ROBERTSDALE, Alabama— A federal grand could allow the city of Robertsdale to hire two full-time paid employees for the city’s fire department, officials said during the Robertsdale City Council’s regular meeting held Thursday morning, March 3.

The meeting would normally have been held Monday, March 7, but was changed because Mayor Charles Murphy and several council members are going to be out of town.

At Thursday’s meeting the council authorized Stacey McKean with the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission to apply for a SAFER Grant, which would pay the full cost of hiring two firefighters, which also includes benefits and uniforms, for a 24-month period.

There is a short window to apply for the grant, Murphy said. The deadline to apply is March 25.

“This is just the first step in the process,” Murphy said. “As our city grows, the need for public safety grows and we will definitely be looking to add more paid firefighters in the future.”

After the 24-month period is up, Murphy said, it would be the responsibility of the city as to whether or not they would continue to pay for the two full-time positions, which, with the added cost of benefits and uniforms, would cost the city about $150,000 per year.

“If we get this grant, I think this is definitely something the city should look into continuing once the grant period ends,” said City Council member Brent Kendrick. “Who knows where we will be by then. I think we will probably be looking to even add to that in the future.”

The positions of fire chief, assistant chief and other officers would continue to be volunteer positions, Murphy said.

“I don’t think the city is ready to get into a situation where we are electing the chief, assistant chief or other officers,” he said, adding that the two employees would answer directly to Police Chief Brad Kendrick as the head of the city’s Public Safety Department.

“I view the fire department as a part of the city and as such has to follow policy set by the city,” Murphy said. “Ultimately all of our firefighters fall under our Public Safety Department and, whether directly or indirectly, answer to the chief of police.”

Murphy said the fire department currently includes about 22 volunteers, but that the number “fluctuates.” As the head of public safety Kendrick brings requests for the purchase of equipment for the fire department to the mayor and city council for approval and is responsible should any disciplinary action be required within the department.

“Many cities in Baldwin County include both paid and volunteer firefighters,” Murphy said, “and that’s a direction I believe our city is moving toward.”

In other business, the council discussed more improvements currently being implemented at the city’s historic PZK Civic Center.

A major project, which includes improvements to drainage and replacing the gravel driveway with asphalt, along with a covered drop-off area for the building, was implemented the last week in February, said Robertsdale Public Works Director Scott Gilbert.

Plans are to begin a landscaping project the week of March 7 which, for the most part, should be completed by the middle of March. The only delay, will be in lighting for the project.

“We have about 12 decorative lamps going up,” Gilbert said, “and while we have the lights ready to be installed, it will be several weeks before the polls get here.” In the meantime, the city will continue to use the existing security lights.

The current project is a continuation of a $400,000 renovation that began in 2013, which included replacing wooden decking on the west side of the building with a poured concrete deck on the east side, a 1,000 square-foot covered canopy and a 3,000 square-foot addition to the back of the building, and completely stripping and replacing the roof with a new metal structure.

The current project, which was originally budgeted at $22,000, will end up costing the city upwards of $40,000, Murphy told council members at Thursday’s meeting.

“I’m just glad we are taking our time and doing it right,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Joe Kitchens. “When it’s done this can be a show-piece for our city.”

According to an article published in January of 1994, the 6,000 square foot structure was originally built in 1924 and added to in the 1950s.

The PZK (which stands for Poucny a Zabavni Krouzek, translated as Educational Recreational Circle), a group of Czechoslovakian immigrants, built the structure to serve settlers which came to Robertsdale from the North in the 1920s. The Hall was also used by German and Swedish settlers.

The PZK donated the property to the City of Robertsdale on Aug. 17, 1992, and was closed for just over a year, from Dec. 10, 1992 to just before Christmas of 1993, while the city spent about $100,000 to renovate the building.

In February of 1994, the property was dedicated to the city with the property being renamed PZK Civic Park and the meeting hall named the PZK Civic Center.

In other business Thursday, the council:

• Donated $500 to the Alabama Future Business Leaders of America to cover the cost of trophies for competition at the FBLA’s Alabama Conference to be held in Montgomery in May, and to provide financial assistance for winners to attend the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta. Students from Robertsdale High School participate in the competition.
• Voted to surplus a John Deere Tractor, Gator and air compressor for the city’s Public Works Department.
• Voted to purchase a tractor for the city’s Public Works Department. Gilbert said $130,000 was budgeted for the item in the 2015-16 fiscal year budget. The item should cost somewhere between $128,000 and $129,000.