It’s not out of the ordinary for half a dozen tour buses to stop at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on any given day during the week. Tourists from all over the country have stopped, walked across one of the most historic structures of the civil rights movement and taken pictures at the crest of the bridge, so they can remember their stop in the Queen City for years to come.

Unfortunately, in the background of many of those keepsakes are rundown old buildings — many of them covered in vines and weeds. It’s not something we should be proud of.

Thankfully, the Selma City Council is trying to take care of that problem.

At Monday’s committee meeting, there was a proposal to address the code of ordinance for the downtown district. The proposed ordinance would establish rules downtown business owners would have to abide by and ensure buildings were adequately taken care of.

Among the rules would be removing vines, keeping windows clean and ensuring businesses in the downtown area are visually appealing.

The council isn’t planning on being done there either.

“The best way to eat an apple is to take one bite at a time,” said Council President Corey Bowie. “We have to start with beautifying downtown and then eventually all of Selma.”

The council’s plan, even if the ordinance passes, won’t come to life overnight. It’s going to take some time, but it’s still encouraging to hear Bowie and others already thinking beyond when the downtown district is up to par.

We’re all in on any proposal that improves Selma’s visual appeal, not only for those that live here, but for the visitors that travel thousands of miles just to step foot on that bridge and relive a landmark moment in American history. Considering the time many of them have spent traveling and their interest in Selma, it doesn’t seem like too much to ask to give them a beautiful view once they arrive.