Thorsby listens to proposals for buildings, businesses – The Clanton Advertiser

by Carrie Reader | crew clerk

Thorsby City Council has heard proposals from potential business owners for Plots Seven and Eight on Montgomery Street. The two forces have attracted buyers’ interest over the past few months to bring new business to Thorsby. At its September 6 meeting, the board opened a 60-day window to have potential companies submit a proposal for what they would do with the buildings. The seventh lot is a building structure, while the eighth lot is a complete structure. An architect would be required to address some of the structural problems in the building, and the upper floor would have to be equipped to accommodate the fire codes. Councilman Justin Killingsworth was absent from the meeting.

The first suggestion was that a Mexican restaurant on the eighth lot go along with a Hispanic shop that sells spices or other traditional Hispanic culinary needs. The seventh lot will be used as a patio area for the restaurant.

The second proposal was for another restaurant, a deli-style meat market to enter in the eighth lot. The market will have a full-service kitchen to prepare food and meet daily nutritional needs such as meat and vegetables. Group Seven will be left as an outdoor venue for events with plans to hang lights and a new concrete floor.

The third proposal was for a grocery store that served local meat, seafood, and produce in the eighth batch. The top floor of the building will be reconstructed as a meeting area. The seventh lot will be built back up for another building to bring business to Thorsby.

The board was pleased with how detailed each of the proposals was. The council wanted to retain the historic appearance on the exterior of the buildings, and all three proposals were open to keeping the same. The council voted on the proposals until the next meeting on November 21 to further discuss the proposals.

Thorsby Police Chief Rodney Barnett has proposed changing the policy regarding vacation time for city employees. Barnett suggested that city employees have the option to cash in vacation days before the end of the year. He said this would struggle to find coverage for employees who take time off days before the end of the year when they lose them. The Council decided to vote on the proposal until the next meeting.

Also, at the meeting, the board unanimously approved Brian Belk as a reserve officer for the Thorsby Police Department, and agreed to lease the fields to the Chilton Crushers softball program.