Council discusses eyesore property, car thefts and pet waste

A resolution passed at the Aug. 9 by the Mountain Brook City Council will soon bring relief to residents who have dealt with a neighboring nuisance.

The council passed the action requiring that the owner of the property at 751 Bentley Drive remove the structure that was severely damaged by a fallen tree. Several residents spoke during the meeting, citing that the dilapidated house is an eyesore that is a hazard and is negatively impacting their property value.

The action taken by the council gives the property owner 30 days to clear the property or the city will have it torn down. Glen Merchant of the Mountain Brook Department of Building, Planning and Sustainability will have a contractor lined up to handle demolition if the owner doesn’t.

“We are fortunate as a city that we don’t have this happen very often,” Council President Virginia Smith told the audience. “There is a process we have to go through. Hopefully in 30 days it will be a lot better looking.”

In other action, the council passed four agreements with Schoel Engineering Company related to concerns about drainage and flooding. Those resolutions included:

• Authorizing a drainage study to be done concerning Lorena Lane and Fairmont Drive.
• Approving moving forward with the final design of drainage improvements for Cherry Street.
• Approving moving forward with the final design of drainage improvements for the 800-900 block of Euclid Avenue.
• Authorizing Schoel Engineering to review city ordinances, making recommendations regarding stormwater management practices.

“We have been in front of you guys several times in the past year or so with drainage studies within the city,” Schoel’s William Thomas said. “This proposal is to look at the city’s regulations (and) design standards as far as drainage is concerned and make some recommendations for potential changes to the retention ordinance, or any other drainage thing that the city has.”

In the pre-council meeting, Councilman Billy Pritchard said he had received calls from citizens about car thefts in the Crestline area.

“The concern here more than anything was not necessarily the theft of cars but armed criminals walking around,” he said. “Either they're going to get shot or they're going to shoot somebody. I think that's what really prompted them to call me. I don't know what to tell somebody about having to be more defensive or vigilant or aggressive with people in your driveway with handguns pulled, trying to get a car.”

Police Chief James “Jaye” A. Loggins said his department has stepped up patrols to address the thefts. But the problem is many cars are left unlocked, perhaps even with the keys in them.

“One of the main things we're stressing is, 'Lock your doors,'” he said. “I don't have the stat but I would bet you anything that 90 percent of our car break-ins are unlocked cars.

“It’s frustrating that we can’t stop it,” the chief continued. “We just ask for all the help we can get from the residents. It takes both the residents, the police department and the city government to make this community what it is. There’s a reason why we’re typically (among) the safest cities in the state all the time. It’s just this particular issue. We need to do more.”

City Attorney Whit Colvin presented his draft for a change to dogs being permitted on city park fields that would prohibit dogs on the playing field at all times after pet waste on the fields was discussed at the last council meeting.

“They didn’t want dogs out there while kids were out there playing,” Colvin said. “What we found was when dogs were there even when kids weren’t playing, they were leaving a mess or it was becoming a problem. We really had to go all in. That’s what I drafted.”

The attorney said service dogs are an exception to the proposed ordinance as they are required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Colvin’s draft was sent to the city’s park board for its review.