The Huntsville City Council’s regular meeting Thursday night turned into a marathon session that lasted for nearly five hours, and one resolution that met with much debate was approved by the slimmest of margins.

Representatives for Huntsville, Scottsboro and Athens proposed to form the North Alabama Public Energy District, a cooperative district, which seeks to eventually build a natural gas pipeline to serve cities on the north side of the Tennessee River.

The measure passed 3-2.

The capital fund co-op’s target is supplying natural gas to the region. Huntsville Utilities CEO Wes Kelley will be one of three members on the initial Board of Directors, which may eventually reach double digits. Also on the board will be Jim Green Jr. of Scottsboro and Braxton Guinn of Athens.

While there’s an urgent need for natural gas in Jackson County, the project is just getting off the ground and the group said moving toward building a pipeline on the north side of the river could be months or longer away.

“I appreciate the continuing and growing partnership that we share both directly and regionally with the City of Huntsville and Madison County,’’ Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy said. “Scottsboro and Jackson County are literally at the end of the line with natural gas. Absolutely at the end of the line with natural gas. You can imagine in the wintertime when it gets really cold, you have to curtail industries with gas, and then you have to look at curtailing the hospital. And that has happened.’’

The district hopes to move swiftly in getting a new pipeline.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to continue the growth in North Alabama that (Huntsville) has anchored and that you continue to anchor and to continue to grow,’’ McCamy said. “We’re stymied. We’re at a standstill.’’

City Council members Bill Kling, Jennie Robinson and David Little were convinced the venture was worth advancing and voted yea, but John Meredith and Michelle Watkins were uneasy that no budget estimate was presented and had concerns regarding oversight and voted nay.

The co-op plans to have a presence in the counties of Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Jackson, Marshall and Dekalb. McCamy claimed legislative delegations across the region have bought into the project.

Said Kelley, “It’s a pleasure to be here with the council tonight to talk to you about an opportunity, a regional opportunity to look at our long term natural gas infrastructure for North Alabama. This is not specifically a Huntsville issue, it’s something that impacts everyone north of the river.’’

City acquires courthouse

In a building-land swap, Huntsville now owns the 90-year old U.S. Courthouse on Holmes Avenue. The City donated the land where the new federal courthouse sits in exchange for the historic site.

“The land was appraised above the value of the old federal courthouse, so this is a straight property swap,’’ City Administrator John Hamilton said. “There is no money involved.’’

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, so it’s protected in the amount of alterations that can be done for repurposing.

“I think this is a great preservation project,’’ Hamilton said. “Historic Huntsville is going to be involved in this as a consultant.’’

Carrier lawsuit settled

Hamilton said a legal battle with Carrier ended with the HVAC company paying for a faulty system at the aquatics area of the Richard Showers Center. He said the system had been troublesome for some time, and though the warranty eventually expired the City claimed the equipment was faulty and not properly constructed for an aquatic environment.

“I know a lot of times you have to approve settlements and we’re paying somebody else money,’’ Hamilton said. “In this case, they’re paying us $150,000.’’