Engineers Address Questions About Fairhope Waterfront Project at City Hall Press Conference
Engineers with Goodwyn Mills & Cawood held a press conference at Fairhope City Hall to address questions about the BP-funded Fairhope Waterfront project.
FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Engineers from the firm Goodwyn Mills & Cawood held a press conference at Fairhope City Hall to respond to what they described as misconceptions about the Fairhope Waterfront project that have circulated on social media and among city officials.
Grant-Funded Project
The Fairhope Waterfront project is funded by a $6.2 million grant from BP. Fairhope is the only municipality on the Eastern Shore to receive such a grant. If completed, the project would be the first major project on the city’s Mobile Bay waterfront in 50 years.
Public Input Behind the Plan
Work on the project began when the Fairhope City Council approved $500,000 for engineering and conceptual plans to be developed from community input. A total of 493 people completed a questionnaire about the waterfront, and dozens more attended a series of public meetings held as part of the planning process.
Debate Among City Leaders
Some members of the City Council have recently referred to the plan as the mayor’s proposal. The mayor has cited concerns raised by residents who said they were not familiar with the proposal, which was first developed about two years ago, until recently.
The engineering firm’s presentation was intended to clarify the project’s origins, funding and the public process that shaped the conceptual plans.
