What Caused the Delay, and Where We Stand Now

Many of you have asked why the Brookhaven Drive paving project took so long to get started. Today, I want to share a clear, factual timeline based on meeting minutes, emails, and bank records, so our community fully understands what happened and how we’re moving forward.

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🟦 1. How the Project Started

June 20, 2023
I first brought Brookhaven forward and asked that the City begin the Rebuild Alabama Act grant process.

February 6, 2024
The Council voted to apply for $250,000 toward curbs and gutters in Brookhaven.
This passed 4–1.

October 2024
Great news -the City was awarded $350,000, not $250,000.
This reduced the City’s required match significantly.

June 3rd 2025

Bids were in and Council voted to choose the winner.

I also secured a partnership with the St. Clair County Commission, who agreed to match the City’s out-of-pocket expenses – cutting our local cost in half.

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🟦 2. What Happened in 2025 – Email + Bank Records

After the grant was awarded, our engineer and contractor moved quickly to get the project underway.

✔ AUGUST 2025 – Paving Ready to Begin

The contractor emailed the City stating:
➡️ They were ready to begin paving on Monday
➡️ The project had already been approved by the Council
➡️ They were requesting the initial invoice payment

✔ City Response

City Hall responded:

“I had to get the account established… I will send you a check on Monday because I don’t have any checks.”

✔ Bank Records Tell a Different Story

• August 14, 2025 – A $350,000 grant deposit was posted.
• Also in August – Payments were made to the engineer (over $33,000).

This confirms:
➡️ The City had checks
➡️ The City was issuing payments
➡️ The project could have proceeded

❌ AUGUST–NOVEMBER 2025 -No Payments to the Contractor

Even though:

• The contractor was ready,
• The work was approved,
• The grant funds were in the bank, and
• Other project-related payments were being issued…

No payment was made to the paving contractor until late November 2025.

And paving contractors – like all vendors – cannot mobilize crews or equipment without the initial payment required by contract.

📌 Outcome:
➡️ This created a 3-month delay
➡️ The delay did not come from the engineer or contractor
➡️ The delay came from inside City Hall

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🟦 3. Where We Are Today

Brookhaven Drive is finally under construction, and aside from weather delays, the project is moving the way it should have months earlier.

With:
✔ A $350,000 state grant
✔ County partnership covering half the remainder
✔ A fully executed contract
✔ Payments now properly being handled

We are on track to deliver the long-overdue improvements Brookhaven residents deserve.

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🟦 4. Moving Forward – Building a City Hall That Works

One of my core commitments as Mayor is fixing the internal processes that caused these delays:

• Clean accounting
• Transparent approvals
• Timely payments
• Public reporting on project status

Brookhaven is an example of why these reforms matter.

Thank you to the residents of Brookhaven -and all of Margaret -for your patience and your belief in rebuilding our city the right way: with honesty, accountability, and professionalism.