On October 5, 2018, the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) released its Draft State Expenditure Plan (SEP) for a 45-day public comment period. In a public meeting on March 7, 2018, the Council voted on projects to include in its “Bucket 3” plan. The Council adopted the Draft SEP which, once finalized, will be submitted to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council for review and approval.
The Council is seeking public comment on this Draft State Expenditure Plan until Tuesday, November 20, 2018. A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, where the Council will present the proposed plan and receive comments.
The draft SEP included $579,375 for CAP’s Regional Ecotourism Strategic Plan. This project would be for the development and implementation of a branding and marketing plan by the stakeholders of the Gulf Coast region that emphasizes the region’s natural resources.
Specifically this plan would:
- Develop a Brand and marketing plan showcasing Alabama’s Gulf Coast and its potential for ecotourism
- Identify and develop an online resource directory with a list of ecotourist destinations in the two-county Gulf Coast region
- Implement the plan through advertising and publicizing the “brand” developed by this effort utilizing signage, online marketing, and paid advertising to increase tourism in the region.
Many of the other twenty-eight proposed activities in the Draft SEP accommodate CAP’s initiatives and priorities. A few highlights of projects included in the SEP are:
- Alabama Seafood Marketing Program–$2.9 million
- Canal Road Improvements E. of SR 161–$1.9 million
- Upgrades to ADEM Coastal and Mobile Field Offices–$6 million
- Mobile Area Storm Water Mapping & Resiliency Planning–$3 million
- Fort Morgan Parkway Trail Extension–$4.5 million
- Three Mile Creek Watershed Restoration–$12 million
- Little Lagoon Restoration Project—$6.1 million
- One Mobile: Reconnection People through Complete Streets—$1.2 million
- Meaher Park Improvements–$3.5 million
- Fairhope Sewer Upgrades Phase I—$10.3 million
CAP is planning on submitting comments on these and many more projects included in the draft SEP and encourage our partners to do the same.
To Learn More: RESTORE Council and Bucket 3 Projects
