By Madeline Burbank 

On Oct. 10 the Montevallo City Council voted to begin bidding for phase II of the renovations of the Mahler House in Shoal Creek Park to restore parts of the building that are damaged and aging. 

City Clerk Steve Gilbert reassured council member Lelia Mitchell that they are, “gonna do whatever we can to preserve the historical integrity of the house” despite these repairs. 

They will repair the electrical, plumbing, interior sheetrock and roofing. These are all infrastructural aspects of the house which have degraded over time. Additionally, the garage and exterior room will see repairs of damage they have sustained. 

In total, $150,000 is allocated for these renovations under the City of Montevallo’s Mahler fund with additional funding available if the project goes over budget. 

The city council also voted to apply for the Shelby County Park and Recreation Grant Program. This grant features a program where the county will match what is spent by the city. This grant, along with $50,000 out of the Montevallo Development Cooperative District budget, will be used to improve the facilities at Orr Park. 

These developments will include upgrading two restrooms in Orr Park and building a concession stand for the high school baseball field. 

The restrooms are being upgraded because they are old and in need of renovation. Both restrooms are in poor condition and over 15 years old. 

The idea of additional restrooms closer to the fields was brought up by council member Martha Eisenberg with member Kenneth Dukes agreeing based on handicapped accessibility complaints that had been received.  

Gilbert and council member Sonya Swords explained that Orr Park and the baseball field rest inside a flood zone. This makes it difficult to place a restroom closer to the field while avoiding frequent flooding. 

The Montevallo police lieutenant D.B. Harrelson spoke during the committee reports and described some benefits they have gotten from the switch in IT company that was voted on in the previous city council meeting. He said that he appreciates how easy the IT company is to get in touch with. 

Two hotel developers will be touring a potential build site for a future location. This project is still in the early stages at the moment.  

The next Montevallo City Council meeting will be held on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. It will be held at the Montevallo City Hall and will be live streamed on the city’s Facebook page.