When the Legislature appropriated less than 10 percent of the funding requested for $25 million to extend The Columbus Riverwalk 14 miles to Columbus Air Force Base, it introduced even more questions to an already ambiguous undertaking.
As part of the state’s $250 million bond legislation passed Friday and now awaiting the governor’s signature, the Riverwalk project was awarded just $2.25 million.
Jeff Smith, (R, Columbus) says the project will go on anyway because he is confident it will pick up additional funding in years to come. As House Ways and Means Chairman, Smith is not without influence on such matters; but a guarantee of funding is never a certainty.
That the Legislature provided such a small portion of what was requested — Smith had hoped for at least $5 million this year — suggests enthusiasm for the project is muted.
It would seem prudent, then, backers should move cautiously and take a hard look at which elements of the project are essential and which can be delayed or abandoned altogether.
From the start, the price tag for the extension seemed grossly inflated.
For starters, the plan calls for three separate paths — one for walking, one for running and one for bicycles. This seems excessive considering how one lane seems to have worked well on the existing Riverwalk.
The project also calls for seven “exercise stations” along the 14-mile stretch of pathway. Again, it’s hard to make an argument these exercise options are needed — 14 miles of pathway provides a fairly substantial opportunity for exercise itself.
Most troubling are plans for a 1,000-seat, $3 million amphitheater on the west bank of the Tombigbee near the start of the existing Riverwalk. It is hard to imagine how such a structure can be justified.
There is already a rarely used amphitheater at the East Bank of the Columbus Lock & Dam and the stage under the restored river bridge has proven to be a popular concert venue.
Smith, the leading advocate for the project, says the $2.25 million first installment will be used for engineering and preliminary work on the amphitheater, making as a priority the last thing the project really needs.
While we think the Riverwalk extension to CAFB is a worthwhile project, we strongly believe the current plan is bloated with unnecessary “bells and whistles,” especially for a project whose funding is far from a settled matter.
Also, the simpler the project, the lower the cost for construction and ongoing maintenance.
We urge those in charge of the project to take a step back and take a hard look at what is essential to the primary goal.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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