By Sarrah Peters
News Editor
On Tuesday, August 18, the Gadsden City Council unanimously approved a bid for riverfront park development on the Coosa River.
The bid was awarded to Bob Smith Construction, Inc. of Trussville. The project was estimated to cost $3.5 million, but through negotiations and changes to the plan, the council cut 1.1 million from the project cost. The project was awarded at a cost of $2.4 million. The city will not have to borrow any money for the project. The majority of the funds will be provided from bond reissues. The rest, about $312,000, will be taken from the tax increment financing fund, or TIFF fund.
Work on the project will begin soon, but it is not planned to be finished until late spring or early summer.
According to Heath Williamson, City of Gadsden’s Director of Engineering, the project will consist of the construction of improvements along the East bank of the Coosa River, due South of the Broad Street Bridge. The park will stretch along the riverfront from the Coosa Landing Marina to behind the old Hobby Lobby building.
The planned improvements include new sidewalks with sufficient lighting, boardwalks, a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian lighting, landscaping, river bank stabilization, two fixed docks and a picnic pavilion.