Council addresses ambulance service

Clarion Top News

Friday, 31 January 2020 13:24

by Martha Smith At the Scottsboro City Council meeting held on January 6, 2020, council members were presented with two invoices from KPS Group concerning the Scottsboro-Jackson Heritage Center project. The first invoice totaled $11,053.38 and the second $34.28. The project entails an addition to the back of the Brown-Proctor house creating better facilities for the public and better storage for some historical items. As of the meeting, the Heritage Center, has been able to raise almost $130,000. These invoices will be paid from bond money. Council moved this to next week’s agenda. A public hearing for the transfer of a current beer and wine off-premise license was also moved to next week. The applicant, Dollargencorp doing business as Dollar General Store #2686 has requested the transfer to 3270 South Broad Street. Pending fire and building inspection, all other requirements and documentation have been met. Scottsboro City Mayor Robin Shelton also requested a change to a job description before they advertise to fill the position left behind by their former Events and Marketing Coordinator, Meg Nippers. When Nippers was hired, Scottsboro City was not a part of Main Street, and now that the position is open, there will be new job duties for the replacement, with an official title of Events and Marketing Coordinator for the city and Director for Main Street Scottsboro. Nippers has accepted a position at Northeast Alabama Community College as their new Director of Promotions and Marketing. Nippers stated, “I have sincerely enjoyed serving as the Events and Marketing Coordinator and Main Street Scottsboro Director for the past two years. It has been a pleasure seeing the growth of downtown events like Market on the Square and Jingle Bell Square. There has been significant growth in the number of vendors and attendees at these events, and I am excited about their future. We have added new events, like the popular Halloween Trick or Treat downtown. I’ve been blown away at the support this event has seen. Downtown Scottsboro has a brand-new, one-of-a-kind mural thanks to John Warr. I know several beautification projects are in the works, and I know those will also leave a great impact on the downtown area. Closing this chapter is bittersweet for sure. I have made so many friends during my time here and seen so many improvements to the city and downtown area, but I am looking forward to this new opportunity.” During reports, new resident of Scottsboro, Mike Bray complimented the city on its cleanliness and its Street Department. He also voiced concern over the time it takes for the ambulance service to arrive at a scene. Bray stated he timed the arrival of the Fire Department at four minutes with the ambulance arriving 10-15 minutes after. Scottsboro City Attorney Stephen Kennamer addressed the subject and explained the ambulance service is a county entity run by the Jackson County Healthcare Authority, therefore the city could not answer for them. He also stated that since the city has become more proactive, many lives have been saved as a result. Because of the logistical placement of fire stations throughout the city, the Fire Department will likely have a better in-town response time than the five ambulance services that are tasked with serving the third largest county in Alabama. Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Necklaus stated that in the event of an emergency call, the Fire Department has paramedics on board.