika, and Mayor Andrews from the City of Auburn.
And our Mayor's reports are brought to you by our
good friends at four Seasons Federal Credit Union with two
locations to serve you, one on Peperal Parkway and one

(00:20):
on Marlon Parkway.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Federal Real Credit Union. At four season Federal Credit Union,
your money isn't just protected, it's part of something stronger.
For over sixty years, we've stood by our members through
every season. If you live, work, worship, or attend school
in Lee County, you can join four Season Federal Credit Union, safe, sound,

(00:43):
and always here for you. Accounts federally insured by NCUA.
Membership of eligibility required.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Time to go to the Hamilton's Sideline. Hamilton's has two locations,
Magnolia and Ogletree to serve you. We're going to the
City of Oplaika high Top City Hall. Speak to the
Mayor of the city bo like a mayor Eddie Smith.
Boy that sounds good good morning, mayor.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Good morning Mark that that does have a good sound
to it. Great, guys, that's awesome, Thank you, Thank you, Jeff.
I'm I'm honored, I'm humbled, and I'm very excited.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well you should be. We're all excited for you. Jeff
and I were talking about that the other day. What
we oh And it was good to see the grill
Master and everybody. Everybody made it to the to the
to the show the other night, didn't they.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
I had the whole family and I'm so proud.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
That's awesome. That had to be a special moment, Eddie.
That had to be really special for you. Mayor excuse me,
I don't mean to do that.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I got no, no, no, I'm I'm still at it.
Uh they yeah, Mark, you know, the the Houston kids
had to take them to me. It was a lot
of oh yeah to get that done. And then Edward
and and KD and the and the two babies and uh,
he has the house full of Monday night. It was

(02:07):
good to have him sleeping in the dining room, folks,
sleeping in the guest room, and it was wonderful.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
That's awesome. That's awesome. When you were in and you
took care of the meeting last night, didn't.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
You well I did and and uh, or at least
my end of it, it was interested in the dynamics course.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Well, that's a good point of being mayor. Now I
need to kind of not to interrupt you that you
got a different role on these meetings. That's right.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, so as as Mayor Fuller used to say, I'm
just an invited guest at this point, and so uh,
other than and we'll talk about this other than the
couple of presentations I had.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was interesting. And George Allen, uh, the new council president, uh,
did a great job of running the meeting. Uh and
uh as he as he gets more comfortable, it will
get easier and better for him. And so it's going
to be really good. I'm really excited about it.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
That's good, That's awesome. So take us through last night
the meeting, Eddie, tell us about everything.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
All right, the work session. We had a couple of
items that we talked about. A request to advertising. This
is a rezoning of forty eight acres on the highway
and this property is in the city limits. The Planning
Commission recommendation was for approval, but to the anything that

(03:40):
they would have to put on the property going forward,
we would have to have conditional use until they had
utilities throughout the property. So that was that was the
state of Raven harvest or I think it's what. And

(04:00):
so that property is located across the street from Rivers
Grocery as you go out toward Supreme Teller. Uh that
just means that the community continues to grow, right, no.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Doubt, growing leaps and bounds. That's what we were talking
about yesterday. As you know, it's just every time I
looked somewhere eight or somebody building the house, I didn't
even know it was there.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, Yeah, absolutely, Okay, And then we went on into
the regular maintenans and we were honored to have Laura
Easton the chapel in the east side of my Medical
Center to do our invocation last night. She did a
great job. Hasually Welch and Jackie Presley from Carver Primary

(04:48):
School were their to leaders Interpleasurableegians, and they did a
great job with that. The under the prayer, under the
mayors of the Marks, I uh reappointed John Swebman over
like a planning commission, and then I had a couple
of proclamations and just like to tell you a little

(05:09):
bit about those. The first one was for Jamie Poppell.
We all know the good does with flags for vests. Well,
h he is expanding his roles a little bit and
this year he is bringing you Freedom Fest to the

(05:31):
city of Opalaca, which will be a parade and UH
recognition of our veterans. We have four Medal of Honor
recipients in two World War two UH veterans that will
be in town. We'll have a breakfast and a parade
and it's going to be a lot of fun and

(05:52):
missus Wiby our first angle vetterans a Freedom Fest and
so we look forward to that.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
Lee Kreeling at the city is working hard with them,
the Chamber of Commerce who working hard with them, uh
to plan the parade route and UH it's going to
be a big weekend uh for uh honoring our veterans
and as we go into Veterans Day.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Yeah, I like that. I think that's a neat, neat
neat deal there.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be really good. Uh. The
second one of the proclamation for peath Building Appreciation Day,
tell you a little bit about that situation. UH myself
and UH German named Kobe Warren of the Reverend UH
of Clifford Jones, and several others have been worked meeting

