Residents Say Genetta Park Taking Too Long, City Officials Say It’s On Schedule

by WAKA Action 8 News

We’re following up on a story you want answers to.
A park being constructed at the intersection of West Fairview Avenue and I-65 in Montgomery is taking too long to finish – that’s according to residents who live in that area.
Genetta Park has been in the works since 2011 and city officials tell us it won’t be finished for at least another year.

At a public planning meeting Tuesday night, residents who live along West Fairview Avenue in Montgomery told Alabama News Network Genetta Park is taking too long to complete.

“It’s like the little small park down there by McDonalds,” David McNeil said David McNeil. “It takes forever to get that done and we know that it don’t take that long to fix that small project.”

So we went looking for answers. Patrick Dunson is the City Engineer for Montgomery.

“Currently we’re in the process of finishing up phase two of a three phase construction project.”

The first phase was getting impurities out of a man made wetland area. The second phase is filtering and improving the water quality. The third and final phase is constructing the park area.

“What they are currently putting down, they’re installing the plants and the rain guarding,” Dunson says. “They’re constructing the permeable pavers.”

Phase two should be done by October. Phase three will take 12 months. But that timetable is too long for some nearby residents, like Brenda Brisker, who lives behind the park.

“They slow on the west side but on the east side, they’re fast,” she says. “I don’t know why they’re not as fast on the west side as they are on the east side. It’s supposed to be the same, equal.”

Brisker says downtown Montgomery, which is undergoing millions of dollars in renovations is taking only a matter of months, while the park is taking much longer. Others agree.

“This is the west side,” says Robert Goodman. “This is the west side. They don’t care nothing about the west side. They don’t care about the west side, look how it looks.”

Although residents say the park is taking long, city leaders say it’s right on time.