2016: A Year of Progress in District 2
Jan 2nd, 2017
Posted in: General News2
By Councilman Levon C. Manzie
It has been a year of progress across District 2 and the City!
When my colleagues and I extended the penny tax and used those funds to create the Capital Improvement Plan, we had high hopes. We knew that Mobile needed a lot of infrastructure work and that these projects had to be tackled strategically.
As we close in on the end of 2016, the success of the first year of this program is evident in both the completed projects and the far reaching impact they are having on helping Mobile grow and thrive. These projects not only directly impact the quality of life of our citizens but also help our local businesses and industry.
In our District, we took on a major initiative to revitalize our parks and recreation centers, rebuilt or replaced sidewalks in both neighborhoods and the Downtown Entertainment District, resurfaced roads, took on drainage projects to prevent puddling and flooding and much more.
Revitalizing Parks & Recreation Centers
This year, we kicked off an initiative to revitalize the parks and community centers across District 2.
Our parks and community centers are the hearts of our neighborhoods. When we invest in these facilities, we are investing in our community. That’s why we allocated nearly $200,000 for major improvements to Crawford-Murphy Park, Lyons Park, Harmon Recreation Center and Springhill Recreation Center. One of these projects, at the Springhill Recreation Center included much needed repairs, extensive painting and upgrades.
There are more to come in 2017 too, when we have an additional $1 million for major upgrades to Harmon Park, Rickarby Park, Rickarby Center, Sullivan's Park and Center, Hope Community Center and the Springhill Recreation Center.
Ensuring Safe Sidewalks
Repairing and replacing sidewalks across the District that are inaccessible to all citizens or dangerous is also a top priority. Whether it’s a quiet neighborhood or the Downtown Entertainment District, having good and safe sidewalks is absolutely essential. Our children, elderly, families, businesses and their customers all deserve safe and passable walkways.
This year, we spent almost $720,000 in funding to tackle the first stage of much needed sidewalk projects across the District. The projects consisted of either repairing existing sidewalks or installing completely new sidewalks. The first round of work focused in the following communities: Down The Bay, Church Street East, Oakleigh, DeTonti Square, Old Dauphin Way, Plateau, Lafayette Heights, Leinkauf, Lower MLK/The Bottoms, The Campground, Toulminville, Downtown Mobile and Maysville.
We have already slated over a half a million dollars for further repairs across the District next year. By the end of the next fiscal year, well over a million dollars will have been invested into improving and replacing sidewalks across District 2. This is an ongoing effort and we will continue it until every community across the District has safe sidewalks.
Resurfacing Our Roads
We also took on a number of road resurfacing projects across the District. Repairing and resurfacing our roads ensures not just a smoother ride but safer streets for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Coming Soon – A New Face for Broad Street
We were also blessed to receive an enormous grant from the federal government to rehabilitate Broad Street, and, in doing so, revitalize the surrounding communities including the Campground, Orange Grove, De Tonti and Down the Bay. This has been a three-year process and, apparently, third time is a charm.
These are only some of the projects we tackled in 2016 and thee are many more projects and progress to come in the New Year!