A project to turn a dirty, damp alley in downtown Meridian into a trendy event space and gathering spot is ready to move forward after an appropriation from the state Legislature gave organizers the funds they need to get underway.

Meridian Main Street Director Matt Schanrock told members of the City Council Tuesday that the alley, which is located between Weidmann’s Restaurant and the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, is an eyesore that impacts all of downtown. Residents, he said, would be hard pressed to find an alley in worse condition.

“If you walk through downtown, that’s probably the worst one we have downtown,” he said.

Efforts to rehabilitate the alley have been ongoing for the past four or five years, Schanrock said, but allocations of American Rescue Plan Act funds through the Mississippi Main Street Association and this year’s state appropriation of $200,000 have given the project the funding it needs to make needed change.

To begin, Schanrock said he plans to buy a trash compactor to reduce the footprint of garbage in the alley as well as keep the smell of trash down. Discussions are ongoing with the city’s public works staff to repair potholes and come up with a solution to poor drainage in the area.

Liz Dudley of Engineering Plus said her firm has been a part of the alley beautification project for several years and has already identified some of the obstacles needing to be addressed to finalize the work. Fixing the drainage is going to be tricky as multiple utilities run underground through the alley, she said.

The current plan is to connect roof drains from the nearby buildings and channel runoff into the city’s stormwater system which runs through the streets, Dudley said. The project will likely involve diverting runoff to stormwater systems under both 22nd Avenue and Constitution Avenue, she said, as splitting the volume of water will allow for smaller pipes which will be easier to route through the preexisting utilities.

Overhauling the alley’s infrastructure may take some time, Schanrock said, and the plan is to move forward with the work that can be done now. With a trash compactor, a good scrubbing and some lighting, he said the alley can become a usable space while the details of the drainage project are figured out.

Schanrock said he hopes the alley will provide both additional space downtown and inspiration for businesses, entrepreneurs and others to reimagine other areas of the city that can be repurposed and add to the city’s overall growth.