Southern Rapid Care of Orange Beach will soon have a new home. During the Oct. 19 regular city council meeting, the council voted unanimously in favor of selling the Orange Beach Medical Arts Building to Coastal 3 Holdings, LLC for $1.5 million.

Southern Rapid Care is currently in The Commons on Canal Road and according to Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon, access can be difficult due to traffic.

“Access to getting folks in and out with an ambulance is impaired significantly where they (Southern Rapid Care) are at. That is an issue. If someone steps in there and they need to be transported and we can’t get an ambulance there in a timely fashion, obviously none of us want to see that happen,” Kennon said.

The Orange Beach Medical Arts Building, which is located at 4223 Orange Beach Blvd., sits across Bonita Avenue from a piece of property recently acquired by the City of Orange Beach. During the council meeting the council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution authorizing the purchase of 25930 Bonita Avenue from Donald R. Lyons, Jr. and Starla Paul for $220,000. The property adjoins a parcel already owned by the city that is slated to hold a 11,000-square-foot medical office building owned by The South Baldwin Healthcare Authority, Inc. according to the Orange Beach Planning Commission. The property adds significant square footage to the city’s property allowing for greater drainage and parking.

According to Kennon, the medical office building will house an imaging center and physician’s offices across the street from the building Southern Rapid Care will move into. He said this will create a convenient medical complex for Orange Beach residents.

There could also be a traffic flow change coming to Bonita Avenue. Kennon said they are thinking about closing Bonita to through traffic and making it the entrance into the medical complex. There are three or four homes that would be affected but Kennon said those residents would use Snapper Circle to Oak Ridge.

“I hope everyone sees it as an additional asset for us and I really appreciate South Baldwin looking at the imaging center and working with Southern Rapid Care. I think it’s going to be a great combination,” Kennon Said.

City Hall Roof

Work will soon begin at Orange Beach City Hall. The roof has been covered with tarps since Hurricane Sally passed through the area. Then, a historic hailstorm hit the area April 10, 2021 raining four-inch hail stones across the island. According to the National Weather Service it was just the second time since 1950 that four-inch hail hit the area. Several city-owned properties were damaged.

The council voted unanimously to pass a resolution awarding the bid to Finishing Solutions, LLC. The plans include removing the three cupolas from the roof line and adding a silver standing seam metal roof. The project will cost $464,112.

The post office, fire administration and the finance buildings will also receive new roofs after city hall is complete. All city properties getting a new roof will receive a silver standing seam metal roof to update them to the city’s coastal standards. Kennon would also like to update the overall look of several buildings.

“While we are doing roofs, I am thinking about putting together and coming to you all to address all the buildings that are in the 1990s motif with browns and taupe and get everything looking beachy. We will do them one at a time,” Kennon said to the city council.

Executive Session

The council went into executive session to discuss pending litigation. The council voted unanimously to authorize the city attorney to take all actions deemed necessary to appeal the judgment rendered in the Boles vs City of Orange Beach case. The judgment against the city awarded $3.78 million to developer Ian Boles for lost rental income, lost holding costs and lost future profits.

During the regular council meeting, the council:

• Approved a special events retail liquor license application by Events Concessions, Inc. for event concessions for Kip Moore Concert to be held Nov. 13 at The Wharf.
• Passed a resolution awarding the bid for Backcountry Trail post Hurricane Sally repairs to Asphalt Services, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $170,977.70.
• Passed a resolution establishing rated for health and dental insurance for employees and repealing Resolution No. 17-157.
• Passed a resolution authorizing the purchase of stop-loss insurance for the City of Orange Beach, FY2022.
• Passed a resolution authorizing the execution of a medical services agreement and addendum for firefighter physical examinations with Southern Rapid Healthcare, Inc.
• Passed a resolution authorizing the execution of a service agreement with Cellular South, Inc., doing business as C Spire, to connect fiber to the Wildlife Center.
• Passed a resolution awarding officer Brock Palmer his duty weapon and badge as part of his retirement benefits.