Downtown Foley is getting updates to make it safer and more enjoyable for people walking through the area. New bollards will block cars from entering pedestrian zones. Decorative lights will be added above city streets. The improvements are meant to create a more welcoming atmosphere.

The Foley City Council has approved buying the bollards, which will keep cars from driving or parking where people are walking. The city also plans to collect bids for installing decorative lighting on West Jessamine Avenue.

Foley construction project manager Jeff Phillips said some cars have been parking in areas meant only for pedestrians.

“On our Cat Alley project, for example, we have vehicles that are parking where people walk on sidewalks,” Phillips said. “So while these bollards are decorative, they can also block traffic from parking on sidewalks.”

The new bollards can also be customized to fit uses in different areas of Foley.

“The ones we're using around Cat Alley are going to have a cat logo on them. But you can also have city of Foley logos on these too,” Phillips said. “These are also cheaper than the concrete-filled ones, so we can expand these to use throughout downtown.”

The new bollards will be similar in appearance to barriers placed at the recently completed eastern entrance to Heritage Park. The Heritage Park bollards have a round top, while the new barriers will have a flat top where emblems can be placed.

The council also approved plans to go out for bids on decorative lights that will be placed over West Jessamine Avenue between Alabama 59 and North Alston Street near the north entrance to Cat Alley.

The strings of cafe-style lighting will be extended over the street.

Phillips said officials have been working on the plans for about two years in order to determine details, such as the correct height to allow trucks to use the street.

“We've been trying to find the right poles,” Philips said. “You have to have the correct canopy for garbage trucks and all to pass underneath. We’ve finally got it and we're ready to go to bid.”