City Council Adds $9.75M More for Beale Street Landing to Budget

So far taxpayers have paid $31.5M (plus $1M in private money) to complete Beale Street Landing's boat dock, helical loading ramp, grass-roofed restaurant/gift shop, and new parking lot.

Now, City Council has added $9.75M more to the budget to pay landscaping costs for the "pods" and zigzagged concrete sidewalks at Beale Street Landing. That brings the total taxpayer cost for Beale Street Landing to around $41.25M. (Click on illustration to enlarge.)

Don't be confused like we were until Tom Charlier's article in the Commercial Appeal straightened it out. This $9.75M is NOT the $9M loan to the Great American Steamboat Co. approved the same day (May 17) in the same resolution by City Council. Click HERE for the Commercial Appeal article.

And don't forget there are options. Last year Benny Lendermon told the RDC Board

Lendermon [click for audio]:
I mean, you could go in there with maybe, you know, a million dollars and fix everything and make it green and make the connections to Beale Street, and all...

For more information or to weigh-in on the budget, steamboat deal or additional $9.75M to landscape Beale Street Landing, e-mail the Council and Mayor:

Mayor@memphistn.gov,
Bill.Morrison@memphistn.gov,
Bill.Boyd@memphistn.gov,
Wanda.Halbert@memphistn.gov,
Harold.Collins@memphistn.gov,
Jim.Strickland@memphistn.gov,
Edmund.Fordjr@memphistn.gov,
Joe.Brown@memphistn.gov,
Janis.Fullilove@memphistn.gov,
Myron.Lowery@memphistn.gov,
Kemp.Conrad@memphistn.gov,
Shea.Flinn@memphistn.gov,
Reid.Hedgepeth@memphistn.gov