Orange Beach takes steps to mitigate traffic issues at new school complex

Orange Beach takes steps to mitigate traffic issues at new school complex
By John Mullen
During a recent meeting, Orange Beach City Council discussed ways to make traffic going in and out of the new school safer. Classes convened in the new Orange Beach High School and Middle School on Aug. 12.
Kennon said the move at the school is to mitigate a traffic hazard at the Canal Road entrance to the new complex.
“Right now, the new entranceway into the school is a full-access left out, left in and Cypress Village entryway is a left out and left in, there is a left into the school,” Kennon said. “So, essentially it is a four-way left turn intersecting with no traffic light. That is nothing but a traffic accident not waiting to happen but going to happen because I’ve already experienced it, I’ve watched it.”
Kennon said the entry from Canal Road will be changed to a right in, right out only service and school traffic will make a left turn on Money Bayou Drive a block west of the school.
“It will loop back around to north on Sweetwater and enter into the school,” Kennon said. “The reason we’re doing that right now is that the Sweetwater entrance is degraded and not wide enough to allow a left turn in at the same time a school bus is trying to turn out. We’re going to upgrade that but we can’t get it done before school.”
Eventually, Kennon said, Sweetwater Drive which is a north-south road adjacent to the campus, will be improved to handle the school traffic including buses.
“This is hopefully a short-term fix,” Kennon said. “The permanent fix will be that Sweetwater will be widened so that a bus can get out and there can be a left turn in because there will be a police officer there directing traffic when school is letting in and letting out. During the middle of the day there should be no issue with a left turn in there because there will be no buses going out.”
Also, A recently opened restaurant in Orange Beach, the Angry Crab, had its outdoor music license revoked at the meeting and the city is working on a rewrite of the noise ordinance to address it and other issues.
“This is a recurring issue, multiple complaints,” Mayor Tony Kennon said. “We can’t have residents in a residential neighborhood dealing with music of a venue in an adjacent business property. We just can’t have that.”
Kennon said the ordinance change will look at adding noise restrictions in residential neighborhoods.
“We’re working hard on our sound ordinance to reevaluate also how to look at within residential neighborhoods how do we deal with neighbors and unruly music, loud noises, construction noise,” Kennon said. “Pretty much anything that disturbs the peace and tranquility of a neighborhood without hopefully being overburdensome or heavy handed in our way of doing it. So, we’re working on that and have been.”
At the Angry Crab, Councilman Jeff Boyd said the city has been trying to work with the managers there and haven’t been able to find a solution.
“We’ve gone to them, we’ve pleaded and we’ve begged, we’ve gotten videos week in and week out, we’ve visited them,” Boyd said. “It’s a battle between the manager and bands and trying to get decibel levels and it’s just not fair to the neighbors behind them. This is a last-ditch effort to make this happen.”
Councilmember Joni Blalock said the suspension of the outdoor permit does not have any affect on music inside the restaurant. The restaurant was using an outdoor courtyard on the west side of the restaurant to have bands playing during dinner service.
The Council Also:
• Approved a liquor licenses for an expanded Shrimp Basket at Zeke’s Landing Marina, Pleasure Island Tiki Bar and for the Safe Harbor Sportsman Ship Store. The Sportsman property was recently bought by Safe Harbor, a company that owns about 100 marinas all over the country.
• Approved the temporary placement of a recreational home on 22 acres at 5159 Sampson Avenue for Grant and Laura Blackburn. They had moved away and leased out the house on the property but had to return to Orange Beach because of health issues with a family member.
• Approved three resolutions announcing the election of councilmen Jeff Boyd, Jerry Johnson and Jeff Silvers. The three face no opposition in the Aug. 25 election.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of a professional services agreement with Computer Backup for technology support and managed services.
• Adopted a transportation plan for fiscal year 2021.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of a license agreement with PowerSouth Energy Cooperative for use of an easement.
• Approved a contract with Dr. William Beazley to serve as medical services director for the city’s ambulance service and authorized the purchase of EMS Medical Director liability insurance.
• Awarded a task order to with Thompson Engineering to perform professional engineering and land surveying services for a Canal Road sidewalk east of State Highway 161 in an amount not to exceed $147,200.
• Awarded a task order to Thompson Engineering to perform professional engineering services for a Canal Road right turn/deceleration lane at Cypress Village Boulevard in an amount not to exceed $51,550.
• Declared two ATVs owned by the city as surplus and unneeded and authorized the donation of said property to the Magnolia Springs Volunteer Fire Department.
• Approved a change order with Ammons & Blackmon Construction for Recreation Center Drainage and Tennis Court Improvements in an amount not to exceed $19,376.45.
• Approved a change order with E-J Builders, Inc., to add shade structures for the baseball and softball Complex in an amount not to exceed $43,658.65.
• Authorized the execution of an agreement with O.B. Commons for the construction of a Canal Road deceleration lane and driveway improvements on the Commons shopping center site.
• Announced that council meetings would be moved to the Community Center to encourage better social distancing and accommodate more citizens wishing to attend the meetings.