Now that one of the largest structures in Foley is in the air, there is much discussion about what the name of the new pedestrian bridge will be or if it would be named after anyone.
There was …
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Now that one of the largest structures in Foley is in the air, there is much discussion about what the name of the new pedestrian bridge will be or if it would be named after anyone.
There was discussion at Foley’s last city council meeting on Aug. 15 about not only the name, but when there would be a grand opening or ribbon cutting.
“It’s not yet opened; there’s some things that have to be finished on the bridge and finish the parking lot,” said Mike Thompson, city administrator for the city.
LaDonna Hinesley, leisure tourism marketing director for Foley, is planning a ribbon cutting ceremony and a ceremonial “walk across,” possibly with students from the areas schools.
“A lot of folks are excited about it, and we are, too,” she said.
The estimated opening date is early to mid-September, weather permitting and construction complete.
Most of the council members had the same idea about the naming of the pedestrian bridge.
“I don’t think we should put a person’s name on the bridge,” said Councilman Rick Blackwell.
Many have speculated the bridge would be named in honor of Kenny Stabler, NFL Hall of Famer and University of Alabama alumni.
Councilman Wayne Trawick spoke with Stabler’s family about the matter.
“I’ve had conversations with the family and the family does not want that to happen,” he said. “They would rather have him honored in our sports fields, which is good. I sat down with the family and spoke to them and they are fine. They’re really glad we weren’t going to name it after him. My take on it was we weren’t going to name it for any individual. My take is there should be “Welcome to Foley,” or something generic on the bridge, if we put a name on it at all. We’ve got time; we don’t have to do anything at all.”
Councilman Ralph Hellmich echoed Trawick.
“It’s really a bridge for the citizens of Foley, and it really should be named for that,” he said. “…Something like “Foley Historic District,” then you could bring in the beautification committee and the historic commission. It’s the same consensus with the clock tower.”
The topic then changed to not having lettering on the bridge at all, but possibly a vertical banner hanging on either side of the bridge.
“That way you can put up what you want when you want,” Thompson said. “You can highlight historic downtown in the fall and maybe highlight something else another time. That way you’ve got banners for different purposes.”
Orange Beach architectural firm McCollough Architecture Inc. designed the bridge.
“We also need to consider not just what the banners say, but how it looks,” explained Hellmich. “They went to hard work to make it look like railroad trestles. We want to make sure whatever we put on it, it blends and compliments it, something thought out, and we’ve got time to do that.”
Councilman Charlie Ebert commended Sted McCollough on his job designing the pedestrian bridge.
“Sted really did a phenomenal job,” Ebert said. “His specialism shows through his work. It’s not often you see a finished product like that turn out like the renderings. And he did a really great job.”
Thompson agreed.
“The renderings are beautiful, but it’s even more beautiful in person,” he said.
Money for the pedestrian bridge comes from a $4.7 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2013, along with a 25 percent match — roughly $1.6 million — from the city.
Hellmich said it best, “It’s going to be an iconic downtown structure for many years.”
