LOXLEY, Ala. — Loxley town councilors learned about an opportunity to purchase some land, passed a smoking ordinance and heard a plea from fire officials for a part-time fire inspector.

First, the council, with all members present except for Derek G. Middleton, heard from Louis Berec, the owner of property along B Avenue who was looking for help in getting a box culvert or bridge over a 6-foot deep and 8-foot wide ditch so he could install a driveway.

“I asked the title company to look at this, and the road ends at my property,” said Berec, adding that the ditch prevents the road from doing this. “If I have to build a bridge or get a box culvert, it’s going to be expensive. Can Loxley help me somehow?”

Berec has some hurdles to overcome before getting that help.

“Usually, in the case of culverts, the landowner is responsible,” said Mayor Billy Middleton.

Town Councilor Katherine Breeden agreed, noting that she knew of at least one other family in a similar situation.

“If we do for you, another (property owner) will come back to us,” said Breeden.

“What I am going to have to do, is research my costs,” replied Berec, adding after a question from Breeden, that he does have other property that would provide access to the lot, but it would be a less direct route to the home he hopes to build.

Max Childress approached the council bringing news that he intended top put land he owned for sale via the “sealed bid” method June 19. The parcel is directly across Highway 59 from Loxley Town Hall.

“We had about 60,000 postcards go out,” said Childress. “We want people to get their own advice and make an offer. The bids won’t be opened until June 19.”

There is a “reserve price,” a minimum price Childress and his advisors have set on the property. If the bids come in below that price, the property will not be sold. For more information on the property, go to gr8land.net.

“We have to think on this,” said Middleton to the town council. “We need to look into this and see how it works, but the land is across from Town Hall.”

Town attorney Shawn Alves presented the smoking ordinance to the council. The ordinance forbids smoking in all enclosed areas “owned leased or operated” by the town of Loxley, places of employment and “all outdoor sports arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters, as well as in all bleachers and grandstands for use by spectators at sporting and other public events.”

The ordinance also forbids smoking within a distance of “15 linear feet” outside all entrances / exits to areas where smoking is prohibited. Private homes, hotel/motel rooms designated as smoking rooms and some rooms in long term care facilities, private clubs when occupied by its members only, bars, and places of employment “that hire the services of less then three” employees are exempt from the ordinance.

First time violators may be assessed a $200 fine, and a business found violating the ordinance three or more times in a year could be charged $500 per violation.

The measure passed unanimously

Fire Chief Timothy Curry and Police Lieutenant and Fire Captain Raymond Lovell presented the Fire Department’s request to hire a part-time inspector. Such a person, hired part-time at first, is needed both men say to inspect businesses and other locations for fire hazards.

While acknowledging the need for such a position, the “part-time“ nature of the request sparked several concerns with town councilor Richard Teal.

“We don’t get the bang for the buck,” Teal said. “It is a need, I know this is legit.”

Curry and Lovell, after Teal asked how long it would take to train such a person, indicated that training such a person through the department would be the matter of several weeks of full-time study.

Teal also asked if there were other jobs in the department the inspector could to to make up full-time hours.

“I think we need one,” town councilor Lloyd J. Keuler said. “We need to lay out what education is required.”

“At a minimum, an inspector needs to be a firefighter 1 and then a firefighter 2, then Inspector 1 and Inspector 2,” said Lovell. “That’s why you don’t pick these people out of a bushel.”

While acknowledging Teal’s concerns, the mayor asked the council for permission to advertise for the part-time position.

“I think we do need a permanent person,” said Middleton. “Why don’t we get someone in and six months from now see how he’s doing?”

The authorization to seek bids passed unanimously.

“This is, Middleton said, reassuring Teal, “just permission to get the bids.”

Teal also asked Curry and Lovell, “how hard is to to get volunteers?”

“We have about 1,000 applications available,” replied Lovell.

In other matters, the council voted unanimously to authorize the police chief, John M. Cason, to get bids for a car for himself. The department has two cars already on order, but the chief is driving the oldest car in the fleet.

“I was thinking a Volkswagen Bug,” quipped Curry after the meeting..

Also passing unanimously:

• The council decided to see what other communities are paying police dispatchers. Cason told the council that the department recently lost a dispatcher to a higer-paying community.

— Voted unanimously to approve the bills presented to the town.

— Voted unanimously to annex two parcels from Klumb Properties (also known as Klumb Lumber) along County Road 49.

— Voted to rezone 43.21 acres of the Loxley Commerce Center from agricultural land to industrial use.