Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInFORESTDALE, Ala. (WBRC) - First responders are on the scene at a Forestdale apartment complex Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies and Adamsville Police are gathered at 208 Crabapple Lane in Forestdale While WBRC photographers on the scene did see at least one person leave the scene via ambulance the cause of the response from law enforcement is not currently known This is a developing story and will be updated as more information comes available Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. General AlertABC 33/40   See MoreFalling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person a joint operation by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Jefferson County SWAT team resulted in a significant narcotics bust in the Forestdale area of Jefferson County which was the culmination of a narcotics investigation that began in Shelby County last year The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said it confiscated one pound of crack-cocaine an infant was found in close proximity to the narcotics and has since been relocated to a safe environment were arrested and charged with multiple offenses Cotchery and Collins face charges of drug trafficking unlawful possession of a controlled substance unlawful possession of marijuana in the second degree and receiving stolen property in the first degree and unlawful possession of marijuana in the second degree All three are being held on a $3 million bond A fourth individual present at the scene is pending charges as the investigation continues Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person (WBMA) — Jefferson County deputies were on scene at the Park at Forestdale apartments in Forestdale Monday morning ABC 33/40 crews saw deputies centralized on Crabapple Lane around 5:45am Monday morning Crime scene tape was up with a pile of clothes laying on the ground with blood The sheriff's office says one person died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices have both been arrested and face drug trafficking charges after the execution of two search warrants in the Forestdale area on November 7 The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says the search warrants were for a business located in the 1900 block of Veterans Memorial Drive and a home in the 800 block of Brandy Circle Both men are being held in the Jefferson County Jail Philmore Ware is charged with 2 counts of drug trafficking and has a $1,005,000 bond while Jakoby Ware is charged with drug trafficking and has a $1,000,000 bond If you have any information about this case you are asked to call Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInFORESTDALE, Ala. (WBRC) - A 41-year-old man and his 22-year-old nephew were arrested in Forestdale Nov 7 after two search warrants for a home and business in Forestdale Philmore Ware is charged with two counts of drug trafficking He is in the Jefferson County Jail with a $1,005,000 bond Jakoby Ware is charged also charged with two counts of drug trafficking Detectives with the Jefferson County Vice and Narcotics Division executed the search warrants in Forestdale The business was located in the 1900 block of Veterans Memorial Drive and the home was located in the 800 block of Brandy Circle Vehicles: 2004 Cadillac Deville and a 2015 Chevy Camaro is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777 Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here The Forestdale Fire District is on the scene of a house fire Friday morning The fire is in the 2200 block of Pershing Road People are asked to avoid the area between Foust Court and Crumley Chapel Elementary One person is dead after a house fire Tuesday morning The Jefferson County Coroner has identified the person as 54-year-old Kimberly Lynn Brownlow The coroner says the fire was at a house on Crumly Chapel Road The person's identity has not yet been released The site plan for the Village Green project in Forestdale This floor plan for the proposed Village Green project Developers for a Chapter 40B affordable housing project in Forestdale have finally submitted an application to the Zoning Board of Appeals and are ready to move the project into its next phase the Sandwich Green and Village Green developments will offer 144 rental units across six 3-story buildings at 76 Route 130 and 55 Pimlico Pond Road Construction will begin as early as June 1 Stinson have been working to develop the parcel of land for years now including a large amount of back taxes that needed to be paid The 173-page application states that 36 of the 144 units will be restricted as affordable and available to those making up to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) The remaining 108 units will be rented at market rate The housing units will be located on the 9.44-acre lot on Route 130 including a solar panel field with a storage battery facility will be located on the almost 24-acre lot on Pimlico Pond Road The majority of the units will be located in larger three-story buildings; however the project designs also include the construction of four townhouse buildings that will provide eight 3-bedroom units The larger apartment buildings will range in size from 12,896 square feet to 38,688 square feet and the townhomes will be 2,128 square feet Developers have indicated they plan to make the project as eco-friendly as possible “This rental complex will feature an all-electric coupled to an ancillary state-of-the-art renewable energy system with battery energy storage and water-efficient/clean water technologies,” Mr “The development will be fully resilient and will have the capability of disconnecting/islanding from the utility and be fully operational in the case of grid power loss.” Energy-efficient appliances will be installed as well as energy-efficient lighting and double-paned windows “The Village Green