In a specially called town council meeting Thursday, the Magnolia Springs Town Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance which will annex the Family Dollar property on U.S. 98 into the town.

The council’s decision was supposed to follow a public hearing about the proposed annexation, but no one attended the public meeting to voice his or her opinions.

After the ordinance passed, Houser said, “Well, we’re bigger.”

Magnolia Springs Mayor Charles Houser had recently spoke to someone in charge of the property, which has encountered funding issues. According to Houser’s contract there is paperwork currently in process with ALDOT to complete construction of the driveway and parking lot. As soon as approval is granted and the work is done, the building can be turned over to Family Dollar.

The building is supposed to be turned over to Family Dollar on Friday. Once the building has been turned over, Family Dollar will have the store up and running within 13 days.

Council members hope the store is able to open by Nov. 18 or 19, which would allow the store to be open for Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas.

“It would be great,” said Houser.

Magnolia Springs was also recently given an ISO rating of 3. Magnolia Springs had previously been rated 6. For ISO ratings, the lower the number the better prepared to handle a fire the town has been assessed.

The council is unsure what the lower rating will mean as far as costs go for the town or residents, but Houser said he is pleased with the improved rating.

“That is better than going from a six to a seven,” said Houser.

In other council news:

The council authorized the mayor to enter into a contractual agreement, which will allow the Magnolia Springs library to begin the first steps of becoming a library. The library is still in its planning stages. The agreement requires that the town allocate $850 towards the library.

The council is also finalizing a new grant proposal to resubmit for compensation for damages caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The town had originally asked for $200,000, which is a small amount compared to neighboring cities like Orange Beach and Gulf Shores which received millions.

The council previously approved a new city park. Construction began on the park this week and the council hopes the park will be open this weekend in conjunction with market days in Magnolia Springs.

The council also announced plans to begin paving some roads in the near future. Rose, School and Holly streets will all be paved this fiscal year with money that has been budgeted for road repair.

The mayor also asked that discussions resume to possibly put a weight restriction on the large bridge on Magnolia Springs Highway. The bridge is currently one of the most stable bridges in Baldwin County and the council hopes to be able to keep it that way. The council would like to see a weight limit put on the bridge, but there are many other factors that have to be considered first. Placing a weight limit on the bridge could create a detour, which would have to get approval from ALDOT and the Baldwin County Highway Department.

Council members also expressed concern that fire trucks, especially when loaded with water, can weigh as much, if not more, that tractor trailers.

The Magnolia Springs historical preservation society is in the process of duplicating some videos which have interviews from many former Magnolia Springs residents who have since died. The society is also in the process of collecting new stories.

The council closed the meeting to hold a private executive session following the town council meeting in order to discuss legal issues.