The Atmore City Council voted Monday to vacate a portion of Byrne Drive, in order to allow Tiger-Sul Products to purchase it at a later date.

According to Resolution No. 2014-06, this portion of Byrne Drive has not been used for more than 10 years because the bridge over Brushy Creek was previously destroyed, and the portion lying west of the U.S. Highway 31 access has never been opened.

Atmore Mayor Jim Staff said Tiger-Sul wants to purchase the vacated portion of Byrne Drive, in order to use it for a future railroad spur.
Staff said the city would continue to own a 10-foot-wide right-of-way on the road portion, in case future utilities are ever needed west of Westside Park.

In other business, the council:

• Tabled an alcohol license application for Dollar General #14720, located at 4850 Jack Springs Road. Mayor Jim Staff explained that the city is currently under a moratorium on package stores, adult bookstores and tattoo parlors in Atmore. The moratorium was deemed necessary, as the city is investigating the possibility of labeling downtown Atmore as a historic district.

“I’ve advised (Dollar General) to come back after the moratorium is over,” Staff said. “We don’t need to take action on that today.”

• Heard from Mary Frye, owner of the now closed Chik-A-Dee club at 55 Carver Ave. Frye told the council that she did not wish to reopen the building as a club, but did want to get a business license to allow her to rent the facilities for events.

“I am not asking for a business license to reopen the Chik-A-Dee club,” Frye said. “I am not asking for an alcohol license. I just want a business license just so I can be able to use my building.

“I have invested a lot of money into it. I would like to be able to just rent the building out. I am not interested in trying to go back to a club, nor get the liquor license. But I need to be able to make some finances out of that building, because I’m playing a big bill every month with no income coming in.”

At the Monday, March 10, meeting of the Atmore City Council, Staff told Frye that it would not be possible to reopen the club because police had to respond to multiple public disturbances under its previous ownership.

• Set a special called meeting for 4 p.m., Monday, April 21, to consider the downtown historic district.

• Set a District 4 town hall meeting for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28.