Despite pleas from residents to not increase the presence of drones that police use in crime fighting, the Huntsville City Council at its regular meeting Thursday passed a resolution that will add weekends to the coverage a local company supplies.

The move authorizes Mayor Tommy Battle to execute modification No. 1 to an agreement between the city and Skyfire AI, Incorporated, which is located off County Line Road in Madison, at a cost of $25,000 monthly.

The resolution passed with no objections among the four council members present. John Meredith, District 5 representative and council president, was absent. Jennie Robinson of District 3 and president pro tempore led the meeting.

“We are currently under contract with this group to manage our drones as a first responder program,’’ said City Attorney Trey Riley, speaking on behalf of Police Chief Kirk Giles. “Under the current contract, we pay for two employees, Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. They are FAA certified, they perform rooftop pilot in command and tower operator duties.

“The program has been very successful, and they’re requesting to add two more employees, HPD is, for two additional days of service, Saturday and Sunday during the same hours.’’

Some residents expressed concerns about the program during the first and second public comments portions of the meeting. A Huntsville resident named Jeff who identified as a member of the North Alabama division of Democratic Socialists of America, addressed the council before the item came up for a vote to not modify the current contract.

“We live in a surveillance state,’’ he said, adding that the drones can collect information “to track you in every aspect of your life.’’

However, Riley denied there was anything nefarious with the program.

“This is a first responder program, very helpful and successful when there is an event,’’ Riley said. “The drones are able to get into that scene before vehicles on the land can get there. And for instance, it makes an assessment early on as to the severity of injury, for instance, in an accident or, God forbid, there’s a gunfight or some type of situation to determine the exact situation where there are armed individuals who are still there.

“These are the types of services that are provided to help the first responders as they come to have a better idea of what they’re coming to, and if it’s determined that the emergency is not quite as emergent, they don’t have to tear through the city at a high rate of speed.’’

Pinhook Creek bridge

A resolution authorizing an agreement between the city and CSR Engineering, Inc., was passed for services to replace the Peter Fagan Railroad Bridge near Heart of Huntsville Drive to improve channel capacity at a cost of $321,000.

Shane Davis, the city’s urban and economic development director, said a main component of the improvement project that is funded by a federal park grant will be flood mitigation downtown.

“One of the major flood impediments downtown is the old existing railroad trestle bridge that’s kind of behind the Von Braun Center,’’ he said. “That project will replace that bridge.’’

Though the bridge is owned by the Huntsville-Madison County Rail Authority, Huntsville is required to provide funding for engineering and third party inspections. Part of the project will include widening Pinhook Creek and part of Spring Branch Creek as it crosses Governors Drive.

The final phase of the project will be 12 acres of linear park space that will include greenway trails, bike repair stations, benches and landscaping.

Tollgate Trail

A resolution passed to contract Grayson Carter & Son for improvements on the Monte Sano trail. The Tollgate Trail Improvements Project involves a partnership for the contract worth $1,760,000.

The Land Trust of North Alabama put up $500,000 and Huntsville Utilities the same amount. The asphalt bike trail is approximately 1.2 miles. The improvements on Monte Sano will include limited clearing, grading, drainage, asphalt paving, paving marker and traffic control.

“This is an exciting project,’’ said David Little, the council’s District 2 representative. “A few people have asked me, and I just want to clarify, they’re worried we’re gonna be up there clear cutting the mountain to build this. It’s actually along the old Tollgate roadbed. I walked it with one of the mountain residents, and other than probably just a few saplings and some stones it’s a pretty clear path.’’

Public hearing set

The Huntsville Planning Commission gave the green light for both commercial and residential construction on 572.48 acres of annexed land located north of Bob Wade Lane and bisected by Mt. Lebanon Road.

A public hearing on the commission’s plan for the tract will be held at the city council meeting Sept. 25.

As part of the city’s Northern Bypass construction, the possibility of a name change for Bob Wade Lane has raised concerns. Not to worry, Davis said.

“The road that is under construction is actually a state highway,’’ he said. “It’s an extension of State Route 255 that starts at I-565 and goes north through the northern part of our city. Two phases remain that will ultimately connect to the east side of our city at S. Highway 72, completing a northern loop.

“It will be operated, controlled and maintained by the Alabama Transportation Services and will be State Route 255. There’s been some confusion that we are widening Bob Wade Lane. We are not widening Bob Wade Lane. We’re not renaming Bob Wade Lane.’’

A public hearing will be held Sept. 25 regarding the naming of any road extensions of 255.

Signs of the times

Two electronic traffic alert signs above roadways are in place and more are forthcoming. Battle said that other cities “across the state are way ahead of us’’ and more signs will be added on Memorial Parkway and Highway 72.

The signs will alert drivers to congestion, wrecks or other possible dangerous conditions and, according to Battle, will “save lives in Huntsville.’’