New council members reflect on 1st year in office

Four new members joined the Homewood City Council last November to start their 2016-20 terms.

In talking with Andy Gwaltney, Mike Higginbotham, Andrew Wolverton and Jennifer Andress, most of them said they still feel like the new kids at the table. But they’ve also learned and started pursuing some of the issues they campaigned on — as well as problems they never expected to come up.

The Homewood Star talked with all four new council members to reflect on their first year and their plans for the rest of their terms.

Ward 1: Andy Gwaltney

It’s been a busy year in Ward 1, Andy Gwaltney said. A few projects he’s been part of: Rosedale lighting, signs and the beginning of the abatement process; repaving and new traffic islands on Central Avenue; and the beginning of the downtown master plan.

“I feel like we’ve made good progress in a year,” he said.

The Central Avenue streetscape project has been a contentious one for residents, as some have said the change in traffic flow is more difficult for drivers. However, Gwaltney said, the finished product’s additional parking and crosswalks will benefit the community over time.

“The net positive over there is going to be a streetscape with better traffic flow, more green,” he said.

Gwaltney and fellow Ward Rep. Britt Thames have also begun weekly emails to residents in their wards and quarterly meetings “so that we can reach our ward in whatever way fits them.” This is something they want to expand on in 2018.

A couple specific projects he has in his sights include restricting construction hours in residential neighborhoods, which has been under council discussion, and a rebuild of Spring Park budgeted for 2018.

“It’s a good park now, but we’re going to take it to the next level,” Gwaltney said.

Other priorities for Gwaltney include sidewalk projects, preserving the tree canopy, planting new trees in city rights-of-way and neighborhood preservation.

Gwaltney said his approach is “making smart, incremental changes … to maintain Homewood’s uniqueness.”

Ward 2: Mike Higginbotham

Mike Higginbotham was a familiar sight at council meetings even before being elected, as he kept up with council news for the West Homewood Facebook page. 

That didn’t mean it was easy to jump right in, though.

“I’ve always heard that making the decisions is a lot easier from the cheap seats,” Higginbotham said. “I think it’s fair to say that being on the council can be challenging at times.”

His first year in office has included the ongoing odor issues in West Homewood and the city beginning projects in the schools, parks and a new public safety building with its $110 million bond. At times, he said, he’s been more hesitant to introduce new issues, like adding sidewalks in Forest Brook because he’s a newcomer on the council.

And even on less controversial issues, Higginbotham said he always remembers that the issues that come before the council are personal for the people they impact.

“We’re making decisions that impact people in a very personal, immediate way,” Higginbotham said. “You’re dealing with your neighbors directly.”

While that was a learning curve, he said, he has enjoyed his first year and is proud of some points of specific progress, including improvement on the odor problems, the beginning of a new public safety headquarters and quarterly neighborhood meetings he and Ward 2 Rep. Andrew Wolverton have hosted for their ward.

“There are lots of things we’ve done in my first year that I’m proud of, that are good things,” Higginbotham said.

Several infrastructure projects are on his to-do list for the next three years, including the construction of the diverging diamond interchange on Lakeshore Parkway and modifications to the Oxmoor Road “turkey foot” intersection, both of which have been in the planning process for several years. He also wants to achieve sidewalks in Forest Brook, a crosswalk on Raleigh Avenue and the next phase of the greenway.

“I really want to light a fire under the city on phase two of the greenway,” he said. “It kind of feels like we’re in a holding pattern. We’ve got to get more aggressive in our acquisition of those remaining right-of-ways.”

Ward 2: Andrew Wolverton

Joining the council was “eye-opening,” Andrew Wolverton said, and he feels like he’s still learning about the breadth of the issues and actions that the council addresses.

Like Higginbotham, Wolverton said he has been proud of the communication he’s had with Ward 2 residents and that he has seen new faces at every ward meeting they’ve held so far. 

He said he’s excited to see the new Patriot Park pool and playground improvements, as well as new restaurants Pizzeria GM and Ash, come to West Homewood in the near future.

“We’ve got a lot of things that are really going to help, I think, especially our side of town become that much more desirable,” he said.

Looking back on the year, Wolverton said one project he wished had been handled differently was the bond issue’s task force. The task force interviewed project managers for the capital improvements that will be funded by the bond, but it included only five members of the council. Those who were not on the task force later expressed their concerns that they lacked important information, and after more meetings they eventually decided to choose one project manager for the city projects and let the school system choose its own project manager.

In the rest of his term, Wolverton wants to keep improvements at Patriot Park high on the priority list, as well as respond to traffic and safety concerns from residents. He also supports more sidewalks and connectivity at Patriot Park, Forest Brook and Raleigh Avenue at Green Springs.

Ward 5: Jennifer Andress

Jennifer Andress said her time on the council will most likely be remembered for getting started on the project to make the Hollywood bridge over U.S. 280 more pedestrian-friendly.

“If that’s my life’s work, that’s going to be my life’s work,” she said.

A study on the Hollywood Bridge began in May and will wrap up this winter with design and financing options, which Andress said is “when the real work begins.” In this and other city topics, Andress said she was surprised at first at how slowly the wheels of change often turn.

“Things take longer than what I knew or what I thought,” Andress said.

She said she has also learned to take her time in listening and responding to people when controversial subjects come up.

“People just want to be heard,” she said.

She took advice from fellow Ward Rep. Peter Wright to focus on just a couple projects and work toward them everyday, and her two projects were the Hollywood bridge and a crosswalk at the Marriott Hotel. 

Other issues she’s looking forward to addressing include the downtown master plan, adding green space in the downtown area and creating a stronger tree ordinance, “which is turning into a little bit of a challenge,” she said.

With one year under her belt, Andress said, she is more comfortable and confident in her role.

“I’m ready to stop saying I’m new at this,” she said.