By Maria Rakoczy (maria@themadisonrecord.com)

MADISON – The Madison City Council on Monday approved major funding items for Phase 1 of Toyota Field maintenance and Phase 1 of the Hexagon Project.

The council authorized a total of $52,458 towards Toyota Field in Phase 1 of the efforts to comply with updated MLB stadium standards. Phase 1 includes the purchasing of lockers, a hydrotherapy tub, and a dishwasher. The funds, which are just a fraction of the estimated total of $300,000 approved at the last council meeting, are coming from the Multi-Use Venue Maintenance Fund, which council member John Seifert described as “a path and plan forward that put[s] money aside that comes from the proceeds at the stadium”.

Mayor Paul Finley announced in the “Presentation of Reports” that an auditor will be present at the next finance committee meeting on Feb. 27. In addition, a representative from Ballcorps will present last year’s numbers for Toyota Field and the revenue the city received from it at the next city council meeting, also on February 27.

“That’s next meeting: auditor at 4:00, Ballcorps at the city council meeting, and I think the auditor comes at that point, too, to talk through the season and the excitement that we’ve had with that,” Finley stated.

Phase One of the Hexagon Project received $127,000 in funding out of the General Fund. The Hexagon Project will ultimately transform the former Hexagon facilities that the city purchased in 2022 into a recreation center and Fire Station 4 that will service the Town Madison and Triana areas. Phase 1 will convert four existing tennis courts into 12 pickleball courts and add lighting to the existing softball fields.

Council president Renae Bartlett, who is herself a pickleball enthusiast, observed, “There is tremendous demand for court space.”

The addition of pickleball courts will be a welcome one as court space at Dublin Park fails to meet the high demand of the Madison community. Phase 2 of the Hexagon Project, coming later, is expected to explore options for attracting pickleball tournaments to the new facility.

In “Department Reports”, Engineering offered several items for major road improvements around the city. The council approved $5,000,000 in Federal Highway Administration funds and $1,250,000 of City Match Funds in an agreement with Alabama Department of Transportation for Madison Blvd Resurfacing and Safety Improvements and then approved $279,774 of the total $6,250,000 for engineering design services from Morell Engineering, Inc. on the project.

The city is dedicating another $23,905 to an agreement with S&ME Inc. for Alabama Department of Environmental Management Permit Application, documentation, and inspection on Balch Road improvements. Those improvements will include the widening of a section of the road between Neldabrook Way and the intersection of Balch and Gillespie Roads along with drainage work.

The council celebrated the winners of the Arbor Day Contest presented by Carolyn Reagle from the Madison Beautification Board. The theme of the contest this year was “Trees are Terrific, Forests are Too” inspiring second graders to celebrate the natural environment while expressing their artistic creativity. Several students were selected from Horizon Elementary, Columbia Elementary, St. John the Baptist Catholic School, Midtown Elementary, Mill Creek Elementary, Rainbow Elementary, and Madison Elementary for recognition. Their artwork will be on display in the Madison Library for public enjoyment.

Council member Karen Denzine, who is a liaison for the Beautification Board congratulated all the winners, “I would just like to congratulate all the children. Their artwork is just amazing, and you can go and look at it. It’s in the public library on display for everyone to see. The creativity is just wonderful. Thank you so much to the teachers who took charge of this program to make this possible.”

Other items addressed at the meeting include the following:

• Payment of $7,372.89 to Rogers Group for the Middle School Roadway Extension Project
• Payment of $13,526.70 to Barge Design Solutions for Wall Triana and I-565 improvements
• Request for Off-Premise Beer and Wine License from the On the Way Chevron location at 8530 Madison Boulevard
• Request for Restaurant Retail Liquor License from Bowl Madison and from El Mezcal Bar & Grill
• Request to rezone 4.8 acres connected to the Publix property on Highway 72 to B3 General Business District
• Vacation of a utility and drainage easement to allow for expansion of Halsey facility
• Annual appropriation for $40,000 to Wellstone, Inc., $10,000 to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens, $20,000 to The Enrichment Center, and $5,000 to Health Establishments At Local Schools for the 2023 fiscal year
• Agreement with the North Alabama Highway Safety Office for traffic safety grant funds
• One-year maintenance agreement with Stryker for LifePak 15’s, LifePak 1000’s and Lucas devices for use of the Fire Department at the price of $17,448.80
• Maintenance Agreement and Drainage Easement for Everstead at Madison development
• Professional Services Agreement with Frog Washers for stormwater pond dredging for $15,000
• Acceptance of Anderson Place Subdivision into the City of Madison Maintenance Program
• Acceptance of check from Chambers Bottling Co. for $34.77 to the Fire Department Donation account
• Acceptance of a donation of $35 from M.C. Flurer to the Senior Center

The next city council meeting will be on Monday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers in city hall.