Tension was apparent at the first meeting of the year of the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen as Ward 4 Alderman Shirley Estes shared a few terse words with the board attorney.

“I was not notified of this meeting and the minutes state that I was,” Estes said Tuesday.

Estes said she was absent from a Dec. 15 work session for medical reasons and was not notified of it. The board minutes show Estes was absent. “If a voicemail serves as a proper notice, I was not aware of that. I did not receive anything else as a notice,” she said.

Estes will not be running again for the Ward 4 seat, but she wants to make sure that the community knows that she has upheld her position as alderman.

“I do not want people thinking that I intentionally missed without giving a notice of absence, and some people already do,” she said.

Attorney Joe Fernald agreed to look through the proper absence procedures, but he assured the board that she was properly notified beforehand. If the voicemail does not serve as proper procedure, the notes will have to be revised before the minutes are officially approved.

Old Train Depot roof will be finished this month

Mayor Joe Cox told the board the Old Train Depot roof would be completed this month. E Cornell Malone Corp., the contractor for the project, expects the tile to be delivered by Friday.

If the weather permits, the work on the roof will begin again Monday. Work should be completed within two weeks.

Cox and Ryan Holmes from Dungan Engineering have been overseeing the project since late August. The depot renovation project began with replacement of fascia and soffits as needed. Tile replacement began approximately the middle of September, Cox said.

The old tiles have already been removed, and the contractor has finished the painting and all of the interior needs.

“I am pleased with the project as the depot is the heart and soul of the downtown area and it is our responsibility to maintain for future generations,” the mayor said.

The renovation of the Old Train Depot will be in addition to the new repaving and re-striping of all downtown streets. The bids for downtown renovations — which include one-way streets and additional parking — will be opened Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. at the city boardroom.

In other business:

• The minutes from the Dec. 19 public hearing and the alderman meeting on Dec. 20 were approved.

• The December 2016 weekly/salaried payrolls and transfer funds to cover general water/sewer operation and maintenance and solid waste were approved.

• The police department supplies budget donation from Wal-Mart was approved.

• The board approved the authorization of advertising proposals for engineers and administrators for 2017 CDBG projects.