City of Robertsdale to dedicate Honeybee Park on July 4

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Improvements to Honeybee Park are nearing completion and officials with the City of Robertsdale are planning to dedicate the newly renovated facility on Independence Day, July 4.

Festivities will begin at 4 p.m. and will include a short ceremony, followed by ice cream served at the new park pavilion, said Mayor Charles Murphy.

The dedication ceremony was announced during the Robertsdale City Council meeting on Monday, June 3.

Park improvements include the installation of new sidewalks, designed to increase booth space for the annual Honeybee Festival. Existing sidewalks which surround the park have also been removed and replaced.

Brick columns surround the park, along with a brick entranceway at the south wend of the park and the pavilion, which is located on the east side in the middle of the park. Additional improvements include landscaping, additional parking and restroom facilities.

Improvements also called for the closing of Michigan Street between East Chicago and Alabama 59 Northbound.

The Robertsdale City Council awarded bids totaling nearly $1 million last November for Phase 1 of the improvements. The council approved a bid of $949,500 for the project, along with $32,500 in administration fees and voted to exempt landscaping fees of $15,000.

Mayor Charles Murphy said Adams Stewart has also presented a plan for the removal and relocation of the city’s Utilities Barn. The area will be used for an amphitheater which will feature local entertainment, with additional parking and restroom facilities surrounding the structure.

In other business June 3, the council:

•Approved a request from Eliza Cruitt of Gulf Coast Food for Thought to use city property in Cardinal Hills.

•Approved an ad renewal request from Keith Lott for the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce magazine.

•Reappointed Sylvia Mattingly, Karen Bill and Sherri Manley to the Industrial Development Board.

•Granted preliminary approval for the College Corner Subdivision provided that certain action items are completed by the subdivision’s developers.

•Approved a resolution designating Mayor Charles Murphy as an official representative to represent the city in the application process for the Alabama Drinking Water Finance Authority’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan program.