The City of Foley’s walkable neighborhood project continues to expand. Work will soon begin on walkways to link the Mills Community in west Foley with other areas of the city.
The Foley City Council recently voted to seek bids to build a sidewalk connecting the park being planned in Mills with other city walkways.
Mills residents voted in 2023 to have their community annexed into Foley. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said city officials have been working since that time to develop plans for the sidewalk and park.
“This has been about three years worth of work to get the rights of way,” Hellmich said. “Those rights of way out there are very narrow, about 40 feet. It’s a challenge to get a sidewalk in there and we had to address drainage.”
The mayor said community members are excited about the sidewalk project.
“Our ultimate goal is to tie it back along Airport Road, back to the Cedar Street complex, or at least get it to where our path ends at Hickory,” Hellmich said. “That way, we’ll have connections to other parts of our community.”
Taylor Davis, Foley city engineer, said the sidewalk will extend along Little Rock Road, Dailey Lane, a section of Baldwin County 65 and Mills Road before ending at the site where the community park will be built.
“We’ve had over two dozen parcels and over a dozen owners, right of way challenges and drainage issues that we’ve battled through the years,” Davis said. “We got approval from the owners, and now we’re ready to go to bid.”
Hellmich praised the efforts by Davis and other Foley employees to move plans for the sidewalk and park forward.
“Taylor and everyone have done very good work, working with the community group out here to acquire these approvals,” Hellmich said. “We’re getting easements in and some just outright rights of way. This is a really big project.”
Davis said city Leisure Services workers, including Executive Director David Thompson, also worked with the community to develop the project.
“David has done a lot of work with the community and with the Mills community leaders and those churches out there,” Davis said. “They’ve done the groundwork. They’ve done the heavy lifting.”
The Mills Community Church Organization also played a key role in the project. The group facilitated meetings with residents and the city to move the project forward.
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