DAPHNE— Expanding the Daphne Public Library is a top priority for the city, Mayor Fred Small said Thursday at one of his monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” sessions.

“The No. 1 thing for this next year is to expand the library hours and then we need to increase the employees,” Small said.

“Our library circulates more books than any other in Baldwin County,” Deborah Norris, reference librarian, said.

Norris said the library has added new programs including a teen board, a young-adult summer reading program, and this past winter’s adult reading program.

Thursday’s meeting gave city departments the chance to update residents on their ongoing projects and past progress.

GROWTH

“Daphne’s not going to stop growing,” Bill Eady, planning director said. The majority of city growth is to the east because the bay is west and Fairhope is south.

Most development is along Alabama Highway 181, according to Eady. The city is putting in a sewer line on the north side of U.S. 90 — which intersects with 181 — he said.

“The highway 90 corridor is going to be tremendous for Daphne,” Small said.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Three months ago, the fire department purchased a 2007 Ford Expedition that serves as an emergency vehicle for medical calls. The truck is based out of Station 2 on Main Street.

About 70 percent of calls to the department are medical; response time is four minutes, according to Lamar Green, a firefighter.

It’s more economical and is faster to take the new emergency vehicle — rather than the big fire truck — on medical calls, according to Green.

The department has responded to 1,145 calls this year and is running a minimum staff, according to Green.

OTHER NOTES

•The police department recently received training for school incidents; during which officers went over lockdown procedures, Detective Jason Vannoy, detective.

•Public Works has bought a garbage truck that will prove to be efficient, according to Melvin McCarley, superintendent.

Two men on a truck can pick up garbage from 750 to 800 residences; the new hydraulic, one-arm truck, can service about 900 residences, according to McCarley.

“It cuts down on manpower and it’s safer,” McCarley said.

•The boat ramp at Mayday Park has received improvements, including a basin at the end of the ramp that helps boats launch easier, David Cohen, city clerk, said.

Cohen is looking into a grant for a second boat ramp that will benefit busy activity during the summer months.

The next “Coffee with the Mayor” will be Sept. 11 at the Daphne Recreation Center.