The Atmore City Council approved two resolutions Monday, in anticipation of a future sidewalks improvement project in the city.

The Alabama Department of Transportation recently approved $400,000 in federal funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). This money will be used to make sidewalk improvements within the city of Atmore, including along State Highway 21, Forest Hill Drive, Brookwood Road, Lindberg Avenue and Presley Street.

Monday, the city council approved hiring Civil Southeast, LLC, to provide all retired permitting and engineering design for the project.

The city council also approved a formal resolution declaring the city’s participation in the TAP program.
Atmore Mayor Jim Staff said the project will require an $80,000 local match, and is scheduled to begin sometime in 2016.

In other business, the council:

• Agreed to provide all funds necessary to the Employees’ Retirement System, in order to cover the cost of a one-time lump sum payment for the city’s retirees and eligible beneficiaries of retirees. This increase was mandated by an act of the state legislature in 2014.

• Heard from John Frye, who spoke on behalf of his mother, Mary Frye. Frye said that an on-duty Atmore Police Department officer stopped by the Fryes’ business several months ago to inform them that a “military organization” had filed a complaint, and stated that the Fryes needed to remove their protest signs and inverted flags.

“It’s been a big concern to my parents, and we were trying to see if you were aware of that,” Frye asked Staff.

Both Atmore Public Safety Director Glenn Carlee and APD Chief Jason Dean were in attendance and said they were not aware of any such complaint. Carlee also said that the signs and flags were not in violation of any law.

“I believe we would have all been aware of that, if it had happened,” Staff said.

Carlee said if Frye told him the name of the officer, then the APD could follow up and investigate further.