The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to increase Railroad Park’s annual funding by $100,000 to $1 million.

According to city staff, the 15-year-old park attracts nearly 600,000 annual visitors.

Councilor Clinton Woods, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, said this funding is about ensuring the long-term success for one of Birmingham’s most visible recreation spaces.

“I, like many other people who live here, am very proud of this amenity and we want to keep that growth going,” Woods was quoted in a release as saying. “The economic and community benefits that we’ve seen over the years have exceeded a lot of our expectations. Really this park has become a blueprint for how investments into greenspaces and recreation areas can transform entire city blocks that were once abandoned into tax producing properties.”

The council on Tuesday also voted to apply for a state grant to pay for improvements to U.S. 78 in the Avondale and Crestwood neighborhoods.

The grant is through the Alabama Department of Transportation. If approved for the money, Birmingham leaders plan to create “T” intersections and modify traffic signals where the highway crosses 3rd, 4th and 5th avenues south. Officials say this will reduce the number of wrecks along this corridor, which has been a concern for residents in the area.

The proposed changes would also add traffic signals for the entrances of Cahaba Brewery and the Continental Gin Building.

In other business, the council

• Approved a one-year, $120,000 agreement with Jones Valley Teaching Farm. The group will oversee the Urban Farmer Grant Program, which provides assistance to farmers or prospective farmers in Birmingham to start or expand their operations.
• Approved a measure to extend the term of an agreement to give TechBirmingham $150,000 to develop a program to transition junior developers and engineers into senior-level talent. Officials say the program, called Upskill Partnership Initiative, will help companies retain their workforce to address the shortage of experienced senior-level talent, which has hindered tech growth in the area. The new agreement will end March 31, 2026.
• Voted to appoint two ex-officio members to the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission: Councilor Darrell O’Quinn and Councilor Josh Vasa. These terms will expire Oct. 29, 2029. According to city officials, the 16-member commission helps guide Birmingham’s growth and development by reviewing rezoning requests before they go to the council.
• Recognized 15-year-old Hoover actor Blake Cameron James, who stars in HBO’s “IT: Welcome to Derry.”

• Reappointed two members to the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority. Those members were Willie Davis and Michelle Inman. The body also appointed three new members: LaShunda Baldwin, replacing Theodore Smith; Katie Dumas, replacing Darrell Cunningham; Patricia Todd, replacing LeDon Jones.

• Approved an ordinance allocating $100,000 to the 11 Neighborhood Associations in District 8. The money is part of the District 8 office’s Capital Improvements Funds and can be used for improvements such as beautification projects, park enhancements, sidewalk repair, traffic calming and video surveillance cameras. Councilor Sonja Smith said the money was allocated to the neighborhoods based on their populations. The areas and amounts were:
  • Bush Hills Neighborhood — $12,850.00
  • Central Park Neighborhood — $11,607.00
  • Ensley Highlands Neighborhood — $11,430.00
  • Fairview Neighborhood — $9,117.00
  • Rising West Princeton Neighborhood — $6,807.00
  • Thomas Neighborhood — $6,798.00
  • Belview Heights Neighborhood — $16,735.00
  • Tuxedo Heights Subdivision (Central Pratt) — $5,000.00
  • College Hills Neighborhood — $8,111.00
  • Graymont Neighborhood — $5,000.00
  • Tuxedo Neighborhood — $6,545.00