Feasibility study for new public safety building to move forward

At the beginning of the May 2 public safety committee meeting, committee members briefly discussed the next steps toward creating a new public safety building.

The City of Homewood's budget for FY 2016 includes money for a feasibility study of such a building. Homewood Police Department Chief Tim Ross is expected to bring proposal options for the study to the public safety committee, possibly by their next meeting, which has not yet been set.

Police Lt. Ben Sutton, who was at the committee meeting, said the options the police department considers will likely be similar to when the issue was last brought up, in early 2015. At the time, former Chief Jim Roberson said the most likely spot for a new headquarters would be a city-owned lot at the intersection of Bagby Drive and West Valley Avenue, rather than tearing down and reconstructing the current police building on 29th Avenue South.

A feasibility study does not mean that the construction of a new building is approved, but it will help determine whether that is possible.

“We definitely want to address this and get this ball rolling,” Sutton said.

Later on May 2, the finance committee discussed the possibility of adding sidewalks along Mayfair Drive. Greg Cobb from the department of engineering and zoning estimated that adding sidewalks along the north side of Mayfair from Montgomery Highway to Ridge Road would cost about $103,500 in total. It would also involve taking down around 11 trees and several shrubs.

Several Mayfair residents support the sidewalks, but a few oppose it. The city will have to obtain right-of-way agreements in order to construct them. Cobb said he plans to walk Mayfair and use paint to mark the path of the proposed sidewalks for residents to see.

The finance committee also has to determine whether there's enough money in this year's budget to build the sidewalks once current projects on Rumson Road and Columbiana Road are complete.

Other highlights from the May 2 committee meetings include:

• The public safety committee recommended increasing city parking fines from $5 to $20, which must be approved by the full council on May 9.
• The public safety committee recommended painting a crosswalk at the intersection of Clermont Drive and Sutherland Place. This will also go to city council for approval.
• The planning and development committee discussed a change to the zoning ordinance, which would make setback requirements consistent for houses' first and second floors, as well as change the way height is measured. Vanessa McGrath of the engineering and zoning department said instead of measuring height as the average of all four sides' height from ground to roof midpoint, the zoning change would measure height from the top of the front door to its peak. Committee members decided to carry over the discussion to better understand the implications of such a change.
• The special issues committee discussed smell issues at the Dean Foods/Mayfield Dairy plant, as well as noise issues at Buffalo Rock. The environmental firm the city hired is still gathering data from residents on the odors. Buffalo Rock President Matthew Dent was at the meeting to talk about several projects underway at the facility to reduce noise, including extra insulation and moving noisy production elements. Dent said Buffalo Rock will hold another neighborhood meeting to update people on these projects on May 12, 6 p.m. at Buffalo Rock's conference center.
• The finance committee recommended spending up to $7,000 on a traffic study to consider making Reese Street a one-way, to allow more parking and reduce traffic problems. This decision must be approved by the council.
• The finance committee also discussed spending about $8,500 to modify playground equipment at Overton Park. While the equipment is not out of compliance with its intended use for children ages 5-12, parents had brought concerns about dangers for younger children who frequently play there. If approved by the council on May 9, the rock wall feature on the playground will be relocated to be a standalone feature, and the gap connecting the rock wall to the slide platform will be closed off.