With unanimous council approval for a city building official and beautification committee, Red Bay Mayor Charlene Fancher said she is well on her way to seeing major goals for Red Bay accomplished.

“In our efforts to make progress in cleaning up our city, this is the first step,” said Fancher, as she proposed parks and recreation Director Dean Hubbard for the position of Building Official. Fancher said Hubbard has already shown himself to be a capable individual for the role having taken on tasks and repairs that will now officially be his with the appointment. He was approved by the council.

The building official is someone who will ensure the cleanliness and beautification of Red Bay, keeping an eye on things like the litter and weed situations. Hubbard will be aided by the newly-created Beautification Committee, which will make recommendations to the city council in regards to the enforcement of ordinances related to building demolitions; the carrying out of projects like streetscapes and city welcome signs; and control of litter on city streets and property.

“This has been an ongoing endeavor – beautification in our city,” Fancher said. “Red Bay has always taken pride in the beautification of our city, and all in all we have a very clean town … But it seems like maybe in the past few months we have gotten away from beautification.”

Fancher said she has personally noticed, and also had citizens pointing out to her, that “we have more litter than usual … We have areas all over town where there are buildings that need attention. We have old cars, junked cars in neighborhoods … So I’m going to be addressing that.”

Hubbard said he is eager to get the committee in place and begin redoubled focus on a pleasing aesthetic for Red Bay.

“I think it’s a need for the city … We have a lot of older residents and older buildings, and we want to make sure if there is anything the city can do to help them, to keep the city as beautiful as we can, that we offer that assistance,” Hubbard said. The Beautification Committee, he said, will do the “legwork” – “They will be the eyes and ears of it. The committee will make their recommendations, and then my part will be just addressing it.” Hubbard said he expects to target detractions such as falling fences and overgrown weeds. The purpose isn’t to target or penalize people, but to take any measures available to ensure a beautiful city everyone can be proud of, he added.

Fancher said with other committees already in place to support other city ordinances, adding a beautification committee was a natural fit.

The committee will have spots for five members, and Fancher said several citizens have already expressed their interest in being appointed.