US Space Command opening first building at Redstone Arsenal, 200 people expected by end of 2026

By Scott Turner | sturner@al.com

U.S. Space Command Gen. Stephen Whiting will host a ribbon-cutting at Redstone Arsenal on Wednesday.

READ MORE : US Space Command opening first building at Redstone Arsenal, 200 people expected by end of 2026 - al.com

Mayor says Mobile’s waterfront park will open by the Fourth – even if bathrooms aren’t finished

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A multimillion-dollar renovation of Cooper Riverside Park may not be complete by the Fourth of July, but the park will open by then, Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said Tuesday.

Even if updates to the bathrooms are not yet complete.

“From a time standpoint, that might be the most concerning point, you know, when we’re updating bathrooms, especially later in the game,” the mayor said following Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “You know, that could run over our … July 4 deadline.”

Because of the time crunch, Cheriogotis asked the council to waive its normal one-week waiting period before approving new expenditures. The council unanimously approved an unbudgeted increase of $64,339 in the contract with PL Russell LLC. The extra spending will pay for extra costs for lighting and tumbled pavers on the outside of the concrete walkways. Those are meant to mimic the ballast stones used on ships that docked at the port in earlier times.

The entire project, costing a little more than $13 million, was prompted by structural deficiencies in the bulkhead separating the park from the Mobile River. Since that work was necessary, the city took the opportunity to enact a major overhaul of the park itself. Nearly all of the total cost has been paid for with oil-and-gas lease revenue passed to the states from the federal government.

The topside renovation is what city officials are calling “The Great Lawn.” Cheriogotis said he hopes it will be a showcase – starting with an Independence Day celebration that will feature a bigger-than-normal fireworks show, thanks to a City Council vote in March.

“Look, I want more people on the waterfront for any reason,” he said. “And what better reason to be on the waterfront than to watch one of the bigger, maybe the biggest, displays of fireworks in our city’s history at a city event.”

Mayor says Mobile’s waterfront park will open by the Fourth – even if bathrooms aren’t finished