Selma gets $5M infusion for downtown improvements

Grants and funding totaling almost $5 million have been allocated for Selma to use on improvements to its struggling downtown.

The Selma City Council approved several grants that will fund a variety of projects downtown, from a federal grant to improve the Riverwalk area to state funds for boosting the Welcome Center.

The Selma City Council approved $4 million federal grant for the Riverfront Multi-Plex Public Facility. The city will have to match $75,000 and manage the project, which the ordinance states will “serve as a catalyst for revitalization in the Riverfront Development Area of the city” where, according to ALDOT, there are over 8.4 million annual travelers.

The grant is from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and was secured by Congresswoman Terri Sewell, who is from Selma. The grant says it will fund acquiring, redeveloping and constructing a center for essential public safety services so it will be accessible for all members of the community.

A $790,000 grant from the state will go toward improving the parking lot, lighting, landscaping and sidewalks at the Selma Welcome Center on Broad Street and is scheduled to come before the council.

The Black Belt Benefit Group got the OK to install docks where bike riders can secure their bikes at seven sites downtown, including Gallery 905, Arts Revive Carneal Building, Selma Welcome Center, Charlie “Tin Man” Lucas Studio, Lafayette Park, Selma Public Library and Dallas County Courthouse.

The council delayed approval to spend $33,700 to purchase the bikes the Selma Police Department recently purchased with a federal grant and later discovered that the grant would not pay for them.