development will significantly reduce its carbon footprint while setting an example for other developments in the region By prioritizing clean energy and inspiring sustainability will lead to a more resilient and ecofriendly community fostering a greener future for Sandwich and Cape Cod,” the application said Not only will the final product be environmentally conscious construction will have a limited impact on the site Developers have contracted with robotic construction firms to pre-build elements off-site and be jig-sawed together on location when ready This process will hopefully “speed construction and create less disruption to the surrounding environment.” Developers said they used the town’s comprehensive plan as a guideline when developing their proposal The plan outlines the town’s various goals and needs for housing and economic development community growth and the preservation of its natural resources and historic character The complex will include an outdoor kitchen and garden area a total of 266 parking spaces and 54 electric vehicle charging stations the project would add to Sandwich’s affordable housing stock While some new homes have been constructed in the years since the town’s housing stock has not increased significantly Only about 4 percent of the housing stock is considered affordable by the state Stinson are applying for a waiver that would exempt them from needing to go before any other board or committee for approval the developers would not need approval from the conservation commission or any other board in order to move forward with the project Other waivers being sought include a request to waive Section 4610 of the town’s zoning bylaws which prohibits the construction of multi-family developments on scenic roads which require special permits for wastewater treatment A public hearing to review the application will be held by the board of appeals on July 9 Here are Sandwich's 10 most-read stories of the year on capenews.net Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist A look back at what was making headlines years ago An e-newsletter with Bourne news sent each Wednesday Receive notices of breaking news for the Upper Cape An e-newsletter with Falmouth news sent each Tuesday A Monday morning e-newsletter with stories that readers might have overlooked in Friday's editions and a roundup of the stories that attracted the most attention on the Enterprise's website during the past week An e-newsletter with Mashpee news sent each Wednesday An e-newsletter with Sandwich news sent each Wednesday An e-newsletter sent on Thursdays highlighting local entertainment for the coming week A good news e-newsletter delivered every Saturday morning.   A Friday e-newsletter with headlines from all four Upper Cape towns Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account An Emergency Alert has been issued to Greenbank and Forestdale from the LOGAN CITY COUNCIL as at 1.20am on March 10 A MAJOR FLOOD of Upper Oxley Creek is happening now Council advises dangerous flooding is occurring in the area and Forestdale residents it's too dangerous to leave now If you are near flood waters get up as high as you can where you are For assistance with a life-threatening situation phone Triple Zero (000) immediately For assistance with non-life-threatening situations - such as help with a damaged roof or storm damage - phone SES on 132 500 Keep up to date with the latest weather advice at Queensland Warnings Summary (bom.gov.au) Zephyn takes in a view of the Pacific Ocean Zephyn and Eric Johnson at Yellowstone National Park The Johnsons' bikes outside the Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming Eric and Zephyn Johnson of Forestdale spent the last 3½ weeks traveling across the country and back by motorcycle The father-and-son duo geared up their bikes to start a nationwide journey in the tail end of June before 18-year-old Zephyn heads off to Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the fall The pair said they traveled 9,000 miles and visited 25 states during the trip with the Golden Gate Bridge being their end goal They even ventured up to Canada to visit Niagara Falls including the Redwood National State Parks in California Badlands National Park in South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park Eric’s highlights of the trip include seeing hundreds of bison at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming visiting Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and who had not been to the destinations prior to the trip “Seeing the diversity of our country was pretty cool,” Eric said Zephyn came up with the idea of the trip after convincing his parents to allow him to purchase a 1985 Honda Goldwing motorcycle Zephyn said he always had an interest in restoring motorized bikes and worked on minibikes and dirt bikes growing up Zephyn said he enjoyed visiting states he had never seen before even the at-times boring “cornfield states” of Iowa and Kansas Zephyn said one of the highlights of the trip was seeing Crater Lake National Park “I just didn’t know what to expect,” he said noting that he decided not to look up any pictures beforehand The pair opted to stay at campsites for the majority of the trip staying in hotels only if the weather was particularly bad Eric and Zephyn’s advice to those who want to embark on a cross-country trip: don’t have a strict itinerary “You don’t know what you might want to see last minute,” Eric said (WDEF) —  Chattanooga Police (CPD) have made an arrest in connection to a homicide on Forest Dale Lane in Hixson CPD responded to the 900 block of Forest Dale Lane at 9:43 a.m officers discovered a 20 year old male with life-threatening injuries Hamilton County EMS responded to the scene and took the victim to a local hospital CPD’s Homicide Unit also responded to conduct an investigation Preliminary information revealed the victim