Council approves city hall exhibit on male abuse survivors

by

After a presentation by one Homewood mother, the city council approved the temporary installation of an exhibit on male sexual abuse survivors at city hall in January.

Resident Billie Gray presented the council with information on the Bristlecone Project, which collects photos and biographies of men willing to share their sexual abuse experience and healing. The project is a campaign by 1in6, an organization serving men who have experienced sexual assault or abuse, in hopes of encouraging other men to share their stories and take steps toward healing themselves.

"We think it can reach out to anyone walking by," Gray said.

The project has special significance for Gray, whose son Jason Lee was abused by his Boy Scout troop leader as a child. He was one of many who reported abuse by that troop leader, but only one of three who filed charges.

Now an adult living in Atlanta, Lee is involved in advocacy for men's abuse survivors and has his own campaign called 30 is 30, which is dedicated to opposing parole for the troop leader so he serves his full 30-year prison sentence.

"He has become an advocate for all young men who are abused," Gray said of her son.

The Bristlecone Project display will be in the city hall lobby from Jan. 9 to Feb. 6 at no cost to the city.

Also at the Nov. 14 city council meeting, council members voted to drop an agenda item to turn Ardsley Place into a one-way street.

The issue had been brought up due to speeding issues on the narrow street, which has a lot of on-street parking. However, residents at the Nov. 14 public hearing mostly opposed the idea. They felt it would not impact speeding, as drivers would feel more confident without traffic from the opposite direction, and that a blind curve and on-street parking already made the road hazardous.

A few residents said they would be all right with Ardsley becoming one-way if traffic was directed eastbound, as most cut-through traffic from surrounding streets seems to move in the opposite direction. However, one homeowner said he would like to see a traffic study of how neighboring streets would be affected.

Ward 1 Representative Britt Thames, who initially proposed the idea, agreed that some of Ardsley's speeding and congestion issues come from drivers avoiding speedbumps and otherwise using Ardsley as a cut-through.

"Ardsley is feeling the brunt of some unintended consequences of some other changes," Thames said. 

He added that a larger Homewood traffic study was planned for 2017 that could show other possible solutions for Ardsley. The council voted to drop the issue in favor of waiting for this study. At the request of a resident at the meeting, they also planned to ask the fire department to test whether a fire engine can safely drive the street during peak times for on-street parking.

The council also:

  • Approved a use policy for the police department's two new license plate readers. The readers collect license plate data for all cars they encounter and cross-reference them with various criminal databases. The collected data will be stored for 30 days at the Homewood Police Department headquarters and will only be accessible to the two officers using the readers, their supervisor and Chief Tim Ross.
  • Approved a conciliation measure with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. City attorney Mike Kendrick said a resident made a disability claim due to standing water in the gutter in front of their home. The city found a broken pipeline and repaired it, but the official dismissal request is part of the HUD process. Kendrick added that the city will be required to report whether their pipeline fix was successful the next time it rains.
  • Authorized the mayor to sign contracts with ClasTran, Prescott House and the Homewood Chamber of Commerce for services in 2016-2017. ClasTran provides paratransit in the city and Prescott House is a children's advocacy group.
  • Approved the reimbursement of fence construction costs on Griffin Creek at 703 and 705 Broadway Street.
  • Set its December meetings for Dec. 12 and 19.
  • Declared two refuse trucks, a sewer truck, a Ford heavy-duty truck, a Giant Vac and a slag spreader as surplus to be sold at auction.
  • Set a Nov. 28 public hearing for a sign ordinance variance request for KANZI, located at 2819 Central Avenue.
  • Set a Dec. 12 public hearing to reconsider the home energy section of the International Building Code.
  • Set Dec. 19 public hearings for rezoning requests at: 2824 and 2826 Central Avenue, to rezone from Neighborhood Shopping District to Central Business District; 1718 27th Court South, to rezone from Neighborhood Shopping District to Central Business District; and 1630 28th Court South, to rezone from Attached Dwelling Unit District to Institutional District.
  • Set a Dec. 19 public hearing for a sign ordinance variance request at 2933 18th Street South and a fence ordinance variance request at 315 LaPrado Circle.