FAIRHOPE – The upcoming year should bring a number of improvements in Fairhope, including road and park projects and utility upgrades, Mayor Sherry Sullivan said Thursday, Feb. 10.
Sullivan spoke with residents during the annual “State of the City,” event held at the Fairhope Civic Center.
The mayor said the city is getting moving forward with work to develop a new comprehensive plan, improve the waterfront area and upgrade utilities around Fairhope.
She said the city is about to start work to plan a new roundabout at the intersection of Alabama 104 and Veterans Drive.
“A lot of people are looking forward to that,” she said. “We’ve very excited.”
Fairhope also received $1 million in a grant through the Gulf of Mexico Environmental Security Act, or GOMESA, that will be used to make improvements at the Triangle park site at the intersection of Alabama 104 and Veterans Drive. Sullivan said the city plans to make the site a nature park.
The city recently completed work on the intersection of Twin Beech Road and U.S. 98 near Fairhope High School. Sullivan said city officials are working to improve the timing of the traffic lights at that intersection.
“The other thing is we also have the turn lanes that will be happening at Gayfer,” she said. “That will be at Gayfer and 98. We also have the roundabout at 13 and 32.”
Other work planned in the upcoming year includes the transit hub and art alley project near the intersection of Fairhope Avenue and Section Street.
Sullivan said that in the last year, the city passed its budget on schedule for the first time in several years. The city’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
“A lot of people ask why that’s so important. Especially in today’s economy, the state of where we are as a country, it’s so important that our budget passes in October because it gives us a chance to plan for the upcoming year,” she said. “We can get those projects that we know need to get planned and get equipment ordered.”
The city’s overall budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2021, was $113.6 million. That includes $33.59 million for general government, $66.49 million for utilities and $7 million for capital projects.
“This is a huge increase in our budget this year and a lot of that is because of utility upgrades,” Sullivan said.
During the “State of the City,” event, municipal departments set up displays around the Civic Center and employees talked with residents.
Kim Ryland discussed the James Nix Center with residents.
“It’s going well,” she said. “A lot of people aren’t aware of everything we have to offer at the Nix Center. People are impressed and said they didn’t know we had all that here.”
Resident Charles “Chuck” Wilson said the event was a chance to talk to people about what Fairhope has to offer.
“We live in the city and it’s a good way to see what all we have here,” he said. “It’s good to get out and talk to people.”
Wilson, who is the chaplain of the American Legion Post in Fairhope, said he also wants to talk to residents and officials about the work going on to repair and renovate the post’s building, which was damaged by Hurricane Sally in 2020.
