Arrows are tucked behind an archer during practice.

HANCEVILLE — Cullman’s Heritage Archery Club will soon have a new space for its young archers to practice when the weather drives the year-round sport indoors.

The Hanceville City Council approved Cullman Heritage’s Scholastic 3D Archery (S3DA) youth group to use the Ray Talley Building, which lies on the grounds of the Hanceville Civic Center, for the next year at the council’s regular meeting this week.

Present plans call for the group to practice on Thursday evenings at Hanceville as weather conditions dictate, although as interest in the still-growing sport increases locally, S3DA could add a second evening to the schedule, according to sponsor Joey Skinner.

Council member and educator Kim Brown said approving S3DA to use the facility was an easy decision, because of “the difference archery can make for kids of all abilities,” she said. “That building is also named after Ray Talley, a Hanceville coach who dedicated his life to making kids better people, which is what the purpose of this sport is.”

In other business at its regular meeting, the council:

• Approved a set of amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance. The amendments introduce a new ban on unattended donation collection boxes for clothing and other second-use items, clarify language concerning loft apartments above first-floor retail businesses, eliminate the floor space requirement for B-1 shopping areas, and forbid private burials in the city outside a designated cemetery.
• Approved a $600 asbestos inspection for a private residence at 301 Commercial Street SW, the first step in enacting the city’s derelict buildings demolition ordinance either to remediate the property at the owner’s expense, or require the property owner to do so.
• Appointed Faye Parker to fill a recently-vacated seat on the Hanceville Water and Sewer Board. Council member Charles Wilson, who also serves on the Water and Sewer Board, abstained from the vote.
• Approved payment of a $2,361.40 truck repair bill to Freightliner, Inc. for the Public Works Department.
• Approved payment of a $4,425 repair bill to Alabama Guard Rail, pending reimbursement to the city from the insured motorist who caused damage to the guard rail, which lies along Industrial Boulevard.
• Renewed an annual lease agreement with Charter Communications in which Charter will pay the city $207 per month for use of city property as an installation site for communications equipment.
• Re-appointed Carla Cain to a three-year term on the Hanceville Tree Commission.
• Discussed, but took no action on, a resident’s request to install speed bumps along a residential street in east Hanceville.