Although Milo's Tea has not yet purchased part of the Barber facility at 126 Barber Court, the company has applied for the construction of secondary entrance and exit rights to the facility in Homewood City.

The City Council recently approved a tax incentive agreement with Milo's, which will take over more than half of the property, which was previously used to make milk. The factory is still producing Mayfield ice cream.

City engineer Cale Smith said the company required the right of way to create a second entrance and exit so they could have a separate entrance from Barber's, and Barber's drivers must be inspected and screened. Some people worry that if Milo's drivers have to use the same entrance and exit as Barber, they may delay and miss their time to check.

The Public Works Committee, which heard about the issue at the November 29 meeting, expressed concern about whether the city has complete control of the road, or whether part of it is under the control of the City of Birmingham. If so, the company may need to seek approval from Birmingham. Smith said that before agreeing to Milo's request, the city government can request traffic statistics for the area.

The committee agreed to submit the question to the next meeting for more information.

The committee also discussed Adam Thrower's request to amend the compensation agreement to allow him to work on the city's right of way at 201 East Linwood Avenue in front of his house.

Thrower told The Homewood Star that years of paving had reduced the drainage ditches on the site to the point where water could not fully penetrate, and the storm drains across the street were often submerged during floods. Because of this, water flowed into his property and flooded it. He estimates that his family spends about $5,000 a year to clean up debris and damage caused by flooding.

To protect his home and his neighbors, Thrower built a sandbag wall to slow the flood. Thrower said the wall was located on the right of way for the city, causing the city to raise a question.

Thrower told the city government that he will pay for the removal of the trees currently in the location because they are dying. He also stated that he will replace them with new trees and new soil to help alleviate the flooding problem.

Thrower told The Homewood Star that he was frustrated by the city government's decision to make him responsible for funding the demolition of new trees if the city decides that it must do so for any reason at some point in the future. The agreement also requires him to be responsible forever, even if he wants to sell his house, which he calls "ridiculous."

"They are creating one obstacle after another," Thrower said. "I'm working hard to correct the municipal problems."

Thrower did not attend the November 29 meeting and stated that he had not received enough notice to attend. The chairman of the board, Alex Wyatt, admitted that it was his fault because he did not send him the notice in time.

Wyatt said that if he sells his house, he has no objection to permanently removing Thrower, but Wyatt and the director of public services Berkley Squires both expressed concern that Thrower will not be responsible for paying for the removal of trees if necessary. Squires said these trees may need to be removed within 10 to 15 years, as do most trees planted around concrete.

"Concrete and trees cannot be mixed," Squires said. "They just didn't."

Wyatt added that the agreement Thrower initially agreed to (but has not yet signed) is the agreement commonly used in such cases. The case was transferred to the next committee meeting.

In other news, the committee heard the latest news about the revitalization of the Green Springs Highway. The staff was responsible for redrawing the line last week, and next week plans to conduct landscaping on Valley Avenue north of Oxmoor Road. Some street lights will also be replaced.

The committee also approved an application for an urban right of way work permit at 1608 Ridge Road, which will now be submitted to the entire council.

On the financial front, Mayor Patrick McCluskey told the committee that because the city property at 307 Oxmoor Road is located on the main sewer line, the sale price of the property has dropped from US$65,000 to US$50,000. The city is selling the property to Logos Express, which is seeking the property to expand its business. The sale has not yet been completed.

The committee also recommended that the City Council approve a $16,730 contract between McCluskey and Hixson Consultants. Hixson Consultants will develop the scope of work and bid packages for the repairs required by Homewood City Hall.

The committee was also told that they should be able to quickly advertise the improvement of 18th Street, which plans to add sidewalks and parking lots on the side of the street close to the U.S. Post Office until the new apartment development project just past. The intersection of 18th Street and US 280.

In other news, the committee:

The Special Issues Committee voted to reduce the number of members of the Beautification Committee to 15, including 10 ward-specific appointees and two general representatives, appointed by the city council.

In other businesses, the committee:

The Public Safety Committee discussed potential problems with certain rental properties.

Someone saw eight people coming out of a truck. They may not all live together or rent. The complaint was clearly filed by the residents. 

The committee questioned how to enforce urban laws on leasing and housing because it is not easy to prove that they do not live there.

Congressman Andrew Wolverton (Andrew Wolverton) stated that there is no need to use police resources to deal with this issue.

This question was continued.