Special issues committee discusses Barber odor, Airbnb rentals

Frustrations seemed to be mounting at the March 7 special issues committee meeting, where residents said the latest odor control efforts by Barber Dairy don't seem to have had the desired effect.

A representative from Vanguard Environmental said that Barber had "scurried" to install new equipment by Feb. 29 to combat the odor that sometimes comes from its property. Testing and optimization are underway and will continue for the next seven to 10 days. In the meantime, work on the plant's roof is on hold until the optimization is complete. The roof work will take three to four days, and the neighborhood will be notified before work begins.

“We think it’s working well. We’re pretty satisfied. There’s still some adjustments to be made but I think we’ve certainly minimized the problem and confined the odor to our property,” the representative said.

However, some West Homewood residents said that the odor on Saturday, March 5 was probably the worst they have smelled so far. The smell has become intermittent rather than constant, but residents are attempting to track the days and locations that they notice the odor. Resident Erik Henninger presented his results so far to the committee members and Barber representatives, noting that they are not comprehensive.

“Saturday was the worst of the worst,” Henninger said.

One resident said the smell has been noticed for about two years but has gotten much worse recently.

“That’s why I would really like to know what changed that this became an issue?” she said.

Another Barber representative present said that they were not sure what had caused the change, and were surprised that it had gotten worse recently.

Ward 1 Representative Britt Thames said that residents have been "beyond patient" in waiting for solutions. He and other representatives were concerned about the next steps the plant could take, since the new equipment was expected to have a significant impact on the odor.

“The problem is not eliminated. It persists and we don’t even know the nature of the problem,” Ward 5 Representative Peter Wright said.

The Barber and Vanguard representatives said they are taking the odor problem very seriously and would have more testing information available in the next week or so. Ward 2 Representative Fred Hawkins asked that they bring that information to the next special issues committee. He also asked Henninger to continue tracking when the odor is present in the neighborhood.

At the same meeting, the committee also discussed short-term rentals of Homewood residences through services like Airbnb.com and VRBO.com. Ward 4 Representative Barry Smith said several Homewood residences are listed on those sites and can be rented overnight or for a matter of days by short-term travelers. Smith and Ward 3 Representative Patrick McClusky said many neighbors of those properties were worried about the number of strangers living and parking on their streets.

The committee decided to prohibit short-term rentals, while leaving long-term house rentals alone. They are going to decide how to define a "short-term renter" — likely three months or less — to add to prohibited uses. The committee also asked city attorney Mike Kendrick to draft a notice to residents whose homes are listed on those sites, asking them to discontinue short-term rentals.

The special issues committee also:

• Dropped a fence variance request since the property owner did not show up to the meeting.

The public works committee:

• Discussed road improvements and potential sidewalks to improve pedestrian access on Mayfair Drive with resident Ashley Kappel, who said current road conditions are poor. The city had previously considered installing a sidewalk along the road, but met with resident opposition to allowing city easements. The committee asked Kappel to talk to neighbors and bring their signatures or other proof that they would be willing to work with the city to create sidewalks, which would not narrow the existing road.

The public safety committee:

• Sent to council a request to build a BJCTA bus shelter near 36 Barber Court. The tenant there is working with the transit authority to fund the shelter, which will not cost the city except for right-of-way use.
• Sent alcohol license requests to the council for Mr. Chen's Hometown Market (800 Green Springs Highway), Circle K convenience stores (821 and 400 Green Springs Highway), Homewood Fuel (317A West Valley Ave.) and Homewood Package Store (317B West Valley Ave.).
• Carried over discussion of traffic on Saulter Road.

The finance committee:

• Carried over discussion of signage in downtown Homewood, as Thames has asked the designer to create more options for the committee to consider.
• Carried over discussion of an audit of the 2014-2015 fiscal year because Committee Chairman Walter Jones was not present.
• Sent to council a request to spend up to $20,777.81 to replace landscaping and irrigation lost as part of the West Homewood Project along Oak Grove Road.
• Sent to council a request to declare an air compressor, air dryer and air reservoir as surplus property.
• Sent to council a request to allow the mayor to enter a contract with Trane Building services for HVAC maintenance.