Africatown Funds Approved

The Mobile County Commission approved nearly $354,000 for Africatown projects at its last meeting, Call News reports. Projects will include stabilization of a house that once held descendants of slaves brought to America on the Clotilda, investigation for restoration of other structures and the start of work to convert the recently purchased former Scott Credit Union building at 2201 Paper Mill Road into a food pantry (BBN #47). The bulk of the money is considered a “placeholder” for the latter project, Mobile County Commission President and District 1 Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said. So far, $79,604 has been allocated to Watermark Design Group LLC of Mobile for project development, bidding and administration connected to the conversion. Additionally, Commercial Diving Services Inc. of Mobile was awarded $24,980 to provide architectural history and stabilization services for a more than century old building at 1150 Newman Lane. The remainder of the funds are to go toward unnamed projects in the district to restore other historic structures.