By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A portion of one of Alabaster’s busiest roads may be named in memory of a man who had a lengthy history of giving back to the city and helping those in need.

During a June 27 meeting, the Alabaster City Council voted unanimously to support naming U.S. 31 between Alabama 119 and the Alabaster-Pelham line as the “Bob Green Memorial Parkway.”

As a result of the council’s vote, the Shelby County legislative delegation will propose a bill allowing the change during its next session, said Green’s longtime friend Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley.

“If a special session is called, they could do it there. If not, it would go to the regular session in February (2017),” Handley told Alabaster Council members.

Green, the longtime owner of Bob Green’s Alabaster Optical on U.S. 31 in Alabaster, died on March 24 after 65 years of giving back to the community he loved. In January 2015, the city of Alabaster surprised Green by presenting him with a key to the city and a proclamation honoring his longtime involvement in the community during a standing-room-only City Council meeting.

During his life, Green regularly showed support to the Alabaster Police Department, sponsored local youth sports teams and inspired civic leadership to generations of Alabaster’s children.

“The thing we are most interested in is honoring Bob’s memory,” Handley said. “He was such a big part of this community for such a long time.”

If the Legislature approves the matter, it would allow signs to be installed along the stretch of U.S. 31 denoting it as the Bob Green Memorial Parkway. The designation would not affect current mailing addresses.

“He was a very special person in our community, and we wanted to do something honoring all the things he did for our city,” said Ward 3 Councilwoman Stacy Rakestraw.