New Year's Reflections: Mayor's Minute

Dear friends and neighbors,

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. I’m an optimist! December has passed, once again marking the end of the physical year, and it has been another great year for our city because of the continued excitement by our residents and business owners.

This year alone we have completed Patriot Park in West Homewood, investing more than $400,000 in the area that is paid in full. We have built numerous new sidewalks within our city and plan to continue adding more in the very near future. The Sidewalk Project has gained almost unanimous consent from you, our neighbors, and remains one of the most popular projects we have started. In the very near future, we will begin removing the old Recreation Center at Central Park and will begin construction on the new facility. The community has overwhelmingly supported this project, and it will certainly add to our city’s character and charm once completed.

In December I met with Target officials, and they have informed me they will open for business on Sunday, March 10 after hiring over 200 employees in January. For those interested, I am told the Hiring Event will be January 17-18. This will be a tremendous boost for our city and give another option for those of you who do not particularly enjoy the drive down Highway 280.

When our city was formed by the legislature on February 11, 1927, I wonder if the residents and city leaders ever envisioned Homewood as it currently exists? In Sheryl Summe’s book, Homewood: The Life of a City, she talks about how the town council of Edgewood (the name before Homewood was formed) thwarted attempts to open new businesses. But in 1924, the future mayor Dr. John T. Callaway finally convinced the Edgewood Town Council that the town needed a drugstore and soon opened the town’s first new business, Edgewood Drug Company.

Today, more opportunities exist because of your support of local businesses, and it certainly makes my job as mayor much easier to recruit them. I love promoting this city, our current businesses and our school system. There are so many reasons to locate to Homewood and even more reasons to stay.

We have come a long way this year, but now it’s time to start again. I have a firm belief that nothing worthwhile can be achieved for ourselves or for others without first developing a heartfelt belief in our ability to accomplish the task — and we will. Nothing of value comes without effort, and anything we gain this year will be based on how well we can love and serve the people of Homewood. The secret of our future is hidden in our daily routine and we will work hard every day to make Homewood even better. With kindest regards I remain  

Sincerely,  

Scott McBrayer

Mayor

City of Homewood