MAYOR STIMPSON PUSHES TO ADDRESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Apr 17th, 2014

MOBILE, ALABAMA. -- Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced today that he is working with the City Council to improve various safety and environmental conditions throughout the City of Mobile. The Mayor has submitted resolutions to the City Council asking they approve funding Capital Improvements that would: modernize the police fleet by replacing over 90 unsafe and outdated police vehicles, illuminate the Blacklawn neighborhood which has been in the dark without street lighting for nearly three years; and, dispose and recycle inoperable light bulbs in a safe and secure manner.

"The citizens of Mobile expect and deserve the best quality of life possible," Stimpson said. "Safety is paramount as we develop best practices and policies to tackle issues the city is facing. Strong, vibrant, safe, and environmentally sustainable communities for our children and our families is so important and it's what this Administration is intensely focused on. These requests will go a long way in addressing needs to make our neighborhoods cleaner and safer."

The costs associated for the purchase of a minimum of 90 new police vehicles is approximately $3.1 million. The Mobile Police Department currently has approximately 353 vehicles with more than 100,000 miles, 223 vehicles with more than 150,000 miles, and 104 vehicles have over 200,000 miles. This funding will help address the outdated vehicles that are in need of repair or replacement to ensure the safety of our officers and ultimately, our citizens.

The street lighting on Blacklawn will cost approximately $95,000 to completely overhaul the antiquated electrical system allowing for a new fixtures, wiring, and bulbs to illuminate the neighborhood.

Since 2012, used light bulbs have been stockpiled in the City's Electrical Department, waiting for funding for suitable disposal. The estimated cost for contracting the proper disposal of the stored bulbs for the remainder of FY '14 is $25,000. This will include disposal/recycling of the bulbs used in the City as well as bulbs recovered from the public by Keep Mobile Beautiful's recycling center.

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