City Beat: More fresh food, funding for Birmingham Promise, boost for Pratt City

Bus passengers in Birmingham now have another place to obtain fresh, healthy food, as the City Council recently provided funding for The Birmingham Promise. Also, the Birmingham Airport Authority achieved some positive recognition, and Pratt City has a beautiful new park.

MAKING IT FRESH

Birmingham Central Market, located at MAX Central Station downtown, opened for business Oct. 30. Created by the city and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, the facility is designed to make fresh food, including produce, eggs and honey, accessible to more Magic City residents. The market is open Monday through Friday, 12:30-5:30 p.m.

“This market will fill a great need for MAX bus passengers and the public who do not necessarily stay in proximity to healthy food,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said.

Almost 70% of Birmingham residents live in neighborhoods designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as food deserts, officials said, meaning they have little to no access to healthy foods.

NATIONAL HONOR FOR BAA

The Birmingham Airport Authority was recently awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the second year in a row by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report.

“Our finance department diligently works to ensure that we produce high-quality and transparent financial reports,” BAA President and CEO Ronald Mathieu said.

KEEPING A PROMISE

The nonprofit Birmingham Promise Inc. workforce development program will receive $2 million from the city each year for five years under an agreement approved by the City Council on Oct. 15. The money will help fund post-secondary apprenticeships and job opportunities for students in Birmingham City Schools.

“The Birmingham Promise exists to ensure that every student who walks across the high school graduation stage has a pathway to a quality job, and every employer in a high-growth industry establishes a talent pipeline,” Woodfin said.

ONE PRATT PARK

Mayor Randall Woodfin and other officials held a ribbon-cutting in October for One Pratt Park near the Pratt City Library. The 6-acre park sits in an area hit by a powerful tornado on April 27, 2011. It features an activity building measuring 4,500 square feet, as well as open fields, picnic areas and a walking track. The park cost $8 million, most of which came from federal disaster recovery funds.