Over the past 4 years, I have been honored to serve as a collective voice for Ward 2 on City Council along with my Co-Councilor, Mike Higginbotham. Ward 2 has seen a robust transformation during this time with an unprecedented $55 million dollar investment. We have welcomed many amazing amenities from the Pool @ Patriot Park , to the West Homewood Athletic Complex and the Patriot Park Connector. We also recently saw the completion of the Public Safety building, also in our Ward. We have worked to keep many amazing events going in the neighborhood such as West Homewood Farmer's Market. I understand the value of bringing the community together and have helped procure City funds on an annual basis to help financially support events such as the Back to School Bash. As your Council Representative, I have worked hard to create a safer and more walk-able community and to think outside the box with collaborative efforts such as Hall-Kent Street Safety Day and the rerouting of the Hall-Kent Car Pool line to alleviate LONG standing traffic concerns by relocating these vehicles off Oak Grove Rd. I have worked hard with our other Ward representative (Mike Higginbotham) to ensure that Ward 2 has had the a voice at City Hall that represents our area, interests and families. As a father of 4 and a healthcare professional I have been able to bring a unique perspective to the Council.
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I am excited to see the interest in our community continue to grow! We have seen property values in West Homewood escalate faster than any other part of the city. My family and I love Homewood and this community! Our kids have all been born here and it has been a blessing to start our family and raise our kids here. As an Eagle Scout, I learned the value of hard work and perseverance and have pushed to bring that same level of commitment to the Council. We love the neighbors and have enjoyed personally investing in/supporting in our local businesses: Ash Homewood, Pizzeria GM, Seeds and Nexus! This local business nucleus is vital to our neighborhood continuing to grow and mature.
I want to keep the momentum that we have moving forward as we look at upcoming projects such as the revitalization of Green Springs bringing a much needed face-lift to this area while also tremendously improving safety (bike lanes and clearer ingress/egress) and connection to the Edgewood. As an avid cyclist and runner, I have also eagerly advocated for and supported the Phase II expansion of the Lakeshore Trail (Greenway). I want to thank my wife, Trista, and my kids for allowing me the opportunity to continue to step out to serve the community we love. I humbly ask for your support and vote on August 25th!
Vision for the Future
Communication/Citizen Updates
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We all lead busy lives. I understand the feeling of wanting to be informed. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the increased demand for remote connection, the City Council is in the process of budgeting and updating video options for all committee meetings in addition to Council meetings (which are already recorded and posted to the City website). Ward 2 covers the largest geographic area in the City of Homewood. There area a variety of issues the affect different pockets of our neighborhoods. As your Ward 2 City Council representatives, Mike and I have held quarterly "Town Hall" style meetings. We have been fortunate that several area churches have hosted these quarterly community meetings to help keep people abreast of any news or developments and bridge the communication gap! I am open to keeping these going in their current format or modifying them as needed. I want to thank our local pastors at Raleigh Avenue Baptist Church, Shades Valley Community Church, Homewood Church of Christ and Trinity West Homewood. Additionally, Mike had decided at the beginning of our Council term together that he would continue to use the "West Homewood" Facebook page as a way that we could keep the Ward informed of the weekly Council & Committee meetings and issues specifically impacting our Ward.
Extension of Lakeshore Greenway Path and Recreation
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Among one of the most long awaited and anticipated improvements in Homewood is the expansion of the Greenway. There have continued to be many awesome additions to the neighborhood (and city as a whole) and our accessibility to paths, trails and parks is unmatched. We have Patriot Park and the West Homewood Parks within our neighborhood. We are also minutes from the Lakeshore Trail and Red Mountain Park. The city has finalized and secured all of the property needed to extend the Lakeshore trail and the bids should be out soon with anticipated beginning of construction later in 2020.
Growth and Development & Greensprings Corridor Revitalization
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Since being on the Council we have really seen a transformation at Patriot Park into a vibrant community hang out which has helped create and support sustainable businesses. Having Pizzeria GM anchor the corner parcel at Oak Grove and Oxmoor has played a pivotal role in the development of more sustainable business. Soon after, we saw the opening of Nexus followed by neighborhood bar and grill local Ash Homewood. The perimeter of the neighborhood saw a major face-lift with the West Homewood Park and Athletic Facilities. Relocating the former West Homewood pool to the center of the neighborhood and creating the Pool @ Patriot Park has really fostered a neighborhood/village center and common grounds to see a melting pot of families and friends, young and old! I truly believe that developing the neighborhood core from the inside out has helped West Homewood as we actively work on the revitalizing and promoting positive changes along the Greensprings corridor as well.
Investment in Homewood City Schools
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Right before I was sworn in to the Council in 2016 the previous City Council had approved a $110 million bond fund for capital investments. Of that money, $55 million went directly to the Homewood City School systems to expand and improve the infrastructure of the aging schools. These projects are now near completion and should help accommodate for ongoing and future growth of our student population! Ensuring the excellence and viability of our schools is crucial to all Homewood citizens and I will do what I can to continue to support HCS.
Special Events/Gatherings
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Consistent neighborhood street festivals/gatherings have been an awesome way to connect with our community. There have been several very successful and well attended neighborhood festivals (with the exception of poor weather) and as I had hoped when running in 2016, Mike and I have been able to help support them by voting in favor of city funding added into the annual budget to continue to help financially support these events. Our neighborhood has continued to be a hot spot for local 5k and 10k races in recent years. I think these are a great way to show off this special part of our city and would love to continue to support them as allowed.
Public Safety, The Stink and the Re-design of Oxmoor Rd
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Safety in Homewood is of the utmost importance. The Homewood Police Department hears of traffic concerns all across the city. Unfortunately, there are still people that speed down main roads, blow through stop signs, etc. all over town and West Homewood is not immune. I share this concern as an avid biker/runner and father of 4 young kids. Over the past several years, the Council has heard numerous traffic complaints leading us to creating and passing a comprehensive Traffic Calming Policy in conjunction with the ongoing city wide traffic study. This is intended to help streamline the process of gathering all needed data and producing recommended changes (if any) which will now be handled by the BEZ and traffic departments handled in house. Any citizen can now submit a concern/complaint which will subsequently be evaluated. Similarly, I have spent time learning more about other types of crime that our city encounters. Human trafficking has been an ongoing concern not just in Homewood but all throughout the metro area. This is a complex and resource intensive problem that local law enforcement is constantly working on with the FBI. I intend to continue looking into what additional progress we can invest in as a city to help combat this horrid problem.
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"The Stink" has been an ongoing issue for far longer than anybody would like. Parts of the neighborhood are in extremely close proximity to the source and have been affected and unfortunately know all too well the stench that has infiltrated our neighborhood. There are limitations legally in what can be done and we have been diligent in addressing the business(es) that are responsibly. The City has just hired a new local "Odor" consultant that will help us expedite and continue to address concerns in the future.
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The Oxmoor Rd redesign "Turkey Foot" project has been delayed but that doesn't mean it isn't happening. At this point, we are awaiting ALDOT as they have many competing projects across the state which have repeatedly taken priority. We have been reassured that it is still just a matter of "when" not "if" it will happen.