Duluth Matters Takes on Alley

Duluth City Councilman Billy Jones is mustering volunteers for a Duluth Matters work day to improve the appearance of the alley that runs behind the shops on Main Street in the Old City Hall Block.

The city’s Public Works Department is going to utilize a new piece of equipment to break up the concrete on the alley walkway and then patch the asphalt, Jones said, so that it will be level enough for shoppers and Duluth Fall Festival visitors to use it. Public Works employees also will shingle the roof of a vacant building on the alley, he said.

The alley links West Lawrenceville Street and Abbotts Bridge Road. The vacant building faces Abbotts Bridge Road.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Saturday, May 18, work day, volunteers will board up windows and openings of the vacant building with plywood and paint it, Jones said.

Donations of food, beverages, and bottled water are needed, he said, and cash donations for materials are welcome. The Duluth Fall Festival Committee is providing some funds for the project.

To volunteer to help, email Jones at bjones@duluthga.net.

The councilman recently formed Duluth Matters to help with various community improvement projects in Duluth. The first project involved making minor repairs and painting the basement at the Red Clay Theatre. Next, Duluth Matters volunteers cleaned up the vacant Cash & Sons lot on Main Street.