and suspect were in an argument The suspect then retrieved a firearm and shot the victim A CPD Homicide Detective obtained arrest warrants from Alaina Stallings Stalling was arrested and taken to the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center on charges of 2nd degree murder A Forestdale man is in custody after authorities say he shot his wife and abducted his three-year-old son The sheriff's office says 49-year-old Willie Edward McClain has been taken into custody without incident deputies were called to the 100 block of Dewberry Lane in Forestdale to investigate a shooting deputies found that a 31-year-old woman had walked to a fire station looking for treatment of an apparent gunshot wound She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries Deputies also found the woman had been shot by her husband and that he had abducted their three-year-old son An Amber Alert was issued and McClain was located a little later the sheriff's office said McClain was out on bond from the Jefferson County Jail Detectives obtained warrants for Attempted Murder under a $60,000.00 bond and Interference with Custody A large water main break in Pratt City was affecting people in Northwest Jefferson County according to the Birmingham Water Works (BWW) A release says an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people in Forestdale and surrounding areas were without water while the break was being repaired BWW announced Friday afternoon that a mandated a boil water alert is in place for all customers who were impacted by the main break customers to boil water prior to consumption Water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least three minutes BWW announced it completed repairs on the main break The company said it will begin flushing the system and start the process of restoring water to customers around 11:00 p.m The restoration process could carry over into the early hours of Saturday morning BWW said the boil water alert will remain in place for at least another 72 hours while the distribution system is tested The repair is expected to take most of the day Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInFORESTDALE (WBRC) - The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) finds itself in the midst of a heated debate as it seeks to build a vehicle maintenance facility in the Forestdale community including the Forestdale Community Development Association voiced their concerns and met with the BJCTA at the Pratt City Public Library on Thursday to seek clarity and express their reservations The proposal to construct a vehicle maintenance facility has stirred up strong reactions with some community members deeming it “unsuited” for the area The meeting was to provide more information about the project and address the community’s apprehensions Representatives from four Forestdale Neighborhood Associations Residents from the Minor Community and Crumley Chapel neighborhoods were also present Key concerns raised by residents and community leaders include: expressing optimism that the community would welcome the facility once they gained a better understanding of its intentions “People want to make sure you’re not bringing broken down buses You’re not bringing crime to their community We just want to ensure that is not the case here,” said Peak-Finney According to information available on the BJCTA website the maintenance department currently oversees a fleet of 110 vehicles This proposed facility is part of BJCTA’s efforts to improve its services and operations It’s important to note that this meeting was just the initial round of public involvement sessions More meetings are slated to take place before a final design for the facility is approved The BJCTA appears committed to addressing community concerns and engaging with residents as the project develops As the discussions surrounding the vehicle maintenance facility continue the Forestdale community and BJCTA will need to find common ground to ensure the project aligns with the community’s vision and addresses the concerns raised by residents Balancing the need for improved public transportation services with the preservation of community integrity and safety will be a challenging task for all involved parties Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here (WBRC) - A 19-year-old and a 13-year-old boy were found shot to death in a crashed vehicle outside an apartment complex in Forestdale Monday evening according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has identified the 13-year-old boy as Johnathan Keith Cottingham of Forestdale and the 19-year-old as Louis Craig IV of Birmingham Joni Money confirms deputies were called to the apartment complex in the 200 block of Chickasaw Drive in Forestdale Monday evening was reported to have also been inside the vehicle He was able to escape unharmed and ran to a nearby home for help Cottingham was a 6th grade student at Minor Middle School Superintendent of Jefferson County Schools The JEFCOED Family is mourning the loss of Minor Middle School student Johnathan Cottingham and it is heartbreaking to lose someone so young to an act of violence and his teachers are all in my prayers today I also pray the person responsible will be brought to justice quickly The JEFCOED Cares team has been on campus all day assisting students and faculty Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here. Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person, another injured FORESTDALE, Ala. (WBMA) — Two people are dead, including a teenage boy, after a shooting at a Forestdale apartment complex Monday night. