The Demopolis City Council will meet Friday, May 20th at 12 noon to vote on the proposed Riverwalk project along Arch Street. I don't know if there will be discussion, allowed public speech, etc. The Council at the last meeting did go into Executive Session after planning this upcoming meeting, so they may have already done the discussing on the issue.
The Mayor has publically stated she hasn't made up her mind yet (though she did state during her campaign for Mayor she would go along with whatever the Arch Street Committee recommended). I know Thomas Moore will vote against (he will vote for the Commissioners Ave residents all the way). That leaves 4 votes to decide the fate of this project.
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If not for the walkway, do it for the floating docks and improved boat ramps at both ends. I feel, because of where it is located, the city will keep up the walkway. I also feel it will give incentive back to the council to do more with the Botanical Gardens area--not so much planting flowers, but making it a nice area for picnics, get togethers, etc. Not everything has to fail in this town.
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It would be a good idea for all those who can make it to show up at the council meeting on Friday or at least email your thoughts on this project to city hall beforehand. I know you did Dave and we need everyone's input who is for this project.
Niaisha Charleston raised her head to watch the towboat move north through the Tenn-Tom Waterway.
She and her puppy, Bangy, lay in the grass behind the city's historic Bluff Hall on the edge of the white limestone bluffs, enjoying a warm Tuesday afternoon.
Charleston often comes here to read her Bible and enjoy the day.
"It's nice and cool, and you can meditate," she said. "It's very scenic when the boats come down."
It's along this riverbank that city leaders are considering building a one-mile paved walking trail to connect the upper boat landing, near the city park, to the botanical gardens.
Some homeowners whose property adjoins the possible path of the trail are railing against the project and have hired an attorney to fight their cause. The homeowners have a laundry list of concerns, including noise, invasion of privacy and vandalism, which they are concerned the project would bring into their lives.
But others in Demopolis believe the project would help beautify the area and increase outside visitation.
"It would give a flair to the area and allow residents and tourists to enjoy the river," said Jay Shows, president of the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce.
The issue will come to a head Friday at noon, when the Demopolis City Council decides whether or not to move forward with the project. A $400,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation is already available, but the city must decide whether to provide a $100,000 match and pay engineering fees.
The issue has become a political hot potato. Mayor Cecil Williamson declined to comment on the project at City Hall on Tuesday.
A fuss over this riverfront property is nothing new. People have been arguing over it now for three centuries.
The area was deemed Arch Street when the city of Demopolis was plated in the early 1800s, but it forever remained a grassy area and was never used as a traffic thoroughfare.
Over the years, some homeowners extended backyard fences to the river even though the riverbank was still technically city property.
And in the 1890s, a man who owned property near the lower landing fenced off the river and charged fees for loading and unloading boats. He was sued and the case was argued up to the state's Supreme Court, which ruled against the man.
"It's kind of like fighting the same battle again," Shows said.
The homeowners disagree. One of them, Kay Dunn, said she understands it's the city's property, but she's afraid building a paved walking trail will forever change the quality of the area.
"All of us are pro-Demopolis and pro-tourism," Dunn said. "We welcome anyone to walk and enjoy, but we want to keep it in its natural state."
David Martin, the Tuscaloosa attorney representing the homeowners, said a geologist has told him that adding a 10-foot wide walking trail will hasten the erosion of the bluffs, which were the landing site for French exiles who established the Vine and Olive Co. here in 1817. Known as White Bluff, the location is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"There should be concerns about a 5,000-foot long sidewalk generating more runoff," Martin said.
Homeowners also worry that increased traffic will invite more problems.
"They fear putting a walk across the bluff will change the character of the area," Martin said. "It will invite skateboarders and bicyclists that will change the peace and tranquility."
City leaders would have been content with a gravel trail but could not get the ADOT grant if the path was not handicapped accessible, Shows said.
The area isn't looking its best now. Several homeowners have stopped maintaining the very backs of their properties in silent protest, allowing weeds to grow several feet high.
Socks, shirts and discarded cigarette packs litter some of the bluffs, where teenagers like to congregate on warm weekend nights.
At the end of the path, the city's botanical gardens, flanked by a rusting water tower, itself a remnant of a long departed industry, lie in a state of non-maintenance. There are no flowers, just a variety of trees and shrubs growing through a wrought iron fence with a padlocked gate.
"Residents use this as a prime example of why we shouldn't do this project," Shows said of the botanical gardens.
The gardens were created with a grant the city received in the 1980s. But no money was allotted to maintain it, and the gardens fell into a state of disrepair.
Shows hopes that if the walkway is created, money will be spent to turn the gardens into a park with pavilions, swings and restrooms.
"It has the potential to be a nice quality of life feature," he said.
Plans also call for major improvements to the city's upper landing, an area just south of the Demopolis Yacht Basin. A 150-foot floating dock and retaining wall would be constructed to allow for more docking access.
Shows said the area's long-term strategic plan calls for development along the river. Demopolis' growth can be largely attributed to its location at the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers, and its biggest tourist event is Christmas on the River.
"We thought we could market Demopolis by developing river features," Shows said. "I think it's critical we do stuff that will have a minimal impact on the residents back there, and I don't think you can have a more minimal impact than a walking trail."
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If not for the walkway, do it for the floating docks and improved boat ramps at both ends. I feel, because of where it is located, the city will keep up the walkway. I also feel it will give incentive back to the council to do more with the Botanical Gardens area--not so much planting flowers, but making it a nice area for picnics, get togethers, etc. Not everything has to fail in this town.
Honestly, I don't want an engineering firm that designs sanitary sewer lines and water dams designing a main portion of our city's character. It is very poorly planned...
Demolishing the water tower then building a new, relocated one will probably cost more than the whole grant is for. The walking trail in Natchez was over $20 million dollars. This is going to be a financial nightmare for the city and I pray they make the right decision.
Demolishing the water tower then building a new, relocated one will probably cost more than the whole grant is for.
Huh? There is nothing in the proposed trail that suggests the water tower be moved.
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