Small Overton-South Brookwood Road traffic improvements coming

There is no simple solution to improve traffic at Overton Road-South Brookwood Road intersection. The city council heard a presentation on potential improvements at is April 13 meeting. Richard Caudle of Skipper Consultants said there is little he can do to alleviate morning peak traffic without widening the road, but the council recommended those small changes to traffic signal timing be made.

Based on a study of the intersection between 7 and 7:55 a.m., Caudle said Overton Road needs a lot more green time to clear the queues, but that would lengthen the queue at South Brookwood Road toward Brookwood Forest Elementary School.

“I am not sure you want to do that,” Caudle said.

The only solution that would help the intersection would be lengthening the turn lanes, Caudle said. He revisited plans drafted to do so from 2002 but said a sidewalk would have to be moved now to do so.

“If we were truly to fix this intersection we would need to look at something coming up the mountain to get the people out of the way quicker,” Caudle said.

This intersection is part of a set of 12 intersections to be improved with an APPLE grant. The city plans to move forward with only the signal modifications at this time.

Also at the meting, the council:

• Heard a presentation about a paid community broadcast segment featuring Mountain Brook with a representative of ABC 33/40. The cost would be $10,000 for a month of coverage.
• Discussed proposed parking changes for English Village and the city’s leased parking lots. City Planner Dana Hazen suggested the upper city-leased parking lot in English Village be converted to an all-day parking lot for employees and patrons. Currently, many of these spots are unused during the day while the lower city-leased lot’s 32 spots are staying full with the increase of traffic with the addition of Little Hardware, Tonya Jones Salon/Spa and La Catrina. Council member Billy Pritchard said he was concerned that it would hurt patron parking for the restaurants in the village, and the lots had originally been rented for patrons.
• Discussed adding 15-minute parking spots in front of certain businesses in the villages. Before moving forward, the city will discuss the possibility with merchants in the village.
• Approved a clinical affiliation agreement with Samford University to allow a nutrition student to assess and study the health of the Mountain Brook Fire Department’s EMT staff.
• Discussed the reorganization of the Planning and Inspections Departments.
• Created a position of Director of Planning, Building and Sustainability at Pay Grade 30.
• Created the position of Senior Plans Examiner at Pay Grade 26.
• Heard a presentation from Meghan Ann Hellenga and Christen Greenwood of the Birmingham Museum of Art.
• Appointed Nicky Barnes to the Mountain Brook Board of Education, to serve without compensation, with a term ending May 31, 2020. She will replace Jane Menendez.
• Appointed Brandon Plowden to the Tree Commission, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end April 13, 2018.
• Approved a recommendation to the State of Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for a Special Events Retail License for La Paz in Crestline Village for Cinco de Mayo 2015.
• Discussed a [service] conditional use application for Jimi Yoga, LLC at 2414 Canterbury Road in Mountain Brook Village. The studio would be located in the interior half of the current Linda Dobbins Dance space. The council questioned the size of the classes being too large for the parking availability and asked the business owners, James Lee and Linda West, reconsider the size of their classes and try to make them smaller. Hazen said the merchants around this location have already expressed concerns about the parking in the area.
• Approved a resolution modifying the terms of the janitorial services contract between the city and Jordan Janitorial, Inc. because the library had had problems with this provider. Library Director Sue Debrect said the company had personnel changes and did not have experience servicing a library. The council also discussed awarding the bid for janitorial services for The Emmet O'Neal Library and authorize the execution of a (three-year) contract for it.

The next regular meeting of the city council will be April 27 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber of City Hall at 56 Church Street.