CIP — An Explainer

Memphis River Parks Partnership works with and for the people of Memphis to trigger the transformative power of our river. The Partnership is committed to an exceptional standard of maintenance and to providing compelling experiences for all of Memphis and Shelby County, every day. A riverfront for everyone.

Each year, the City of Memphis allocates funding for capital improvements to city-owned assets. All agencies or divisions that manage city assets — including nonprofits like Memphis River Parks Partnership and Overton Park Conservancy — are eligible to submit projects for consideration by a committee comprised of city division directors.

The committee categorizes applications as either rehab/maintenance/upgrades or new construction projects and scores each application on a number of factors including how the project aligns with the mayor’s priorities, whether the investment will reduce operating costs/liability or increase tax receipts, the urgency of the project, whether the proposed project presents a safety risk if left unaddressed and the total cost.

This year, the Partnership submitted nine projects accounting for just over $7 million for consideration for the budget year that begins July 2020. Those projects were:

1. Repair settling concrete on walkways at Beale Street Landing
2. Repair escalator and elevator in both Mud Island terminals
3. Replace the lights on the Mud Island walk bridge with energy-efficient bulbs
4. Replace the inoperable flagpoles at the tip of Mud Island
5. Resurface parking lots on Wagner and on Mud Island
6. Upgrade the Mud Island Amphitheater
7. Repair and refurbish River Terrace on Mud Island
8. Upgrade Beale Street Landing to support additional cruise ships, park guests and events
9. Create a boardwalk around the Gulf of Mexico on Mud Island to improve safety

You can see full details on each of these submissions here.

The committee was able to identify previously allocated funds for riverfront projects to fund the urgent issues identified in items 1–4. The committee continues to review the remaining projects and evaluate their budgetary impact with a resolution expected before the summer.

We look forward to continuing our partnership with the City of Memphis to maximize our greatest shared asset — the Mississippi River.