South Vinemont Mayor Radginal Dodson, on right, speaks to the South Vinemont Council during Tuesday night's meeting, with Councilwomen Shirley Arnett, in front, and Sonya Mabry.

VINEMONT — The South Vinemont Town Council discussed the possibility of new pavilions and a food pantry during Tuesday night’s meeting. 

Two pavilions, one located at the town community center and one located at the town’s sports complex, were on the meeting’s agenda, but the council made no decisions on either on Tuesday. 

Mayor Radginal Dodson said the town has a location planned for the pavilion at the community center — running south from the walking trail bathrooms — but the council still has to finalize its details before it can be built.

He said the plans for the pavilion will have a covered area of 24’ by 36’ and contain eight tables that are eight feet long, with an additional six feet of concrete stretching outside of the covered portion for people to place a grill if they want to cook. 

The estimated price of all of the materials and the construction of the pavilion is estimated at around $13,000 to $15,000, Dodson said. 

Dodson said the community center pavilion will not be available for rentals and will be first come, first served, but Councilwoman Sonya Mabry suggested the community center’s rental agreement to be changed to make sure people who rent the center aren’t under the impression that they are also renting the pavilion.

He said the location of the pavilion at the sports complex is still up in the air, and there are a few options that the town can consider. 

Public Works Director Mike Graves said he and the mayor have discussed putting a roof over the bleachers to provide a shaded area that could be used like a pavilion and would also provide protection from foul balls for spectators, but he has not gotten any price estimates for that. 

The council also discussed the location of a food pantry for town residents, and recent events have shown that the town’s residents are in need of one, Dodson said. 

“It’s been demonstrated over the last two or three weeks that really we need a food pantry in the city of Vinemont,” he said. “Because the demand is here.”

Dodson said he has spoken with someone who has visited some of the pantries around the county, and she told him that the town’s pantry would need to be in a shaded area to keep the food inside from getting too hot.

Councilwoman Shirley Arnett suggested putting the pantry between the town’s fire department and community storm shelter, as that area would have shade for most of the day, and said she could have a pantry built by the weekend so the council can make a decision later. 

The council did not take any action on any of the items that were discussed, but council members did vote to table the discussion of the community center pavilion until next month’s meeting to bring back any ideas that they have. 

The South Vinemont Town Council will next meet on June 9 at 6 p.m. in the South Vinemont Town Hall. 

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 238.