Worries about new athletic fields proposed for Pinson Valley High School brought a number of residents of an adjacent subdivision to last week’s Pinson City Council meeting — even though the issue wasn’t planned for council action.

Several residents of the Innsbrooke subdivision spoke about their concerns over a new football practice field, softball diamond and possible practice field for soccer and marching band. The facilities would be built on land lying on either side of Innsbrooke Parkway at the subdivision entrance along Alabama 75, according to preliminary plans drawn by the Jefferson County Board of Education.

The fields are intended to alleviate a longstanding problem for Indians sports teams — the only field suitable for practice is also the one used for competition. Almost daily use of the field has caused the grass surface to deteriorate, with holes along the crown in the center of the field being filled by sand. At the least, the bumpy surface affects game play in soccer; at worst, it exposes players to foot and leg injuries.

JefCoEd plans to put a football practice field just north of the existing running track at Willie Adams Stadium, between the track and Innsbrooke Parkway. On the other side of the street, JefCoEd purchased seven acres from Anne Engesser for the softball field and soccer pitch, which would also be used as overflow parking during home football games.

Several residents had varying concerns, ranging from how the project would affect the aesthetics of the subdivision entrance, to traffic tie-ups during football games, to whether parked vehicles would leak dangerous fluids into a nearby creek and lake.

Two residents were concerned about whether there would be enough space left beside the football practice field to form a buffer between it and the sidewalk alone Innsbrooke Parkway. That prompted Councilman Robbie Roberts — himself an Innsbrooke resident — to lodge his own complaint.

“Somebody from the board of education needs to get out here and measure this practice field,” he said. “The buffer is supposed to be 17 feet.”

The plans are still in the preliminary stages, and JefCoEd has taken no action yet on construction.

In its regular agenda, the council passed an ordinance to once again rename Alabama 75 from Saturn Drive to Alabama 151 as Pinson Boulevard. The ordinance replaces one passed several weeks ago that had to be rescinded, because small parts of the road were actually in the Birmingham city limits.

The road is currently known variously as Alabama 75, Center Point Road or Center Point Parkway; some intersections have conflicting names on signs at opposite corners.