Longtime Foley city administrator Perry Wilbourne announced at Monday’s city council work session that he would be retiring in early 2011.

Additionally, it was brought to the attention of the council that the almost completed Graham Creek Nature Preserve was not covered by existing ordinances to regulate the use of parks and recreational facilities maintained by the city. Leslie Lassitter presented an ordinance  which allows the city to set times for the preserve to be open and closed, along with providing a fee structure for rental of the pavilion which is almost completed. Lassitter said she has already gotten requests to rent the facility. According to Lassitter, the ordinance proposed was very similar to the one in place to regulate the use of Heritage Park. The council also agreed to set the park’s automatic gates to open at 6 a.m. for any early risers who would like to enjoy the park early. The park is supposed to close at dark.

The council also approved sending in an application to the Alabama Department of Transportation, which will provide some funding for the resurfacing of the roadway between the newly extended Airport Road extension up to the office facility of the Foley Municipal Airport.

The Foley Police Department was recently awarded a COPS technology grant for $400,000 for a project called “Sky Guardian.” If the grant were to be accepted, the city would not have to match the funds. The grant will allow the police department to place 35 sky cameras in the parks and downtown area, and part-time employees will monitor the cameras at the police department 24/7. The grant will cover the price of the equipment, installation and the first year of maintenance, service and the salary for 10 part-time employees to man the monitors.

“We are talking about putting in a state of the art system that is going to take us to another level,” Police Chief David Wilson said.

The installation of the cameras will also establish a wi-fi network in the area.

When Wilson presented the grant to the city council, he made sure to disclose exactly what accepting the grant would mean monetarily to the city. If the grant is accepted by the city, the city is obligated to keep the project running for at least two years with no additional funding. According to estimates reported by Wilson, the cost per year could exceed $150,000.

Wilson and the council agreed the project was a great idea, and would take fighting crime in Foley to a much higher level, but the council had reservations about committing to a hefty bill that would be passed on to the next city council.

The council also asked if it would be possible to use the cameras as simply a surveillance tool that would allow the police department to play back footage and gain evidence if a crime were to occur.

However, according to Wilson, the way the police department wrote the grant, the cameras are to be monitored so a crime can be prevented.

“I don’t want to catch a murder or a rape after the fact…I don’t want those cameras coming into the police department and us looking at them after the fact,” Wilson said.

The council opted to hold off voting to accept or decline the grant until further research could be done to determine if there was any way to gather funds to offset the cost of the project.

One idea already presented to the council was because adding the cameras and the wi-fi network to the area, the property value will eventually go up. One solution presented to the council was to determine the property tax that is currently received from those properties that would be impacted by the addition and anything over the current rate received in the future to go towards the maintenance of the camera system.

The city has until Nov. 29 to accept or decline the grant.

The police department was also allowed to accept a $4,000 ADECA selective traffic enforcement program grant to offset the cost of overtime to set up roadblocks. The police department was also able to accept a $10,000 grant to allow for increased patrols in areas, which have been identified as locations with high incidences of drunk driving.

The council also approved the purchase of a new K9 for the police department. Wilson said two of the police department’s current K9’s, Leo and Gideon, are nearing retirement and will need to be replaced. The police department had already been budgeted $6,500 for the purchase of a new K9, but the police department is looking at purchasing a German Shepherd dog named Jasper. Once the price of the dog and his training are figured in, Jasper will cost $9,000. The council approved $2,500 in additional funding out of a police department account.

The police department has also had another German Shepherd named Zeeta donated by Officer Jerry Malone for use by the police department. Malone only asked that if Zeeta is retired she be returned to him.

In other city business:

— The council voted to approve an employee Christmas luncheon on Dec. 17.

— The council also voted to approve the 2010-2011 fiscal year budget. The budget, according to the council, is a very conservative budget and only allows for $131,000 worth of wiggle room.

It’s pretty skinny this year,” said Koniar.

(A copy of the budget was not available at press time.)

— The council also voted to upgrade the desktop purchasing software used by the convention and visitor’s bureau for a total cost of almost $800.

— Purchase of new Christmas decorations was approved b the council. The proposed decorations are 10-12 industrial grade LED-lit reindeer. The proposed decorations cost $2,000 each. The council voted to approve the decorations, not to exceed $25,000 if no cheaper decorations that will last can be found.

— The council voted to allow Volkert, Inc. to temporarily close Verbena Avenue from Alabama 59 to the alley just east of the fire station for the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours on Tuesday from 4:30 p.m.- 8 p.m. According to the council, similar closings have been approved in the past for similar events.

— Councilman Charles Ebert III  was appointed as the city representative to the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce for 2011.

— The Foley Optimist Club will also be allowed to hold its Christmas party for needy children in the city’s facilities free of charge on Dec. 12.

— The council moved to write off a returned check in the amount of $288 because the writer of the check could not be located.

— The new bridge on the Airport Road Extension will also be named Kay Ivey Bridge as soon as the city can get her to the area for a dedication ceremony.