Foley Announces Public Works Facility, May Create Entertainment District

A new facility to house Foley’s Public Works Department is to provide a central, safe location for city services over the upcoming decades, the city recently announced. A two-block area near the intersection of North Poplar Street and East Section Avenue is to provide a safe place for city equipment during such events as hurricanes. “It will consist of sanitation and the Public Works Department, and it will meet our needs for the next 30 or 40 years,” said Mayor Ralph Hellmich, adding, “That project is going to take about a year to build that out. But it’s going to be very nice, very modern.”A new fuel system, at a cost of $504,000, and rotary lifts for the campus have already been approved. The fuel system is to increase the city’s capacity and allow more fuel to be ready during emergencies. The lifts will cost $154,590 and enable city crews to work on all the city’s equipment. “The fact is that we’re growing,” Hellmich said. “Our fleets are bigger. We have more trucks, we have more police cars, things of that nature…. It will give us more resiliency. Additionally, the city announced that local officials, business leaders and residents are considering creating a second entertainment district as a way to increase business and improve nightlife downtown. The district would see restaurants and bars remain open later than in other areas and offer entertainment such as outside music performances. Hellmich said Foley already has an entertainment district at the OWA Park and Resort that has been good for business and has not seen increased crime rates. He added, however, that before the city creates a new one, officials, residents and downtown business owners would have to create a plan. Supporters want to increase opportunities for entertainment, while preserving the nature of the downtown area. Under Alabama law, an entertainment district can include 160 acres. A previous proposal for a Foley district included the area along McKenzie Street between approximately Rose Avenue and Myrtle Avenue and along Laurel Avenue from Chicago Street west to Pine Street.