The Auburn City Council recognized several members of the community at the Tuesday night meeting.
From an employee of the month, to an exceptional park ranger, to teachers of the year, Mayor Bill Ham handed and dedicated multiple awards.
"We thank all of you for your positive attitudes and wonderful service to our community," Ham said.
Dianne Ballentine is the Electronic Services Librarian, and has been since 1998. Beginning in February 2014, she worked with the staff of the Tuskegee Veterans Rehabilitation program. Ballentine has helped over 40 veterans learn to send emails, search for jobs and type resumes during her special classes. She has helped 25 veterans find jobs so far.
"One day I called the staff in Tuskegee and asked why some of my regulars weren't coming by anymore and they told me that they were all finding jobs," Ballentine said. "It's a pleasure to be here today."
She also leads Technology Thursday classes for seniors in the area who want to learn how to use computers and further their technology knowledge.
Park Ranger O'Dell Banks was also recognized for his exceptional work with Chewacla State Park and by those involved in the bicycle community of Auburn.
"All of the volunteers who help work on the bike trails at Chewacla are so organized," Banks said. "They should be the ones standing here today."
Willam Earl Tolver, a resident of North Auburn, came before the council during Citizens Communication. He voiced concerns about a rental property he owns at 423 Sanders Street in Auburn.
"Over the last six months, we have experienced flooding in the home basement," he said. "We have taken several measures to solve the problem of flooding."
Tolver said the flooding originated from the Breckinridge subdivision nearby, citing their faulty retention pond as the source of the excess water.
Mayor Ham helped schedule an appointment with the City Manager to help solve the problem, which affects three other houses in the neighborhood.
Councilman Arthur Dowdell asked for printed pictures of the damage to help understand the flooding problem.
"This is not the first time we have heard about this problem in this area," Dowdell said. "Maybe we can find a way to help the retention pond work more effectively."
In other news:
The Council approved a payment of $2,092,989 for a resurfacing and subdivision project by D&J Enterprises
The Council honored several teachers for the annual Teacher of the Year awards.
The Council authorized the 2013 Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Annual Reports to be sent to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
The Council approved alcoholic beverage licenses for multiple restaurants, including El Gallo, Habaneros Mexican Grill and Legends Sports Cafe.
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