The Gardendale City Council on Monday named Joe Thomas as the fire chief, effective Dec. 17. Thomas is currently the captain of the fire department. Thomas will replace Clint Doss, who is retiring.
In other business, the council also approved a contract with JWA Ventures to begin developing the land between I-65 and Odum Road. The original developer of the project backed out. Mayor Stan Hogeland said this developer has been selected because of a track record of creating other developments in the state, like Taylor Road in Montgomery and the Galleria in Hoover.