The mayors of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores recently gave progress updates on various issues affecting their cities.

At the May First Friday Forum for the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft and Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon spoke to local business owners about the state of their cities.

Craft spoke about his city’s goal to diversity geographically.

“The majority of our assets are on that Gulf Coast right on the beach,” Craft said. “Therefore, over the years, every time we’ve had some type of economic disaster it basically shuts down Gulf Shores’ economy.”

Craft said the move of the zoo to the property on Coastal Gateway Boulevard was a way to get a big tourism attraction off the beach area as well as not having to evacuate the animals during a storm.

Craft said since 2010, his city has seen a 79% revenue increase. There has also been a 160.9% lodging tax increase in the month of December from 2014 to 2018.

“The focus on seasonal diversification has helped round out our economy, which is wonderful for the city,” Craft said. “It’s even better for businesses who are no longer looking at being part-time. Hopefully we can continue with that.”

Kennon focused some of his speech on the transportation improvements coming to Orange Beach.

“Canal Road, we’re moving utilities right now,” Kennon said. “Hopefully start paving next year or in the fall with a completion date that was Memorial Day 2020, but it looks like it will be fall 2020.”

He also spoke on acquiring Canal Road from Doc’s Seafood to Bear Point which will allow for more freedom in the improvements the city is looking to make in the future.

A topic on everyone’s minds on the island is the school situation. Kennon said his administration is extremely excited for the new school in Orange Beach.

“We feel like it changes everything for the city of Orange Beach,” Kennon said. “In our mind, you’re not a community if you don’t have a school. So, now we have a school and it completes us.”

One of the biggest challenges on the island has been getting people emergency medical care. With traffic being what it is during the summer, and large pockets of residents in areas far from Hwy. 59, getting people quickly to an emergency room can be challenging.

Gulf Shores is working on a solution to this problem with a freestanding emergency room it plans on putting on a property near the airport.

“Having a freestanding emergency room in Gulf Shores to serve the entire island to be able to stop ambulances there is big,” Craft said. “We will also have a helipad there, and a medical helicopter will have to be there to operate that emergency room. Therefore, it can go get you if you’re in Fort Morgan or Orange Beach or Ono Island and having a heart issue and you need something right now. We believe we’ve made huge strides there.”