Council moves forward on improvements to Oxmoor, Rosedale
Oxmoor Boulevard is now one step closer to being alleviated of congestion.
At its Monday, June 23 meeting, the Homewood City Council took the next step in its plan to make traffic improvements from the Oxmoor Boulevard-Green Springs Highway intersection to Barber Court.
The council authorized Mayor Scott McBrayer to execute right-of-way acquisition and construction and utility agreements with the State of Alabama for the project. The planned improvements for Oxmoor-Green Springs include lane alignment and changes to turn lanes. Other aspects of the project feature changes to ramps on the I-65 interchange, changes to turn lanes on I-65, and fixes to the “turkey foot” at Oxmoor Boulevard and Cobb Street. There will also be lane and striping improvements on other sections of the road.
Ward 2 Representative Fred Hawkins said the project is estimated to cost around $6 million, of which Homewood will pay 20 percent, and could begin construction in March 2015. A public involvement meeting on Thursday, June 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Homewood Senior Center will be the last opportunity for residents to voice concerns before the project moves forward.
Hawkins said the project will improve traffic flow and safety and hopefully draw more business to the Green Springs area, which has been undergoing its own facelift. The projects are separate, but Hawkins said the council is looking at them as a combined economic development effort.
“They’re separate projects, but we’re coordinating them so they work together,” Hawkins said.
The mayor was also approved to enter into a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Cooperation Agreement with Jefferson County. The CDBG would provide funds for new sidewalks in Rosedale. Director of Engineering, Planning and Zoning Greg Cobb said Phase 2 of the project, which would complete sidewalks on the east side of Rosedale, is already designed and ready to be bid this summer. Phase 3 is still being designed and paperwork has just begun on Phase 4. The entire funding for the project will be provided through the CDBG grant and not through the city.
“It’s a really good program that we’ve been working on,” Cobb said. “We will receive just beyond a million dollars.”
Ordinance 2528 was approved which will ban “Jake braking” within the city limits of Homewood. Jake braking is a way of slowing large diesel trucks with a compression release engine brake, which often produces excessive noise. The original proposal banned the practice only in the area of West Oxmoor Road, but the council decided to expand the ordinance. Emergency vehicles are exempted from the ban and regular vehicles will be exempted if they braked to avoid an immediate collision. Violating this ordinance will result in a $500 fine or up to six months in jail. The ordinance is in effect immediately.
Other council business:
- Carissa Anthony, the Homewood City Schools prevention and development coordinator, presented information about the Safe and Healthy Homewood Coalition, an organization to stop youth substance abuse.
- Ordinance 2527, banning parking on Linden Avenue between 28th Avenue South and Reese Street, was approved.
- Consideration of an off-premises retail beer and wine license for Mi Pueblo Supermarket was referred to the Public Safety Committee. Mi Pueblo is relocating to 216 Green Springs Highway on June 27.
- The Finance Committee was referred a request to authorize the mayor to enter a contract with GOVT PORTAL, a payment technology company. This contract would allow the city to accept credit card payments for municipal court fees online, by phone or in person.
- Funding for the Homewood Rib Run/Fall BBQ Race was denied.
- Amendments were approved to the 2013-2014 budget. The amendments did not add money to the budget; they just moved existing money to different funds.
- The council referred consideration of speed humps on Sterrett Avenue to the Public Safety Committee due to neighbors’ concerns
- A request to review the sign ordinances for possible amendments was approved.
- The council approved a variation to the fence ordinance for the installation of a split-rail fence on the front lot line along Hampton Drive and a variation to the sign ordinance for the property at 280 West Valley Ave.
- The property at 3016 Firefighter Lane was declared a public nuisance due to “excessive growth.”
The next city council meeting will be Monday, July 14.