Politics & Government

Quick Hits: Committee to Study Old Woodward Reconstruction

But commissioners deferred any decision on a contract with a local daily-deal website.

The Birmingham City Commission gave the go-ahead to several projects at its , including the subdivision of a private land parcel on Fairfax Street, while holding off other decisions, such as a Complete Streets study for East Maple Road.

Only have time for the quick hits? Here's a rundown of what happened during Monday's meeting:

Commission action

  • Commissioners scheduled a public hearing of necessity for the replacement of the concrete parking lot in front of for Aug. 22. Property owner Tony Curtis said an engineering firm is drawing up plans for the project and will begin work as soon as possible. If construction begins before Aug. 22, the public hearing will be rescinded.
  • The City Commission created the Old Woodward Avenue Conceptual Design Ad Hoc Committee, which will plan for the eventual reconstruction of South Old Woodward Avenue. The committee will comprise three commissioners, two residents and members of various city boards.
  • Commissioners approved a request to hold the annual Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 23. The event will be put on by the , the and .
  • Commissioners approved the purchase of one 2012 Vactor 2100 Plus Series sewer cleaning unit for a total cost of $398,781 and the purchase of a 2012 Dodge Caravan for $18,836.
  • Commissioners awarded contracts to Barrett Paving Materials for an asphalt maintenance project for a total cost of $309,982. Another $261,695 contract was awarded to C&L Enterprises for a sidewalk and concrete repair project.

Tabled for later meetings 

A potential deal with HipCityDeals: At the request of Commissioner Stuart Sherman, the City Commission took no action on a proposed merchant services agreement between the city golf courses and HipCityDeals.com, a daily-deal website. Sherman said he wanted to see a more comprehensive marketing plan from the golf courses. "This is a knee-jerk reaction to marketing," he said.

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Commissioners agreed. Mayor Pro Tem Mark Nickita said he's happy to see the golf courses pursuing opportunities in social media, but the city wants to make sure the golf courses gain from their marketing efforts. Under the proposed deal, golfers would have a chance to purchase a round of golf at 50 percent off the regular rate, with the city receiving 25 percent of the profits.

A resolution hiring Parson Brinckerhoff and LSL Planning to prepare a Complete Streets study: The study would take a look at the stretch of East Maple Road between Woodward and Eton Road. Commissioners raised issues with calling it a "Complete Streets" study, noting that the narrowness of that stretch of road makes it a poor candidate for Complete Streets. The Complete Streets project is meant to encourage cities to incorporate biking, pedestrian traffic and mass transportation into planning.

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According to City Manager Bob Bruner, city staff wanted to ensure that stretch of road is treated carefully.

"I felt this was an opportunity to take what's an important project and an important corridor and evaluate all the options ... so that we know at the end of the process that we did the best we could," Bruner said.

Commissioners instructed both firms to set up a meeting with commissioners and the city Engineering Department to present their tentative plans. Mayor Gordon Rinschler said they should focus less on adhering to Complete Streets principles and more on how to make the street work for drivers and pedestrians.


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