Council addresses concerns about leaf blowers, other noises
The city addressed complaints from residents regarding leaf blowers and other noises during the April 27 city council meeting.
Kathy Thomson said she has trouble working from home when on some days she hears leaf blowers from her Brookwood Road home in the morning. She also said she has heard them as early as 6:45 a.m. and as late as 7:45 p.m. Thomson suggested the landscape providers use new, quieter leaf blowers on the market and restrict the hours to 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Since June 2014, the city has prohibited leaf blowers between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekends. Mayor Terry Oden suggested they send letters to landscaping companies to suggest they use newer, quieter leaf blowing machines and to solicit feedback from them, and the city plans to follow that suggestion.
Another resident, Albert Tinsley had complained in March about the fan noise and the “unsightly” appearance of the black-screened chain link fence around the equipment yard behind the police station in Crestline Village. Tinsley, Council President Virginia Smith and city Finance Director Steve Boone met at the site to address the request. Since then, AT&T replaced a fan motor, and the city’s HVAC contactor repaired a fan, resolving part of the noise issue. Boone has quoted the cost of a wooden fence to be built in front of the existing chain link fence for $4,462.
Council President Virginia Smith said that the wooden fence would reduce the noise but not significantly, and the city is looking into other noise calming options to address the issue further.
During the meeting the council also:
- Selected a Lose & Associates consultant for a new Parks & Recreation master plan for $67,580. Others under consideration were Jane Reed Ross ($59,000), Lea Ann Macknally ($62,800) and Goodwin Mills & Cawood ($40,000).
- Approved a change order for Cahaba River Walk. Not all of the $14,500 remaining in the park’s budget will be used for pedestrian crossing signals as originally planned, so City Manager Sam Gaston suggested transferring some it to cover the $19,053.86 change order for an intersection walkway and drainage improvements required by Jefferson County.
- Set a date for a budget planning work session held by the mayor and council for the FY-20l6 Budget Schedule. One was set for May 20 at 7:30 a.m. Budget meetings with city departments are scheduled to take place by the end of July.
- Approved the city's participation in the 2015 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday for Aug. 7-9. Mountain Brook will exempt certain school supplies, computers and clothing items from municipal sales or use tax.
- Declared a 2008 model postage machine obsolete and as surplus and authorized it for trade-in, and authorized a lease agreement for a Pitney Bowes Connect +SOOW Mailing System between the city and Secap Financial.
- Approved a conditional service use application for Mountain Brook Yoga’s classes at 2414 Canterbury Road in Mountain Brook Village, subject to specified conditions, as submitted by submitted by James Lee.
The next council meeting will be May 11 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 56 Church Street.