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened on Chickasaw Drive. The sheriff's office says a 19-year-old and a 13-year-old were found dead inside a crashed vehicle. The Jefferson County Coroner has identified them as 13-year-old Johnathan Keith Cottingham and 19-year-old Louis Craig IV. "Just to hear they are teenagers, kids, ain't even live half their lives yet. completely sad. I'm speechless about it," said Joel Doniel, who lives in the apartment complex. Doniel said he was home, sitting in the front room of his apartment with his wife, when the sound of gunfire rang out. "You don't want to come home to a good day and you're sitting in your front room and you get shot by a stray bullet," said Doniel. "That's one of the reasons I sit in the house, my wife sits in the house, my kids don't live with me and they sit in the house, because you can't go outside. No telling who is beefing with who and you're just going to the store." The apartment complex is next to True Life Baptist Church. Pastor Steve Small reacted to the tragedy. "It's sad regardless to who they are, and where, what race, doesn't matter. It's sad. It's unfortunate. It's happening all over this country," said Small. "Sadly it happened here, but who's next and where will be next?" Small said the church will continue trying to reach families in the community. "I'm very disturbed by it and we will intensify what we're doing," said Small. A third teenager was reported to have also been in the car, but was able to get away unharmed. The shooting is under investigation. It is currently believed the teens were targeted. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the victims were friends and believes they knew the shooter. Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin released the following statement: “The JEFCOED Family is mourning the loss of Minor Middle School student Johnathan Cottingham. He had his whole life ahead of him, and it is heartbreaking to lose someone so young to an act of violence. His family, his friends, and his teachers are all in my prayers today. I also pray the person responsible will be brought to justice quickly. The JEFCOED Cares team has been on campus all day assisting students and faculty.” A new free and low-cost grocery store has opened in Birmingham aimed at tackling food insecurity in an area known as a 'food-desert.' Located in Forestdale's Daniel-Payne Community Plaza the store is the first of its kind for the city of Birmingham "I read about it last night on my phone and I was determined to get up and come see how it was and it's great," said "LJ," a member of the community who left happy with her bag of free groceries The store is meant to serve as a community resource located in an area where there is no grocery store within a few miles The store provides those in the area with food staples "Everybody deserves fresh food regardless of their income or their zip code," said 'Goodr' founder and CEO things aren't just left-behind." Birmingham has a food insecurity rate of 21.3% This ranks Birmingham 12th highest among the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country District 1 Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales is hopeful this will lead to bigger developments in Forestdale "When we think about these surrounding municipalities For the most part you're talking about convivence stores," said Scales The project was partially funded by the Jefferson county commission Scales says this grocery store is almost serving as a 'pilot' store This will now allow her to pitch the need for an "anchor" grocery store in the area The store also falls into Birmingham City Councilwoman LaTonya Tate's district Tate says; "This new grocery store – Goodr -- and their secondary services will be a lifeline for countless families struggling with food insecurity in our area." Tate adds that her office allocated $50,000 dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act to help the Daniel Payne Legacy Village Foundation expand their services by opening a café that will offer healthy foods such as salads Tate continued saying; "I'm proud to partner with this incredible organization in this important endeavor I’d like to thank the Administration and the Jefferson County Commission for their generous contribution to this cause I’m committed to working with our partners at the state and federal level to secure additional funding to ensure the sustainability of this initiative for years to come." The hours of operation for the store will be the same as the hours for the Daniel-Payne Plaza That's Monday through Thursday 10 a.m The Forestdale School held its annual Turkey Trot on Wednesday morning beginning with a "balloon parade" these balloons were actually paper cutouts of cartoon characters held aloft on the end of yardsticks The second grade class kicked off the annual Turkey Trot at the Forestdale School on Wednesday morning The event started with a balloon parade where the school's second graders marched in front of the school carrying "balloons" they had made in class representing classic Macy's Thanksgiving Parade characters like Spongebob Squarepants Leading the parade with banner in hand are Forestdale second graders Barrett Chatigny and Zachary Comstock carry their float during the Balloons Over Forestdale Thanksgiving Parade Autumn Hauge and Everly Hill carry their balloons during the Balloons Over Forestdale Thanksgiving parade Forestdale second grader Brooke Morgan carries a Snoopy balloon during the Balloons Over Forestdale Thanksgiving parade Forestdale second grader Lucas Adam carries a Spongebob Squarepants balloon during the Balloons Over Forestdale Thanksgiving parade Physical education teacher Wayne MacDonald dressed appropriately for the event donning a turkey costume to celebrate the annual run around the school The Forestdale School held its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot Forestdale School 1st graders dash from the start line in front of the school building in this year’s running of the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot The festivities began Wednesday with a “balloon parade,” but unlike the Macy’s