Mobile’s District 1 received legislative, public safety and public works updates Tuesday, July 14th during its routine community meeting.
Councilman Cory Penn informed attendees of ongoing road repavement projects and plans for new sidewalks prioritizing school zones, areas of inclusive accessibility and areas reported through the city’s 311 service request system.
Penn continued sharing an update on a vote from council members to invest $1.4 million into cleaning ditches and maintenance. Other plans include obtaining a property known to be the cause for many of the district’s drainage issues.
Speaking on the vision for the district, Penn stated, “We want to see safer streets, we want to make sure that [they’re] accessible to walking, we want to make sure that we have our drainage and we want to fix blight issues.”
Melvin Jones, MPD Deputy Chief of Operations, joined the meeting, informing community members about 16 new officers who graduated in June and another class in progress. Jones spoke to other programs the department runs, adding that community feedback has been crucial for progress.
“If we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything about it,” he said. “If there’s something that’s going on in your community, please call us.”
Attendees also heard from Shonnda Smith, Deputy Executive Director of Public Works and Senior Director of Parks and Recreation, who spoke on the newly independent Stormwater Department and its work cleaning residue from around 65 ditches in the community. Parks and Recreation updates included CIP planning for 2027.
Other notable attendees included Municipal Court Judges Shelbonnie Hall, Carvine Adams and Chris Arledge, and First Congressional District Candidate Clyde W. Jones, Jr.
The next District 1 community meeting will be held in Toulminville with the venue to be determined. Penn encourages residents to sign up for the district newsletter for meeting updates.
