Escambia County has finished the latest in a series of projects aimed at revitalizing the Brownsville community. Last week, county officials announced completion of the Lee Street Sidewalk Project, which created nearly one mile of new sidewalks along West Lee Street.
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The project added over 5,000 feet of sidewalks on Lee from S Street to Green Street, connecting to existing sidewalks recently added around the Brownsville Community Center.
“Are you all going to sidewalk all of Brownsville,” resident Nora Demos asked of District 3 Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May during a visit to the community last summer.
May proudly responded, “We’re gonna sidewalk just about all of Brownsville.”
May and his staff members looked over a map to check on the sidewalks around Demos’ home near Z Street and Lee.
“Well, you know, we got all of Lee,” he declared.
At the time, it was a chance meeting with May, who happened to be visiting the community to check on the cleanup portion of Operation Brownsville, which was a coordinated initiative aimed at reducing gun violence in the area.
“It was times when people would not pass or drive through here, they would be afraid. But, now, it’s a walkable neighborhood,” stated May. “We’re doing things that are going to be able to make a difference. We’re going to put in a library. We’re going to put in a café. We’re going to put in a business incubator. Those things are going to sustain.”
The recently completed sidewalks on West Lee Street are part of Escambia County’s Brownsville Community Redevelopment Plan for the historic neighborhood. There are now more than four miles of new sidewalks, more than seven miles of recently repaved roadways, and additional playground and exercise equipment at the Brownsville Community Center park.
The Lee Street Sidewalk Project was managed by the Escambia County Engineering Department and completed ahead of schedule.
In addition to the sidewalks, the improvement project has included drainage enhancements and installation of sanitary sewer on Lee Street.
Commissioner May says the county is now doing what previous administrations should have; making a major investment in the Brownsville community.
“And, so when you say what’s different about prior administrations, about the past, we’re actually doing something that people can see, touch, feel, and feel good about,” he said.
