Community members and city officials gathered Monday night to brainstorm and discuss the detailed planning phase of the rebuilding effort of the tornado-affected Alberta neighborhood.
Meredith Lynch, public relations director for Tuscaloosa Forward and incident command, said Monday’s meeting was a chance for residents to bring detailed concerns to the table. Three additional meetings will take place this week concerning the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and 15th Street, Forest Lake and Rosedale Court.
“We’ve had community meetings earlier to get broad ideas of how people wanted to rebuild, but we’ve split into these four different areas to get more specific,” Lynch said.
City officials and Almon Associates, Inc. consultants were on hand to discuss any questions or concerns from citizens. Consultants were also available to explain the large posters outlining various future scenarios that citizens could examine.
One poster, labeled ‘Connections Map’, showed proposed initiatives that would link the Alberta area with other communities. Nearly following the path of April’s tornado, the map charted bike lanes and pedestrian routes from Rosedale through the 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard area as well as from Alberta to Holt.
According to the poster, the path is called a conceptual Greenway path. It would serve as a “Greenway artery” that could link residential areas to shops and other amenities. Tornado memorials were also mentioned.
Myra Koster, a retired UA employee, has lived in a neighborhood on the edge of Alberta City for over 50 years. She said she feels that a Greenway should not be the city’s first priority.
“Greenways and bike trails should be considered last,” Koster said. “We’ve got plenty of parks in Tuscaloosa if you want to go to a park. Alberta is going to be crime ridden if they don’t clean it up. It needs more streetlights. The power company put up a pole by my house but they still haven’t hooked up the light.”
Koster said she no longer shops in Alberta, on advisement of friends and family. She no longer leaves her house at night, she said, because it is too dark.
Koster, who just returned to her home following the storm’s damage, said she believes the prioritization of tornado memorials is also wrong.
“It’s OK to memorialize, but individual neighborhoods should do that if they want,” Koster said. “I think that money should be used to help someone rebuild their home. If there is money left over, then put a memorial up.”
Kim McMurray, an architect working with Tuscaloosa Forward, said Monday was the time and place for people like Koster to voice their concerns.
After this week’s meetings, Tuscaloosa Forward and the city will be narrowing down their planning and focus.
“We’re really diving into detail in January,” McMurray said. “We’re going to see some evolution of detail. We’re targeted to have three specific schemes to get feedback on in January.”
A meeting scheduled tentatively for Jan. 23 will allow residents to come out and see these schemes and discuss their thoughts again. McMurray said city residents have been helpful and involved with the entire process.
“We’ve sent out 3,500 questionnaires, trying to encourage as much feedback as possible,” she said. “It’s been awesome for the city to be this open.”
Monday’s meeting is the first of four meetings this week concerning the Tuscaloosa Forward plan.
The meeting for the McFarland and 15th Street area will be Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Central High School. The Rosedale and 10thAvenue area meeting will also be held at Central on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The Forest Lake area meeting will be Thursday, Dec. 1 at Forest Lake United Methodist Church. All meetings are scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m.
Tuscaloosa Forward Meetings
Tuesday: McFarland and 15th Street area – Central High School
Wednesday: Rosedale and 10th Avenue area – Central High School
Thursday: Forest Lake area – Forest Lake United Methodist Church
All meetings are from 4 to 7 p.m.
