VALLEY — The City of Valley is acting to expand one of its cemeteries.

At its Monday council meeting, a resolution was unanimously approved to clear-cut about seven acres of city-owned land adjacent to the Fairview Cemetery on River Road.

“We will sell the timber at market value,” Mayor Leonard Riley said. “Of the cemeteries we own, this will be the least expensive one to clear.”

The city owns cemeteries in the Shawmut, Langdale, Fairfax and River View communities, along with Fairview and the historic Bethlehem Church Cemetery. Most of them are landlocked with no room to expand. Fairview is the one exception. There is nearby land there owned by the city for expansion.

In other business, the council approved a resolution to enter into a contract with PPM Consultants, Inc. of Birmingham, to ensure the environmental cleanliness of the Fairfax Mill site. PPM will serve as a consultant in the assessment and cleanup of the site. PPM has successfully completed similar projects in Decatur, Mobile, Pensacola, Florida and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The council held the first reading of a resolution to amend the present zoning ordinance to permit exceptions in C-1 and C-2 zones. The amendment will allow people to continue living in houses that are in commercial zones along, or near, Highway 29 on 40th Street in Langdale. There are between 10 and 15 homes affected by this. Longtime residents who have lived in homes they own have been grandfathered in and have always been permitted to live in these zones.

The amendment would allow those who were not grandfathered in to live in these commercial zones near Highway 29, provided their request is approved by the Board of Adjustments.

The amendment could be approved following a second reading at the Dec. 17 meeting.

Valley Parks and Recreation Director Laurie Blount said the Christmas Merry Go Round had an excellent opening night on Friday and a good day on Sunday. The weather was good those two days. It rained all day Saturday, and that diminished the turnout.

“We hope for good weather the rest of the season,” she said.

On Saturday, a 5k race will take place on the CV Railway Trail at 9 a.m. Registration will be at the Community Center. Children and their parents are invited to the fun event of building gingerbread houses. There’s a small entry fee, and all the materials will be provided.

Public Works Director Patrick Bolt said that his department had recently been doing some prep work at City Park, where some new playground equipment will be installed. They’ve also been doing some preliminary work along the CV Trail. The city has received some grant money which will allow some resurfacing along the seven-mile trail. It will be the first major resurfacing to take place on the trail since it opened in 1996.