Mobile residents met Tuesday, June 16th to receive project updates and voice their concerns at the District 1 Community Meeting.
District 1 Councilman Cory Penn opened the meeting with progress updates on the Three Mile Creek Greenway Trail, sharing plans to build a bridge across the creek that would connect the existing trail from Tricentennial Park to Mill Street Park.
He continued with updates on repavement plans for multiple roads in the Crichton community, including Cotton Street, Fillingim Street, McKinney Street, Loeffler Street, Farrell Street, McLemore Street and May Street. The plans will use $1.9 million of the district’s $4 million budget.
The councilman went on to explain that each of the city’s districts receives the same budget, adding that newer infrastructure in other districts requires less work than District 1’s older infrastructure.
“We all have the same amount of money,” he said. “So the four million that I receive is the same four million that any new [district receives]. And so, that four million has to be used for different things.”
Later, Penn shared a report-back from Tuesday’s pre-council meeting, in which he sought support from Mayor Cheriogotis for what he calls “Neighbors, Buy Your Block.” The program would give neighbors of blighted properties “first dibs” to buy the property and would remove liens, allowing them to purchase the property outright. He says the project’s goal is for community members to control the narrative.
Throughout the meeting, residents shared concerns for everything from hazardous trees and business properties to issues with 311, the city’s non-emergency service request system. Penn encouraged attendees to continue utilizing the service for reporting, saying that cases are used for record-keeping, training, and accountability.
Residents can submit service request orders for non-emergency concerns through the City of Mobile 311 app or by phone, email, or web.