The Greenville City Council completed a short agenda at its regular meeting this past Monday, Nov. 14.

With Thanksgiving holidays right around the corner, city offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24 and 25. Garbage pickup for Thursday, Nov. 24, will be run on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Garbage pickup for Friday, Nov. 25, will be run on Monday, Nov. 28.

After approving the minutes for the Oct. 24 meeting, the council voted to authorize the city to apply for a 2006 FAA Airport Improvement grant through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Aeronautics Bureau. The grant will be for $575,700, with a local match of only $14,393. Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon said that this grant would be used for new construction, such as hangars and taxi lanes.

Rusty Edwards, Greenville Sanitation Department supervisor, had asked the council to accept bids for a new loader/trailer combination for a debris collection truck, which it did approve.

Also, the council approved to pay $49,447.42 to Southland International Trucks for a 2006 International 4300 truck chassis for the sanitation's knuckle-boom debris collection truck.

Greenville horticulturalist Jennifer Stringer asked the council for authorization to apply for a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry &#8220Hurricane Ivan” Financial Assistance Program grant for urban tree assessment and remediation.

&#8220We lost approximately 542 trees during Ivan, with about 342 of those from public property and the other 200 on private properties,” Stringer said. &#8220Not only do we need to replace the trees we lost, but we also want to make sure that the remaining trees around Sherling Lake's walking trail and at Beeland and Dunbar parks are safe for people to walk under.”

When it came to the placement of the new trees, City Councilmember Tommy Ryan expressed concern about the visibility and safety around the tennis courts at the Boys and Girls Club, or the old Beeland Park.

&#8220Safety definitely needs to be a top issue,” McLendon said.

Stringer said that it would be a priority.

She also said that Auburn University would be responsible for all of the bid processes, and the entire program would cost the city nothing except the time invested into it.

In other business, the council voted to pay $2,410.20 to Southern Generators, which is the additional cost due to increased specifications for the EOC generator that received approval during the Oct. 24 council meeting.

Fleet Pride will receive $1,054.46 for the brake job completed on sanitation truck number 68.

$1,083.96 will be paid to APAC for public works street patching.

The mayor announced that the Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade would begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, and Thursday, Dec. 8 has been designated as the Holiday Shopping Night for Downtown Greenville.

Also, there will be a Baptist Hill CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Information and Application meeting on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Butler County Board of Education Central Office. All Baptist Hill residents interested in determining if they qualify should attend.

The next regular city council meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28.

An Ambulance Franchise Renewal Public Hearing will precede the council meeting at 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 28.