The Huntsville, Ala., city council approved plans in late July to proceed with a $7.9 million construction contract with Lambert Contracting in Hollywood, Ala., to complete the final phase of Apollo Park at MidCity District.
When the work is finished in late 2024, the 20-acre park will feel similar to downtown Huntsville's Big Spring Park.
Among its features will be two lagoons suitable for canoeing and kayaking, along with walking paths, swaths of open green space, trees and landscaping, the city said in a July 27 press release. In addition, a partnership with Arts Huntsville and the National Fitness Campaign will provide a Fitness Court at the park with original artwork from world-famous artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
"This park represents the city's commitment to offer recreational options for our residents in every part of Huntsville," said Mayor Tommy Battle. "We look forward to its completion and delivering this beautiful recreation space to the community."
Phase I of the project, completed in 2017, provided a pond at the northern end of the park near the Topgolf facility, while Phase II developed the southern end at the Orion Amphitheater. The final phase will complete the central portion of the park by connecting the two previous phases with more public amenities.
Designs for the last section evolved as engineers focused on the functionality of water features to determine the appropriate scale for the available space and best techniques for managing elevation changes. The end result, city planners believe, will be a park that offers multiple ways to engage the water's edge or float across the surface, pursue a favorite fitness routine, relax with a book or enjoy a picnic lunch.
"I have long advocated for more parks and recreational offerings for residents living in District 5 and am pleased to support this project," said City Council President John Meredith in the news release. "Apollo Park will provide locals and visitors alike the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful oasis just steps away from dynamic concerts, sports offerings, restaurants, retail and urban living."
Huntsville Parks & Recreation Director James Gossett added, "Apollo Park is a fantastic addition to the city, and we appreciate the enormous effort of the entire team that has made this park project a reality. Upon completion, it will offer unique features and endless opportunities for the public to connect with the outdoors in the heart of MidCity."
Resolute Way Roadway Construction a Go for Liftoff
In another part of Huntsville, the Resolute Way interchange at Interstate 565, just west of Research Park Boulevard, and designed to improve access to the Army's Redstone Arsenal, is now scheduled for construction in three years.
That was the word in early August from the Arsenal's Directorate of Public Works (DPW).
"The project is a four-lane divided roadway allowing access on and off I-565 from the west of Redstone Arsenal in order to alleviate traffic congestion and safety issues associated with the existing Research Park interchange," Jake Roth, chief of master planning with the Garrison's DPW, told the Redstone Rocket, published weekly by the Army Garrison-Redstone Public Affairs Office.
When complete, the interchange at I-565 will give Redstone Arsenal employees and personnel who work in the Redstone Gateway development another traffic route to get onto the installation or into the back of the Gateway development.
The interchange is one of seven road projects that the Huntsville Mayor highlighted in his State of the City address late last year.
Battle said then that the projects, part of the second phase of the Restore Our Roads initiative that was estimated to cost about $800 million, will "positively reshape how we move around the city." The initiative also included the East Arsenal Connector that will run from the I-565 Sparkman Drive exit to Patton Road.
"We have a great relationship with the city and surrounding community and want to be aware of our impact on local roads," Roth explained. "We appreciate the support of the city, ALDOT [Alabama Department of Transportation] and FHWA [Federal Highway Administration] in moving this project forward into the next stages of design."
The Resolute Way project is slated for construction in 2026, he said.
"We have a long way to go and a lot of work to get done before then," Roth added. "We have identified a route that seems to meet all Redstone and FHWA requirements and have conceptual plans in place."
Additionally, the Arsenal's DPW recently completed its environmental documentation for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, Roth said, noting that his office's next steps will be in "working toward completed design drawings and [coordinating] with the city on real estate transactions necessary to allow the project to occur."
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions before making decisions, the Redstone Rocket noted in its Aug. 8 edition.
"Our current path forward is to complete an easement dedicated to the city for the construction of the interchange modification," Roth told the base's news source. "This area encompasses approximately 38 acres of Army property and requires use of existing right of way along I-565 as well as the potential for acquisition of 6.3 additional acres necessary to complete the roadway construction."
The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is "our land-holding command and would be ultimately responsible for determining the exact language and type of agreement executed between the Army and the city, state, or other federal entities," according to Roth.
USACE will need to demolish two small existing buildings that remain in the field just west of Rideout Road, he said, and "we plan to begin that work late this calendar year to move forward with the required land transactions once unincumbered."
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