event second grader Chase Johnson gets a high five from physical education teacher Wayne MacDonald Second graders Kendrock Lucier and Matilda Taylor cross the finish line together and get high fives from Physical Education teacher Wayne MacDonald Matilda was the first girl to cross the finish line with her daughter Summer had to get a photo with Physical Education teacher Wayne MacDonald in his turkey suit A deck at the Park at Forestdale Apartments collapsed Sunday night around 10pm Neighbors say two teens were injured when the structure gave out Mikayla Mawuli lives next door to the apartment and was present when the incident occurred She says her neighbors son and daughter walked up the steps and onto the wooden deck to get into their apartment when suddenly the deck collapsed from underneath them SEE ALSO:Railway dangers and why you should avoid walking on the tracks “My neighbors daughter was actually trapped under cement underneath the porch from it collapsing on to her,” said Mawuli two broken ankles and she is in a trauma center recovering right now.” People living in the community say numerous complaints have been filed with the apartment complex about the stability of the deck in months prior The two teenagers mother also filed numerous complaints “She has been complaining for over a year about the condition of the stairs She’s sent in text messages and photos and have asked them to come and replace the stairs because they shake when we walk on them they just don’t feel stable," said Mawuli "If you were to walk on those stairs you would feel like you were going to fall." Birmingham Home Inspections owner Mark Branson says a collapse like this could have happened due to a ledger board not being properly attached "When you have a situation where somebody falls through a deck a lot of times that’s because the joints were ether undersized or they were spaced too far apart,” Branson A representatives with the Jefferson County Code Enforcement says structures like these are only inspected by their organization at the time of construction All other inspections are to be completed by the apartment's management ABC 33/40 reached out to the owners of the property Arbour Valley Management Representatives say the company has no comment at this time This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our WAMU Privacy Notice This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again One of the foremost landfill fire experts in the world calls the dumpsite fire in Forestdale in Jefferson County “a ticking time bomb.” Smoke rises from an unauthorized dumpsite on Timber Ridge Drive in Forestdale RELATED:Forestdale dump fire burning for months is impacting resident's health The Alabama Department of Environmental Management said the dumpsite contains construction and demolition waste “Having to leave home where I’m still paying the bills It’s very upsetting,” said Arthur Tigner who’s lived in the neighborhood for years He and his wife moved to an apartment last week the chairman and chief engineer of Sperling Hansen Associates in North Vancouver His firm has put out 35 landfill fires globally He took a look at the video in our stories He said the dumpsite needs to be graded and covered with about 200 truckloads of dirt RELATED:Several residents move out as Forestdale dumpsite fire burns since May 29th the heat just keeps building up to a point where all of a sudden you’re going to get a big collapse and you’re going to get an inferno,” Sperling said Sperling said that puts the lives of the work crews at risk it becomes really dangerous for the people working on the site even more so I would say this thing is a bit of a ticking time bomb,” Sperling said And Sperling said the fire that could follow could spread to nearby homes The Jefferson County Health Department filed a lawsuit asking the court to order the dumpsite owner to put out the fire Sperling said the rocks and bricks could create air pathways that could allow the fire to continue to burn Director of Planning and Economic Development Ralph Vitacco had to step in and silence the crowd after neighbors began shouting at each other and ignoring the board Speranza said he did not want to have to build a seven or eight foot tall fence just so he would not have to see his neighbors ‘ugly’ chain link fence Building Commissioner Brendan Brides said he was in charge of the building department but the Sandwich Zoning Board of Appeals learned this week that one precariously placed fence can cause a rivalry amongst neighbors and a kerfuffle at a board meeting Rilkoff and Katelyn Mellen purchased their home at 14 Bourne Hay Road they were excited to create a space where their children the couple began clearing land in their backyard and installed a fence that stood about 6 feet tall The neighbor living directly behind the couple at 11 Sedgewick Lane looked out her window and said she was going to have to sell her home there is no privacy for our yard anymore.” said their neighbors’ unsightly “industrial prison-style” fence destroyed the peace of their backyard they turned to the building commissioner with their concerns They said the fence was not consistent with the neighborhood’s character was too tall and would diminish his property’s value They also said the homeowners cut too much vegetation failed to leave at least 30 percent of the lot vegetation and failed to apply for a special permit for a fence taller than 6 feet Building Commissioner Brendan Brides said that many of Mr Prendergast’s concerns were not enforceable by the building department “The only way that we would ever be able to keep track of something like this (the vegetation coverage on a lawn and the design of fences installed) would be if it was a new house and there was a building permit in place,” Mr the building department would become the landscaping department.” Brides said he could take action on was the