City Council approves funding for Railroad Park for 3 years

The Birmingham City Council — at its regular meeting for Tuesday, Jan. 21 — voted unanimously to provide three years of city funding for the iconic Railroad Park downtown.

Under a management agreement between the city and Railroad Park Foundation, the RFP will manage and operate Railroad Park and conduct additional fundraisers to help pay for the operation of the facility.

The city will provide $600,000 for Fiscal Year 2020 and $900,000 for Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022 toward the park’s operation.

However, this is subject to the funding appropriations in each fiscal year budget, according to the text of the agenda item.

Birmingham CrossPlex

The Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance to amend the capital fund budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 and transfer just over $468,000 from infrastructure improvement at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Five Points West and use the money for citywide street paving projects.

Councilor Steven Hoyt, initially voiced his concern with the item, since the development of the CrossPlex is not complete

“I don't understand why we would take money from a project that is still developing,” said Hoyt, who represents District 8, which includes the CrossPlex.

“We all need our roads resurfaced but we have money in the budget already for resurfacing,” he said, referring to the $8 million the council previously allocated for paving.

However, Councilor Valerie Abbott, who serves as chair of the council’s Budget and Finance Committee, said her committee was told that the specific project at the CrossPlex that the money was allocated for originally has been completed. That work included a fountain and some roadways, according to Abbott.

That project has been closed for three years, leaving the remaining funding available for other projects, according to Mayor Randall Woodfin.

Hoyt agreed to vote for the item after Woodfin assured Council President William Parker that the administration would push to have its audit team complete a list of all capital projects in the city, including any unencumbered monies.

In another agenda item, the council also approved a payment of just under $300,000 to RAM Enterprises of Montgomery for the removal of existing warm-up and sprint lanes and installation of new Mondo track surfacing at the CrossPlex.

Wrestling events

In another item related to the CrossPlex, the council — as part of its consent agenda — approved an agreement between the city and the Alabama High School Athletic Association under which the AHSAA will host its Super Sectional and Duals wrestling tournaments at the facility for three years — 2020, 2021 and 2022. In return, the city will pay the AHSAA $45,000 per year.  The events are expected to attract about 1,400 athletes and about 20,000 fans from high schools across the state, thereby generating revenue and positive publicity for Birmingham.