Cat Alley Walkway Opens as Entertainment District Kicks Off

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FOLEY – Foley celebrated downtown improvements Thursday, Nov. 21, with the dedication of the new Cat Alley extension and the opening of the Arts and Entertainment District.

The Cat Alley extension includes a walkway and public seating area in what had been a fenced area between the main alley and North Alston Street.

Thursday also marked the beginning of the Foley Arts and Entertainment District. The district includes several downtown blocks west of Alabama 59 where people can take drinks out of local restaurants and bars while strolling around the district.

The alley project and Entertainment District were organized by Foley Main Street – the downtown improvement organization – and the city, along with support from businesses and other organizations.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the effort is helping Foley bring more visitors and businesses to the downtown area.

“These efforts are ways that we're going to continue to improve our downtown. It's the heart and soul of our city,” Hellmich said. “If you lose that, you lose your city. We are not going to do that. We're going to continue to improve.”

Hellmich said Foley is also working to add more lighting to the downtown area. The city, Main Street and local businesses are working on a project to place strings of LED lighting on the exterior of downtown buildings.

Darrlyn Dunmore, Foley Main Street executive director, said many agencies helped make the Cat Alley project a success.

“This is a really big step for us,” Dunmore said. “We've had a lot of partners in this. We've had Riviera Utilities, the city of Foley, the city Beautification Committee, the Historic Commission and the Foley Main Street design committee. It's taken a team effort.”

She said the Baldwin County Board of Realtors also supported the project and Main Street efforts. At the dedication, the board presented Main Street with a check for $7,500 to continue to promote downtown improvements. Main Street Alabama also awarded a $25,000 grant toward the project.

Dunmore said Brightspeed, which operates the local telephone company, contributed the property on which the new alley extension was built.