Enterprise council outlines third-quarter goals, cites park, street and workforce projects

Jonathan Tullos, a city staff member, told the Enterprise City Council during a July work session that several projects assigned to the third quarter of the city’s strategic plan are already complete or well advanced.

Tullos said Weeda Street Park improvements, the outdoor fitness center near Bellwood Road in the Peavy Park area, the parks and recreation maintenance facility building and the soccer complex multipurpose field are substantially complete. “We’re actually ahead of schedule on some of these,” he said.

The progress matters because the council adopted a quarterly goal schedule tied to the strategic plan and asked staff to limit new initiatives until quarterly checkpoints. Tullos said staff will schedule ribbon cuttings for City Hall and the Weeda Street Park and expects remaining punch-list items and exterior work at City Hall to finish soon.

On transportation, staff reported about 75% completion of the city’s phase 5 street resurfacing program and said preliminary proposals for phases 6 and 7 have been submitted for budgeting. Tullos asked the council to approve a final list for phase 6 so those costs can be included in the next fiscal year budget. He noted the city came in under estimate on phase 5 and hopes to sustain favorable bids.

Tullos provided status updates on several larger projects that depend on outside agencies. The airport runway extension requires relocating County Road 606; the city received approximately $2,400,000 in grant funds for that relocation and is coordinating design and construction with the county and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). A previously proposed roundabout at the Shellfield Road intersection proved too costly; ALDOT revised the plan to signalize the intersection at about $1.7 million under the state grant program, and staff said installation is awaiting materials from ALDOT.

On downtown improvements, the city plans a redevelopment meeting for Rucker Boulevard on July 22 at Rucker Boulevard Elementary to gather resident and business stakeholder input, and staff is contracting with KPS (the consultant who led the comprehensive plan) to refine recommendations. A broader Rucker Boulevard connectivity study completed a conceptual cost estimate of about $41,200,000 for the entire segment; staff said smaller, developer-led sections could be in the $5–$8 million range.

Tullos told the council the city will fund a library study in the next budget to evaluate whether the existing location and size meet community needs, and recommended paying for a new Pavement Condition Index (PCI) study to guide resurfacing and water‑line priorities.

Staff also reported completion or near completion of other downtown projects: a wayfinding signage phase bid came in under $90,000 versus an initial $160,000 budget estimate; the Main Street lighting project will use Sourcewell purchasing to acquire 132 lights and be installed by public works; and some parking apron work at the airport has been completed.

Council members asked staff to add several items to third-quarter work sessions, including a staff briefing on railroad right-of-way maintenance downtown and a follow-up on a dip in the roadway on Daleville Avenue. Tullos said staff will add those items and return with options and cost estimates.

The council recessed the work session and scheduled an executive session later that evening on real estate and economic development, per a motion during the meeting.