Mayfair sidewalk project sent to council for approval

After several months of discussion with residents, the finance committee decided to recommend funding Phases I and II of a sidewalk project on Mayfair Drive to the full council.

Phase I would install sidewalks on the north side of Mayfair from Montgomery Highway to Roxbury Road, and Phase II would install them on the east side of Roxbury up to Huntington Road. It would also reconfigure the intersection from a Y shape to a T shape. Greg Cobb of the Building, Engineering and Zoning Department said the total cost of the project would be roughly $70,000.

The project would be part of the 2017 fiscal year budget, which has roughly $437,000 allocated for new sidewalk construction. Ward 2 Representative Vance Moody pointed out that roughly $200,000 of that budget is already promised toward projects such as Rumson Road. Mayfair was not considered a high priority project on the city's list, but Moody said it meets all the criteria, such as proximity to schools and existing sidewalks, to be considered high priority.

“I don’t see any of the high priorities [projects] that necessarily accomplish more,” Moody said.

The finance committee voted to recommend the project to the council, which will vote on the issue on Sept. 26.

In other sidewalk news, Cobb said Skipper Consulting has estimated the cost of the Rumson Road project at about $40,000. This includes turning the road into a one-way street, with traffic heading north from Yorkshire Drive to Windsor Drive, and building a sidewalk. The project was referred to the finance committee to get a firm dollar amount before sending it to the council for a vote.

Cobb said once the Rumson project is approved, he can "get it under construction quick."

The finance committee also discussed purchasing two license plate readers for the police department. The committee is still reviewing a new city policy to ensure that data collected by the readers cannot be aggregated and stored insecurely by the police department or a third party. Chief Tim Ross said the readers would be permanently affixed to two vehicles so only two officers can use them. While the policy is under discussion, they decided to send the agenda item to the council to approve the $36,000 purchase so the police can move forward with it.

Finally, the city will have a meeting with Volatile Analysis, Buffalo Rock and Dean Foods on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall to discuss odor issues in West Homewood.