Riverside has awarded Tradesman Co. of Pell City a $49,920 contract to build a boardwalk at Riverside Landing.

Initial bids for the project came in at almost double the amount that the city could afford, so it asked for new bids after downsizing the project and acting as its own contractor, said Mayor Rusty Jessup.  

The project is expected to begin early next month.

Riverside has also applied for $1.2 million in bonds and federal stimulus funds to buy and expand its sewer system.  The expansion would include extending a sewer line from Highway 78 to City Hall and from Riverbend Road across I-20 to Vanick Road.

“It’s a massive project with a certain amount of calculated risk, but without it, we can never expect to see commercial development along our Highway 78 corridor,” the mayor said.