Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
A Flock traffic camera along Lakeshore Parkway near the Walmart Supercenter
The Finance Committee of the Homewood City Council is recommending the city renew its contract for Flock traffic cameras, adding five more cameras to the existing 15.
The committee recommends signing a three-year contract with Flock Camera, which police Chief Tim Ross would save the city about $22,000 per year instead of going with a year-to-year contract.
Ross said the cameras are helping the Police Department fight against crime. He cited the recent shooting at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and the benefit cameras provided in apprehending the suspect.
“We were able to find out who he was in about three hours because we were able to use this technology,” the chief said. “We had that suspect in custody about four hours after that happened.”
A three-year contract would cost the city $278,296. The full City Council is slated to consider the proposal on Nov. 27.
The Finance Committee last week also received an update on garbage service in the city from Rick Sweeney, a vice president for Amwaste over Alabama and Louisiana. The company had 166,400 garbage collections over 13 weeks, with twice-a-week pickup, he said.
Sweeney said there were 12,021 documented missed pickups in that period with 672 different addresses. The company had a service success rate of 99.2%, and the goal is to have a success rate of 99.5% to 99.75%, he said.
“That puts us at about one per 1,000 customers (with missed pickups per week),” he said. While company officials don’t want to miss any pickups, they know they’ll miss some, he said.
Amwaste hired another administrator to assure that a live agent answers calls from customers about missed pickups, Sweeney said.
The Finance Committee also recommended authorizing the mayor to sign an agreement to accept a $150,000 stormwater grant. City Engineer Cale Smith called the grant “the lowest hanging fruit” to address flooding issues at Kenilworth and Ridge.
The Planning and Development Committee set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on Nov. 27 to consider approval of the final development plan at 501 Scott St. Erik Hendon of Hendon-Huckestein Architects is looking to renovate the interior and exterior of Homewood Animal Hospital. The property would be expanded to 3,511 square feet to accommodate a combination of office, examination and treatment services, as well as expanded parking, landscaping and other site improvements.
The Public Works Committee recommended allowing two pine trees to be removed at 308 Devon Drive. The matter will go before the full council when it meets on Nov. 27.
The committee heard a request for permission for the property owner to work in the city right of way at Urology Centers of Alabama. The committee recommended giving permission, pending an indemnification agreement.
The committee also recommended granting permission for retaining walls in the right of way at 3019 Firefighter Lane. The property owner learned via a recent survey that the walls were placed in the right of way. The owner had received a permit to build the walls.
The Special Issues Committee sent to the full council a request to vacate Drake Street and adjacent alley rights of way for the new Piggly Wiggly development. No recommendation was made pending a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Dec. 11.
