City to consider hiring environmental consultant for Mayfield odor problems

The city will vote at its April 11 council meeting whether to hire an environmental consultant to determine the source of odor problems that have been plaguing West Homewood for months.

At the April 4 special issues and finance committee, committee members discussed the latest on foul odors coming from the Mayfield dairy plant on Barber Court. Residents said the smell continues to appear on different days, sometimes only briefly and sometimes staying for hours. This is despite testing and equipment replacement performed by Mayfield.

The committee discussed funding an environmental consultant up to $27,000 to determine the source of the odor. Ward 2 Representative Vance Moody said the consultants have biologists and chemists on staff to help in case the smell is difficult to source. Since the company is located in Huntsville, Moody said they are open to working with residents or city staff to collect samples after they perform a neighborhood questionnaire to determine patterns of the smell.

The committee also discussed short-term rentals in Homewood through services such as Airbnb. Council members have received complaints about the safety of strangers temporarily living on their street and parking extra cars on the street. Additionally, it is against city ordinances to operate as a business in a residential area, especially without a business license.

The city sent a letter to one resident advertising their home on Airbnb and had planned to amend ordinances to specifically address short-term rentals. Discussion among themselves and with the owner of one rental property, however, made them decide to continue looking at the issue and the possibility of allowing rental use in certain high-density residential zoning. The committee also plans to discuss this with the chamber as a potential new type of business.

“If we want to grow and be progressive and look at how Homewood has changed demographics-wise," said Ward 3 Representative Walter Jones, who has used Airbnb before, "... we're a different demographic than we were 20 years ago and I think we need to study more.”

Also on April 4, the public works committee:

• Discussed adding sidewalks to Mayfair Drive and one block of Roxbury Road. 35 out of 50 Mayfair residents and eight out of 12 Roxbury residents signed a petition supporting the sidewalks, but the challenges include funding the project and potentially damaging unwilling residents' yards by building in their right of way. The issue was carried over for further discussion.
• Carried over discussion about removing some cypress trees in the parking lot between SoHo Square and 18th Street. Business owners requested the removal of a few trees to make it easier to access the lot from their businesses. The committee will discuss it again with a report from Public Services Director Berkley Squires.

The public safety committee:

• Sent a request to hold a spring street party at Patriot Park on May 21 to the council for a vote. Organizer Justin Limbaugh must determine how many police officers he needs and how long Oak Grove Road must be closed prior to the council meeting. Limbaugh said the event would probably run from 2-8 p.m., but he'll need extra time for set up and takedown. 
• Dropped discussion of traffic concerns on Central Avenue.
• Carried over discussion of adding a crosswalk to the Broadway Street and Forest Drive intersection.

The finance committee:

• Sent a proposed ordinance regarding street repair after utility work to the council. The ordinance would immediately create a position for a city employee to monitor utility work throughout the city. The position would be paid through a $500 fee to perform work in city roads, which would double if the utility company begins work before filing for a permit.
• Sent an agreement to use election equipment and services from Jefferson County to the full council for a vote.
• Carried over discussion of downtown directional signs.
• Considered new insurance consulting services to reduce the city's deductibles.
• Carried over discussion to install a $9,000 guard rail on Saulter Road to wait for a report from the police department.

The planning and development committee:

• Discussed city sidewalk projects. Of the $337,000 budget for the year's sidewalks, the delayed Rumson Road project is slated to cost $330,000. Instead, the committee decided to ask Skipper Consulting to survey the road and see if it could be made a one-way street and build the sidewalks on existing road for a lower price.
• Discussed the possibility of turning Reese Street into a one-way road to reduce traffic problems and add parking. The change would have all Reese Street traffic traveling east, away from Central Avenue, and add 10 parking spaces. The committee decided to have Skipper look at this as well.
• Approved a petition from the homeowners of 1601 Shades Glen Circle to annex into the city, which will also go to the full council.
• Set April 11 public hearings for rezoning hearings for recently annexed properties at 35 West Lakeshore Drive, 1 West Lakeshore Drive and 1250 Columbiana Road.
• Dropped a rezoning application for the recently annexed 201 Green Springs Highway.
• Carried over discussion of a Central Business Revitalization and Zoning Study to wait for a report from the planning commission, which hears the proposal on Tuesday, April 5.