(06:46):
UH General Ryan Burgess, and we're going to make UH
the city of Okalaken the epicenter for Feith Building and
the Reconciliation UH. And this will be coordinated with our
two hundred and fifty birth fiftieth birthday and Flag Day

(07:08):
in June. And so we're going to be building up
to doing that and then trying to take this beat
building and reconciliation idea throughout the state and maybe throughout
the country. It's according to how I dream big, we
can dream. But we're very excited about about that and

(07:30):
being involved in it. So there'll be more more to
come about that issue and as we build up toward
next year. Hard to believe that our country is going
to be two hundred and fifty years old, but it's happening.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
That is unbelievable. I'm glad to know we've got something
going on. Unless you continue on through the meeting in genera, Okay, all.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
Right, Then we went to general business and the first
request we had was for Cavella's piece. The company is
coming to First Avenue across from the old Mama Mosha
Coffee shop. Uh, and they are in the process of

(08:12):
getting ready to get open and so on beer own
Premises elected a beer license for them.

Speaker 1 (08:20):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
It's that good one for total coop up, which is
a marathon that a retail wine and beer off premise
to license. And then finally the uh request downtown street closures. Uh.
The Chamber of Commerces planning the Priston Parade, which will
be December of the fifth Priday, December the fifth, Uh,

(08:43):
and uh we'll do the Christmas parade and they end
up at the largest Christmas tree in the state out Boom,
maybe in the country. Uh. Uh to do the lighting
for that that you're recalled. Last year was the first
year that we had it and uh and it was
a huge success. And so we're looking forward to getting

(09:06):
the Christmas tree up and uh lit again this year. Uh.
They the people at the city and uh have already
started on the construction of it. I think it takes
several weeks to get it all together.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
Uh that's yeah, it really is.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
And it's a beautiful uh part of downtown like that it.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
Is go ahead, go ahead, yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:40):
Uh So and then a couple of bids that we
UH approved was an elevator elevator maintenance service and repair
bid and then a long maintenance service out at Oakla
like of tile services. So both of those got to prove.
So we were moving on along in the and then

(10:01):
we were started in on our resolutions. Uh and we
had nineteen of those the yeah, yeah it sold.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
You had a lot of ben you had to take
care of. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah. It was just the time of the year because
you know new the new fiscal year starts and uh
so I'll just I'll go through them quickly. Had some
expense reports that we have approved approved the playground equipment
out at west Ridge Park. Uh, that's going to be

(10:38):
the new addition to that, we did a couple of
did an amendments for the fiscal year of twenty twenty
five budget six. We received our insurance bill and it
had gone up pretty dramatically, and so we had to

(11:01):
adjust that so that we could pay for our insurance purposes.
We also approved an agreement with Saying In Associates. We
have a grant that's going to be issued for safe
Streets for all safety action plans, and so Saying and
Associates will help us with that and that'll be an

(11:21):
eighty twenty split, so we only had to pay twenty
percent of that. We thought it was a good idea. Yeah,
they yeah, real good. We had it approved in agreement
with Thompson Engineering for Veterans Parkway Improvements MBO project. That's

(11:42):
the course property rights there in front of the radio station.
We'll be doing some work out there as well as
out on type of parkway with the same kind of agreement.
We're also doing some we might have a position at
the parts erect Uh.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
We get in an.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
Angle appropriations for the following entities, Alabima Council and Human Relations,
the American Red Cross, the Boys and Girls Club of
East Alabama, the Christian Women Job Corps of the Lake County,
the East Adelina Services for the Elderly, for asult Raselma

(12:26):
Teaching Parents, HOPLE Life Community Theater, Hopal Life of Main Street,
p RF Teaching Ministry, and the Courtis House and all
those things are part of the thevegeting process. They had
made applications for appropriations and those who are approved, but
then you had to take them through the council and

(12:49):
approving one by one and there so uh and then
we UH, so all those people will be happy to
be getting in the check to help some of the
services that they provide are community. Then we had a
reappointment of our city clerk, SiGe treasurer.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
That was.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
Russell Jones and Simmy Boyd. So they both got reappointments
of those positions.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
UH.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
And then we had lots of other appointments and UH
and I'll break you on those. The these appointments are
all part of again change in the administration and go
to get people in place or reappointed. UH. Pierson Osbrook

(13:41):
got appointed to the Board of Education to fill empty
seat UH vacated by Chuck Beams. As Chuck was elected
to the council. UH myself was appointed to the Airport
Advisory Board as long as along with Chub Beams to
the Airport Advisory Board. Janataka usually Holmes Alabama Council and

(14:04):
his relations I get to be the representative on the
Board of Fields that Public Works again Janatica UH will
be serving on that committee with me. Todd Route will
UH serve on the Board of Fields Sublic Works. I
will serve on the Lee County Council of Government along

(14:26):
with Todd Lee White Lee who was already on the
black of Planning Commission, but by virtue of us her election,
she had to vacate that seat. Uh. But the the
uh president, I mean the mayor gets to a point,
the members of the Planning Commission, and so I asked

(14:51):
that we uh just moved Lee to another seat and
let her serve as a member of the of the council. Uh,
because she already had the experience.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
You already knew what was going on, what's going on?

