One of Cullman County’s most widely used access points to the Mulberry River is getting a hefty makeover after the town of Garden City was named as one of the first recipients to receive settlement funds from a 2020 lawsuit against Tyson.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed the lawsuit in 2020 after an estimated 800,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater was spilled into the Black Warrior River from the Tyson owned River Valley Ingredients facility in Hanceville the previous year. In 2021, Tyson agreed to a $3 million settlement with half of those funds being placed into a trust overseen by a five-member committee of local delegates.

The Garden City-owned access point was named as one of the first recipients of those settlement funds last June with the announcement of a four-part renovation plan. These renovations began with a site wide “river cleanup” effort with plans to provide more amenities for residents who frequent the area and to attract new visitors.

In December the town accepted a bid from Lone Star Steel to begin the construction on the sites largest addition of new bathroom facility. Plans are also in place to bring a new kayak launch and walking trail to the site.

Garden City was also included in the second wave of settlement fund recipients after its proposal to construct a new Fire Station for the town’s volunteer fire department. Mayor Tim Eskew said the department had outgrown the nearly 50-year-old facility it was currently using.

The Garden City Volunteer Fire Department began seeing an increased amount of revenue after the town approved a $3 monthly increase to residents’ fire dues in July. Former Garden City Fire Chief James Johnson explained the need for the increase the following month at the town’s council meeting.

Johnson said after responding to a fire at the Tyson facility last June, the department was not only left without proper gear, but was also given stricter regulations it must abide by. He said the cost of the equipment in need of replacing had nearly doubled from previous years and the department would now be required to maintain a backup set at all times.

Garden City also announced its plans to upgrade and extend the municipal water services using $520,000 in federal funding secured by Congressman Robert Aderholt.

Eskew said the outdated cast iron pipes on the south end of the town would be replaced and extended across River Bridge to service a number of Blount County Residents. He said the town has plans to annex the areas receiving these services into Garden City.