Engineer Neville Franks, left, was named the Firefighter of the Year for 2018. Firefighter Joel Sims was named Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year for 2018. (Maggie Darnell for The Cullman Tribune)
Updated 2-26-19 7:38 a.m.
CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman Fire Rescue joined the Cullman City Council Monday night to honor the Firefighter and EMT of the Year.
Engineer Neville Franks received his official promotion to lieutenant at the meeting, and was named the Firefighter of the Year for 2018. Born in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, he served in the Marine Corps before becoming a firefighter in 1998 and has served with Cullman Fire Rescue since 2008. His credentials include apparatus operator, hazmat technician, safety officer, and others; he is currently working toward advanced EMT certification.
Firefighter Joel Sims was named Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year for 2018. A Decatur native, he is a veteran of Army deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait; he is finishing his first year of service in Cullman. Despite his short term of service, he was commended for his handling of emergency calls and attainment of multiple certifications.
Council business
The council approved an ordinance to authorize the rehiring of retired police officers and firefighters on a part-time basis to provide public safety services. The Alabama Ethics Commission will have to be notified of any such re-hirings.
The council issued special event permits to:
- Matthew Shaddrix of 306 Seventh St. SE for a noise permit to hold a private St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 16 from 5-11 p.m.
- Johnann Moore to hold the annual Spring Street Sale in the Warehouse District March 8-9 from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day
- Heather Gudger to hold the Southern Makers “Build-A-Bride” Runway Show March 2 at Southern Accents Architectural Antiques from 6:30 p.m. until midnight
The council approved a request from Save-A-Lot for a city alcohol license to sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption.
The council approved resolutions to:
- submit a pre-application to the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan program for improvements to the sewer collection system, for an amount not to exceed $7,100,000
- enter into a purchase agreement for approximately 1 acre of land located on Second Avenue Northeast across from the Cullman Police station and Depot Park, to be purchased from the estate of Juanita Schaefer
- approve change order no. 1 in the amount of $3,389 to CH Harris, Inc. to upgrade roofing materials. The increase in material quality will raise the overall cost of the project from $349,285 to $352,674.34.
- adopt the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Resolution to prevent the bypass and overflow of raw sewage within the collection system at the treatment plant; the plan calls for a continuation of five-year planning for wastewater, currently planned projects, smoke testing and video inspection.
Lastly, the council reappointed Brad Smith to the City’s Construction Board and named Dr. Benjamin Rogers to fill Don Hubbard’s seat on the Medical Clinic Board.
The Cullman City Council will meet next on Monday, Mar. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Cullman City Hall auditorium. The public is invited to attend.
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