Speaker 3 (15:04):
So so so what has happened now? So with the
former reperfortment of John Swetman and the and Lee taking
this role there and and I'll take a seat on
the Planning Commission as mentioned earlier. So we got one
more seat available that we will be appointing someone to
end the very near future. And then the last two

(15:28):
appointments was Solidway's disposal, which is which is myself and
then the Council President George Allen to the water Orts
Border City bo Palaka. Uh. And if all these perfortments
were having the expiration of eleven nine, which is of
course when there's another election.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
You got a lot done right there, my man, Mayor,
you got it taken care of.

Speaker 3 (15:55):
We had a we had a big schedule, and and
I want to say that that we made some history
over the last couple of days. And one of the
things is that was historical is that we have, for
the first time in the history of the City of
oak Life, a African American president of opal like city

(16:16):
council in the And I am so proud that the
council saw fit to elect uh, Missallen as the president.
He is going to do a great job and uh,
and I'm tickled that we made that step.

Speaker 1 (16:36):
I think it's awesome. I've known George a long time
and you know that. And Mayor Smith, I think it's
another step in the right direction that we did. I
agree with you something that he served and I'm glad
to see President George in that seat right there.

Speaker 3 (16:52):
Yeah, he'll do a great job. He was a little
bit nervous last night, and.

Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah, he fill it in for you who ran a
smooth operation for many years. I'm sure that was tough
on him.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
Well, you're you're kind to say that, but I you know,
I'm just proud that he's uh, he's going to be
be in that position and and uh and he'll do
he'll be well with it.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, I'm very proud of that. And that's good. That's good.
Anything else, Counsel Mayor.

Speaker 3 (17:22):
Smith called you anyway, as I uh know that that
was the gist of it. We ziptood and uh and
so everybody is in position and now we have all
these uh roads filled for different boards and now it's

(17:44):
time to go to work.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
Time to you doing good. You're happy.

Speaker 3 (17:48):
I'm tickled to death.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
I know you.

Speaker 3 (17:50):
I know you.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
You look you had a glow about it yesterday when
I saw you and I heard your prayer. Breakfast went great.
Jeff and I hate we couldn't be there. We sat
here with our show and we hated it. But I
heard it went so well, Mayor it did.

Speaker 3 (18:04):
It was a packed house, the all of the persons
that had different roles from the singing, uh, to the
to the preaching to the praying. I mean, it was.
It was a great, great event of our friend, the
right Reverend Jeff Myers uh delivered the words and uh

(18:28):
and he was spot on and it was. It was incredible.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (18:32):
He told the story about about the Nobel Prize and
uh uh mister Nobel that created it, and his first
creation was dynamite and uh, anyway, you've heard him tell
that story, and it was very very good, and it

(18:53):
was you know, everybody was was preached.

Speaker 1 (18:57):
And when they left, Sheriff Jones had the same thing.
He came back here to record the commercials and said
he got it down where everybody can understand it.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
Yeah, there was no question about what this nextage was.
He said, we can do it our way, or we
can do it your way, or we can do it godgway,
you know, and if well, if we're smart, we'll do
it god way.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (19:23):
So and everybody left feeling feeling good about that.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
Good deal, good deal, Mayor, thank you so much, looking
forward to many, many more of these. And enjoy your time, buddy,
enjoy your time.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
Thank you, Mark, I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah, good talking to you all. Ye, I'll take care.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
Good talk to you. Take care, Eddie Mayor Eddie Smith, Yes,
Sir Mayor Eddie Smith. On the March this morning. All
of our Mayor's reports are brought to you by our
good friends at four Seasons Federal Credit Union, two locations
to serve you on Peperal Parkway and Marven Parkway. Will
take a break. Keith Ethrie jabron I School football coach.
When we come back, Mad say.

Speaker 3 (19:58):
Real grat all Road in al.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
At four season Federal Credit Union.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
Your money isn't just protected, it's part of something stronger.
For over sixty years, we've stood by our members through
every season. If you live, work, worship, or attend school
in Lee County, you can join four Season Federal Credit Union.
Saves sound, and always here for you. Accounts federally insured
by NCUA. Membership eligibility required