By 
June 1, 2023
You’ll never meet another lady like Opal Meek.
A longtime community advocate and North Huntsville resident, Meek is the namesake of the Opal Meek Greenway, the first to connect the north and south ends of Huntsville.
Meek first learned the greenway would be named for her during a 2018 community meeting.
“They put a little plant up and put a map on it and it said Meek Greenway,” Meek said. “That just made me speechless.”
The new greenway will connect Alabama A&M University (AAMU) to Sparkman Drive and U.S. 72 East. The 1.65-mile segment includes a raised pedestrian crossing at Mastin Lake Road, as well as a parking area.
Meek, who hails from Hollywood, Alabama, retired from working as a government secretary for 42 years. She cited her years of participating in public meetings as the reason for her activism and volunteerism with Green Team.
“Our community needs a lot of help,” she explained. “We should learn what the City can do through coordinating with organizations that provide help citizens need.”
The greenway was formally unveiled during a ceremony at AAMU on Tuesday, May 30.
“We are all blessed by the efforts and the impact of one Ms. Opal Meek,” said Huntsville’s District 1 City Council Member Devyn Keith. “This greenway dedication is just a small moment to recognize how big an impact it is for somebody to connect community with City Hall.”
While the City boasts more than 70 miles of greenway, there is still plenty of work to be done.
“North Huntsville doesn’t have any greenways,” Meek said. “South Huntsville has greenways. If we don’t have any greenways, how are we going to connect? The sooner the better. I am getting O-L-D and getting older now, and I want to be able to walk on this greenway!”
See the master plan for the City’s greenways here.
