By Ally Morrison
Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky presented the State of the City address at the Homewood Chamber of Commerce
luncheon Jan. 18, recapping last year’s accomplishments and giving insight into plans for the coming year.
Going on now, McClusky said, the city is leading a campaign to provide comprehensive geofencing ads during the 2022 World Games. The campaign aims to make Homewood guides available to people in all stadiums, hotels and venues designated for World Games events and provide a map with a guide to shopping and dining in Homewood.
Homewood also is producing videos to highlight the community as part of that effort.
The city recently unveiled its new Homewood Police App, which will be available for use in the near future, McClusky said.
“We are excited to be rolling out the new Homewood Police App very soon so that citizens can easily access traffic reports and changes and crime statistics, among other things, from their phones,” the mayor said. “I want to say a special thank you to Sgt. (John) Carr for his hard work in putting this application together. The men and women of Homewood Police Department work very hard to keep our citizens and businesses safe, and I am very proud of the work they do each year.”
Additionally, McClusky said Homewood has released a Citizen Portal, allowing residents to alert the city of issues such as power outages, sewer and water issues and traffic concerns.
The Brookwood Village Mall property has been purchased, and McClusky said Homewood officials are working closely with Mountain Brook on its redevelopment.
Additional companies also will be establishing a presence at Wildwood Centre, including Chipotle, Hibachi and the return of Chick-fil-A.
In 2021, Homewood implemented a new physical fitness training regimen for the Homewood Fire Department. The department received the highest rating of 1 by the Insurance Services Office, and the department is expecting to rank just as high during its 2022 inspection, the mayor said. Less than 1% of departments across the nation achieve the rank.
Last year, Homewood City Schools was named No. 1 in the Best School District in the Birmingham area listing by Niche.
“One of the most important aspects of our community certainly is our award-winning school system.” McClusky said. “Our superintendent, Dr. Justin Heffner, and school board have endured so much over the last year, and I certainly applaud their efforts while undergoing one of the most difficult times in our system’s history. I am very proud of the work he and the board have done making difficult decisions in uncertain and ever-changing times, while also continuing to improve the excellence we have come to expect from the Homewood school system.
McClusky said there are a variety of other projects in the works for 2022, and he thanked residents and officials for their support.
