Columbus Mayor Robert Smith updated Rotary Club members Tuesday on a number of projects, including improvements to the Columbus Soccer Complex, renovations to the old Highway 82 bridge and revitalization efforts along Catfish Alley, the section of Fourth Street South between College Street and Main Street.
Smith said he met Tuesday to discuss the soccer complex with Lowndes County District 1 Supervisor and board president Harry Sanders, Ward 5 City Councilman Kabir Karriem, City Engineer Kevin Stafford and Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority Executive Director Roger Short.
Since its grand opening last month, the $5 million complex has faced sharp criticism over parking problems and a lack of restrooms.
Smith said revised plans call for the construction of a new concession stand, with restrooms and lounges for referees and coaches. They are hoping to solve the parking issues by purchasing a half-acre lot at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Third Street for additional parking.
The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors will discuss the plans at their Nov. 5 meeting, and the Columbus City Council will discuss them during their regular meeting the following night.
In other news, work began Sept. 4 to restore the old Highway 82 bridge, and Smith said teams of divers have been underwater, repairing the center pillar.
Malouf Construction LLC, of Starkville, is handling the $2.5 million project. The bridge, which spans the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway beside the Columbus Riverwalk, will be restored as closely as possible to its original condition and turned into a pedestrian walkway.
The work is being funded by $133,000 apiece from the city, county and Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Catfish Alley is also being spruced up. Smith said seven wooden utility poles will be replaced with metal poles similar to those at the soccer complex, and the sidewalks, curbs and gutters will be repaired. Six parking spots were removed to make way for flower beds.
Plans are also underway to erect a monument honoring black business owners who operated shops on the street for 20 or more years.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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