Sidewalks, landscaping on task force’s wish list

The group, which includes representatives from city government and downtown business interests, met this week and pared its wish list from about $11 million worth of projects to about $3 million.

The proposed work includes sidewalks, landscaping and benches for several streets within two or three blocks of the arena, which is scheduled to open this year.

Councilman Rickey Peete, a task force member, said the list was scaled back because some of the work was deemed unnecessary or a lower priority than projects closer to the building.

Herenton’s budget proposal submitted to council members Tuesday includes about $4.1 million for improvements around the FedExForum.

Robert Lipscomb, the city’s director of housing and community development and coordinator of the task force, said the improvements recommended by the mayor and the task force are all needed to help attract private-sector investment to complement the $250 million in public funds spent on the arena project.

“It’s one of our largest public works projects in the history of our city,” Lipscomb said. “It’s just important that we look at this as an anchor project to attract private investment to that area.”

But Duncan Ragsdale, a local attorney who opposed the project, said the requests for more taxpayer dollars show how the public has been misled.

“We’re two years into the deal and this is something nobody anticipated,” Ragsdale said. “I think this is another example of imposing the costs of this on the public while the profits go to private enterprise.”

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Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.thecommercialappeal.com