A Message from Mayor Stimpson - November 16
Nov 16th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 8:10 p.m. on Monday Nov. 16, and I am writing to give you an update from the City of Mobile.
Today, the Mobile County Health Department reports 18,674 COVID-19 cases, which is an increase of 58 cases. To review the most recent detailed report from MCHD, click here.
We're continuing to make progress on collection of all remaining debris from hurricanes Sally and Zeta. To date, our crews have collected over 703,552 cubic yards of debris. Currently all City resources and a majority of the contractor's resources are working South of Airport Boulevard. A deliberate second pass of debris and trash collection has recently been done North of Airport Boulevard. Once debris removal is complete in the Southern part of the City, normal trash pickup should resume on Monday, November 23 as posted on the City website. Please continue to place your trash out according to your scheduled day.
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the contractors will focus on the removal of remaining storm damaged trees and stumps in the public rights-of-way, which we expect to have completed in early December barring any unforeseen delays. In addition, City and other contracted tree crews will be trimming other low-hanging or damaged tree branches. Aside for the immediate benefit, we expect the City will be on a much better footing for future storm events once this work is completed.
Last week, I met with representatives of more than 15 parading organizations in Mobile to talk about Mardi Gras 2021. We then released a memorandum on Friday addressing some of those organizations' questions and specific concerns, which some of you may have seen reported in the media today.
Based on the current guidelines from the State of Alabama and the Mobile County Health Department, the City of Mobile is moving ahead with efforts to plan and prepare for Mardi Gras next year. Regardless of what happens over the next two months, we can't have Mardi Gras if we don't prepare for it now.
Each organization will have to make its own decision about participation, but these organizations should realize plans could change based on public health orders from the state or MCHD. We will continue working with these parading organizations to try and mitigate some of their risk where we can, but this is ultimately a public health issue that falls within the jurisdiction of MCHD and the State of Alabama.
We know that Mardi Gras will be different in 2021, but the City of Mobile is currently moving forward based on our understanding of the current guidelines set by public health officials.
Today we had a meeting with our public works employees to discuss some of the progress they have made throughout what has been a rather unusual year. To highlight a few areas, our teams have repaired 500 sidewalks, collected 31,295 pounds of litter and resurfaced 52 miles of city streets this year - all while managing $150 million of ongoing projects.
I'd like to commend them for their hard work, which has been nothing short of astonishing given the challenges we've faced this year. Looking back over what we've accomplished since January, it's hard not to be excited about the future. I hope you'll take the time to watch this video we shared with our team this morning to thank them.
|
|
|
Thank You City of Mobile Public Works 2020 |
In Isaiah 41:10-11, God says "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." A footnote to a devotional I read last week said that verse can help us learn to appreciate our difficult days. That's often easier said than done, but I know that promise of strength and help from God has helped me many times as we've navigated the past several months.
As we move into a new week, let's all try to remember that even though our problems, obstacles and troubles may seem like mountains, we can turn them into capstones with hard work and faith.
Sleep tight