A Message from Mayor Stimpson - October 6
Oct 6th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 8 p.m. on Monday, October 6, and I am writing to give you an update from the City of Mobile.
Today, the Mobile County Health Department reports 13,818 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 35 cases. To review the detailed report, click here.
Our crews have collected nearly 50% of the estimated 381,360 cubic yards of trash and debris throughout the city and will continue these efforts in the coming weeks. However, in an effort to expedite the collection of debris left over from Hurricane Sally, the City of Mobile has set up drop off locations for bagged yard debris in two separate locations.
These drop off locations do not replace our current efforts. They are just an added option in hopes of preventing them from becoming additional debris if Hurricane Delta impacts the Mobile area. You can drop off bags of yard debris between Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Friday, Oct. 9 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The two drop-off locations for bagged yard debris are at James Seals Community Center at 540 Texas St. and Langan Municipal Park at 4901 Zeigler Blvd.
In addition, we are opening a sandbag filling station at Langan Municipal Park at 4901 Zeigler Blvd. Citizens will be able to fill their own sandbags at the location. The city will have some bags available for citizens but those supplies are limited. The sandbag filling station is self-service and will be operational during the same hours as the drop off sites for bagged yard debris.
We are continuing to keep a close eye on Hurricane Delta. While we are not in the projected direct path, these storms are unpredictable, and we urge our citizens to be prepared for Delta related weather.
Mobile's Public Works Department has been undertaking an initiative to replace older streetlights with new LED lights over the past several weeks. These brighter, more energy efficient lights well help increase security and decrease the City's use of electricity. Recently, the team completed installing LED lights in Africatown and are now working in parts of downtown and midtown. More than 3,000 have been installed to date, and through a joint effort with Alabama Power, we aim to replace more than 25,000 by the end of 2021.
A recent court ruling has pushed our deadline for the US Census to October 31st. This means we have a little longer to be sure everyone is counted. Please remind your friends and neighbors, especially those who may have recently moved.
In last night's closing, I referenced Steve Farrar's admonition regarding the killing dangers of pride. In his writings, C. S. Lewis puts it into perspective. "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.
"The vice I am talking of is pride or self-conceit: and the virtue opposite to it is called humility. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison. It was through pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti-God state of mind."
My purpose in writing about pride is to make a point that generally, our inability to get along with one another is rooted in pride which leads to misunderstandings and judgmental assessments as well as other divisive thoughts and actions. As individuals and as a community, we would be better served if we had a bit less pride and bit more humility. For those who don't think this applies to them, there will be a test which you can take tomorrow night. Meantime,
Sleep tight.