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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer 

CHELSEA – The city of Chelsea approved an engineering agreement for a sidewalk and streetscapes at Chesser Drive and accepted a proclamation by the mayor declaring Arbor Week and Arbor Day for 2024, during a regularly scheduled city council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

During the mayor’s report, Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer delivered a proclamation to the Council declaring Feb. 18-24, 2024 as Arbor Week and Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 as Arbor Day.

“The economic, environmental and aesthetic welfare of Alabama is largely dependent on the trees and forest lands of the state,” Picklesimer said in his proclamation. “Everyone in the city of Chelsea benefits either directly or indirectly from trees and forest land. Trees provide jobs, products, wildlife habitat and recreational activities.”

During the meeting, the Council approved the appointment of Paula Davis as chairperson of the Tree Commission where she will also be leading the city’s Arbor Day functions for 2024.

The Chelsea City Council also a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with E-Footprints, LLC.

“That resolution and MOU will get us in the Innovate Alabama Program to see how we might use that Innovate Alabama grant money moving forward here in our city,” Picklesimer said.

The Chelsea City Council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement for professional engineering services for Fiscal Year 2024 TAAP Project.

“That was an engineering agreement that we approved that was necessary because the city was awarded an $800,000 grant for sidewalk and streetscapes along Chesser Drive,” City Councilmember Christopher Grace said. “(It’s) a big win for the city. Thanks to Keith Strickland in particular for helping us get that grant secured. That’ll be a long lead on that project but that is going to be a big enhancement to Chesser Drive and our commercial district over there.”

In other news, Chelsea is currently taking applications for education grants from administrators and teachers until Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The Chelsea City Council meetings for the month of January will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 2 and Tuesday, Jan. 16. The meetings begin at 6 p.m. with pre-council starting at 5 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both meetings.