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Gadsden leaders detail $3M Greenway grant, Broad Street Bridge plans and neighborhood paving priorities
Summary
City leaders discussed a $3 million Greenway grant with a 50/50 match, said the project aims to improve walkability across neighborhoods, and outlined plans and funding for Broad Street Bridge restoration and a neighborhood paving program.
City officials described a $3 million Greenway grant and related infrastructure priorities during council remarks Tuesday, emphasizing walkability, neighborhood connections and care to avoid unintended tax burdens on long-term residents. Councilman Wilson said the Greenway award is a $3 million grant that requires a 50/50 local match, making the project roughly a $6 million investment. He told the council the Greenway is designed to “connect different communities” and focus on safety and walkability rather than serving only the historic core. “There’s an intense focus on the safety, and walkability of that project,” Wilson said. Wilson and Mayor Ford said the city is watching potential property-tax effects of large public improvements. Wilson pointed to Atlanta’s redevelopment beltway—where officials and nonprofits later offered tax-assist programs for long-standing residents—and suggested similar protections may be needed in Gadsden to avoid displacing low- and moderate-income homeowners as property values rise. Mayor Ford and other council members also addressed the Broad Street (Memorial) Bridge restoration. Ford said the city has secured federal funding—more than $6 million—from U.S. senators’ offices specifically for repaving and restoration of the nearly 120-year-old bridge and that the city wishes to preserve the bridge’s concrete and historical character rather than replace it with an asphalt overlay or a new design. Ford said the city will seek to pressure-wash, restore concrete and “light that thing up” as part of the branding of downtown Gadsden. Separately, Ford and others described a neighborhood paving program that organizes work in geographic clusters (red/yellow/green prioritization based on a street-condition study). The city’s in-house paving crew will work area-by-area to maximize efficiency; officials said the approach saved the city more than $600,000 on at least one project. No formal council action on the Greenway, bridge restoration or paving priorities was taken during the meeting; council members outlined funding sources, partnerships and next steps during remarks and citizen comments.