height of the fence The height limit for fences in Sandwich is 6 feet Brides said this difference was insignificant and that it is nearly impossible for a fence to be exactly 6 feet tall all the way across Brides said he spoke to the homeowners on Bourne Hay Road who plan to plant grass and other plants and shrubbery during the spring He added that the couple was willing to lower the height of the fence and would bring in loam to grade the yard and reduce the overall height “It might not be an Architectural Digest-type yard Brides added that he lives there as well and has counted up to 12 other homes in the area with chain-link fences Prendergast stated that the zoning bylaw was a living document and meant to conserve and protect the homes he believes the building department and the fence installed by his neighbors were diminishing the value of his property 11 Sedgewick Lane was valued by Sandwich assessors at $620,500; in 2024 that number increased by 4.42 percent to $647,900 Prendergast added that a small section of the fence was a few inches over the property In order to fill the area with loam to reduce the height his neighbors would have to further encroach on his property Killion said the encroachment was a civil matter and he would have to address that with his neighbor on his own Displeased with the building commissioner’s decision the Prendergasts turned to the board to review and hopefully overturn the decision on the fence Mellen and other neighbors all clamored for a chance to share their thoughts on the matter Rilkoff said he actually had a casual conversation with Mr Prendergast before work began to inform him of what they planned and that the plans had to be adjusted and delayed when a surveyor found that the neighbor on the other side had accidentally built a fence on their land That fence had to be moved before they could begin work Work to plant vegetation and fill the yard with loam is scheduled to occur this spring Mellen added the Prendergasts had been harassing her family since they moved in “I don’t know if it’s our issue to make them happy or if we need to follow their timeline,” Ms McGinty both spoke on behalf of the Prendergasts and expressed concerns with the height of the fence neighbors quickly turned from addressing the board to addressing director of planning and economic development rose and authoritatively reminded everyone to be quiet respectful and address their comments to the board or they would be asked to leave The board as a whole seemed to concur with Mr Brides’ decision on the fence and said that Mr Prendergast’s concerns were not within the board’s jurisdiction The board does not exist to tell people what they can or cannot do with their property Board members added that if the neighbors were unhappy with the sight of the fence To which the neighbors replied that they would need a special permit in order to put up a fence tall enough to hide it “Everyone wants to enjoy their property in their own way If it includes taking trees down to make a play area for their children but it’s their right to do so,” said chairman Killion Lengthy public comments led to the board’s running out of time to deliberate and vote on the matter The board plans to discuss the matter further at their next meeting scheduled for April 9 Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism A fire burning underground in the Forestdale area for six weeks is sending noxious smoke into the neighborhood and forcing people to leave their homes Jefferson County is sending in employees to assess the fire and help determine a solution to put it out The fire at 532 Timber Ridge Drive started on May 30 and has covered the surrounding area with smoke forcing people near the fire to seek living arrangements away from their homes Jefferson County Director of Environmental Health Services Jonathan Stanton said that is just one of the complications that has made the fire a serious hazard The property was a private and illegal dump and there is uncertainty about what is burning in the fire notified the rest of the commission about the fire during a meeting last week She said her office had been working on resolving the problem since Forestdale Fire Chief Ty Gober told her about it at the end of May which is the reason I brought it to the attention of the commission today is the fact of the enormacy of what we have going on,” Scales said Gober could not be reached for further comment Commissioners agreed to have two county employees go to the property and assess the fire will examine the site with deputy county manager Cal Markert They will provide an estimate to the commission about how much getting rid of the fire will cost “The county government can’t just go out on private property and use taxpayer money until there’s declared a public hazard,” he said “Obviously we believe this is a public hazard but we’ve got to work through the legal issues.” A main legal issue is that there is uncertainty about whose responsibility it is to put the fire out Markert said that it could be the job of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Alabama Department of Environmental Management It could also fall to the county to resolve the issue and to remove the fire While the county tries to figure out how to exactly do that the commissioners directed county attorney Theodore Lawson to pursue legal options and find out who is responsible for the fire Scales said the county needs to work through the situation thoroughly to find a solution that gets rid of the fire in a safe way She paid for a robo-call that went out to residents assuring them that the county would do everything possible to get rid of the danger She also said it is important that her constituents get a solution soon This story has been corrected to reflect that the land where the fire is burning had been an 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