[Muskavon]

I haven't seen anything to say one way or another, but I assume the motorposrt park is at very least in trouble of never happening. However, I was just wondering if anyone has heard anything reagrding this thing from anybody associated with it in the last several months? Just curious.

[BlessedMobile]

I haven't seen anything to say one way or another, but I assume the motorposrt park is at very least in trouble of never happening. However, I was just wondering if anyone has heard anything reagrding this thing from anybody associated with it in the last several months? Just curious.

The developers were to exercise the options to buy the land by November. I don't think they have the money. My guess is that they will announce that the deal is off due to the economy...at least there will be some truth to the statement. There may never be another opportunity to put this deal together as there are 5 parcels involved that will likely now be sold off by the current owners thereby reducing the possiblity of a full scale motorsports park at a later date.

[Muskavon]

thanks Blessed for some input. Not likely, but maybe I could hope for a reincarnation way down the road in Baldwin County that puts this facility between you and I. That was an original option. I know, I know...booo Baldwin County...as is the popular sentiment here. But hell, chopping down that many acres to build a track doesn't seem like less sprawl north of Mobile or East of it, imo. Seems about the same. Maybe those turtles up there can be protected now while the inevitable forest of suburbs, retail, music venues and race tracks connects the two of us together. ;)

[nimsjus]

A couple of articles on our booming container port...
The first article talks about the new deal reached to double the ports current capacity. Currently they work with only one shipping company, but they have added a second and have doubled the number of containers they will be handeling. I think they said after this deal they will be operating at 60% capacity. It wont be long before we need another expansion!
http://www.al.com/business/press-register/index.ssf?/base/business/1226052919276500.xml&coll=3
The second article just lists a buch of quotes from civic leaders, port leaders, and port customers.
http://www.al.com/business/press-register/index.ssf?/base/business/1226053000276500.xml&coll=3
I saw Mr. Lyons on tv talking about the growth and the need for the new tuning basin. Apparently an expansion of the current turning basin has funding appropriated, but just not received yet. The turn basin expansion is needed to allow larger ships into mobile. Currently we can't handle large ships, and with the new panama canal expansion, even larger ships will now be available as well. He also acted liek we needed a second turning basin. THis would allow smaller ships to turn in one area (more southern) and then the big boys would go down to the northern turning basin. He claims the one turning basin is getting congested and will get worse as the container port reaches capacity. On a side note, I assume that same expansion would allow us to have a much larger cruise ship as well. Maybe now we will be able to compete with the big boys of the cruise industry. No more discounting Mobile because of its turning basin.

[nimsjus]

Another couple of interesting things from Kathy Jumpers column...
Coastal Bank & Trust has opened in 3,200 square feet on the first floor of the Athelstan Club building at 170 St. Francis St., according to Michael Holland , city president.
Also I mentioned that Parkside was closing the day we went down for the Downtown Living Tour. Lagniappe and now Cathy Jumper have reported why...
The former Parkside Home & Garden store building at 51 S. Conception St. at Conti Street, was purchased for $885,000 by local attorney Richard Dorman , according to court records. Dorman said he plans to open a restaurant on the first floor. There are two condominium units on the second floor.
I had talked to one of the guys on the tour and he said they got a deal that was just too good to refuse. It also gave the Parkside guys the opportunity to redo another building somewhere else. Hopefully they will open back up elsewhere soon. This restaraunt is backed monetarily by the same guy who backs NOJA. I have heard he is trying to one up NOJA and True with this new venture. Hopefully this will happen before I leave in May.

[BlessedMobile]

I talked with Judith Adams of the Port the other day and asked about adding more container cranes (currently two). She said that APM usually has as many as 50 being built for them at any one time since they are so large worldwide. If our terminal needs more they can schedule it for delivery to Mobile in a short time. Now that is one large company to be doing that type of building. We are fortunate to be associated with such a successful and large shipping company. The rail car repair company is still on the 12 acres that were bought by the docks; I don't there is the big push to move them to their new home at the old IP site.

[SouthSky]

Update on West Alabama freeway/interstate:

http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20081109/ARTICLES/811090357/1011/NEWS?Title=Highway_to_Mobile_would_take_public_private_effort

[NitekKetin]

Parkside might be strutting out to one of the high-end lifestyle centers, before you know it.

I think Downtown needs a good buffet restaurant, as a counterbalance to all of these higher-end eateries.

[nimsjus]

Parkside might be strutting out to one of the high-end lifestyle centers, before you know it.

I think Downtown needs a good buffet restaurant, as a counterbalance to all of these higher-end eateries.

I could see them doing very well at Legacy Village or somewhere along Old Shell Rd. The only thing is some of their furniture/decor was pretty edgy and might not fit with the Spring Hill crowd. Who knows? I have heard those guys like to get into buildings and redo them so for that reason alone I don't see them in one of the strip centers. I just hope they reopen period, but it would be nice if it was downtown. I like the idea of some more homestyle places downtown. Maybe some people who work down there can verify this, but I think there are several places like this downtown, but they only opne for lunch Monday-Friday when the work crew is down there. It is a shame that they cant do enough business to do dinner or weekends because it give the impression that things are always closed downtown. One that I know of is Mama's on Dauphin. Ive always thought it looked interesting and it is never open when I am downtown.

[Mike06]

Dorman's ex wife has been with my uncle for 15-20 years (guess he doesn't want to get that piece of paper again). I'll see what they have to say at Thanksgiving. I like seeing him investing his money in Mobile.

He was one of the lead attorneys for Alabama against Exxon-Mobil in that huge offshore case.

[10101000]

I want to apologize for my actions in my previous post. I should have kept my comments to myself and sorry if I came across to any of you as a rude uneducated individual. None of you deserve the remarks that I have made.

[BlessedMobile]

I want to apologize for my actions in my previous post. I should have kept my comments to myself and sorry if I came across to any of you as a rude uneducated individual. None of you deserve the remarks that I have made.

Well Tim, now you know why it is NOT a good idea to freely state your political feelings on a forum. I have a rule in our business that employees are not to argue about politics and religion; it is permanently devisive and puts puts people into two camps. Most people know how others feel and can gauge just how far to go in talking about their own beliefs. Does it throw water on free speech...sure does...but smart employees know how far to push with the conversation. The forum is about "Mobile Development". We should focus ONLY on that matter.

[10101000]

Thanks, glad you see what I meant. I will remember that when you get on one of your fits! Cool

[OCA REP]

I want to apologize for my actions in my previous post. I should have kept my comments to myself and sorry if I came across to any of you as a rude uneducated individual. None of you deserve the remarks that I have made.

Thanks for the follow-up Tim. We all have strong personalities and sometimes they just come shining through. Posting to these various forums proves we probably have a lot more in common than apart!

I have a rule in our business that employees are not to argue about politics and religion; it is permanently devisive and puts puts people into two camps. Most people know how others feel and can gauge just how far to go in talking about their own beliefs.

We follow the same rule in our shop. There is a line (often blurry) that we generally do not cross when dealing with politics and religion...

[NitekKetin]

Wild rumor:

A certain Midtown grocer might be shuttering doors as its parent company files for bankruptcy soon.

[elb401]

I bet that its not the winn dixie. They just came out of it. There has been a rumor going around for about a year that the food world at dauphin and sage is leaving after their lease is up do to a possible bankruptcy.

[SouthSky]

http://blog.al.com/live/2008/11/shelby_mobile_alas_austal_usa.html



Shelby: Mobile, Ala.'s Austal USA wins $1.6 billion contract for 10 military ships

Posted by Kaija Wilkinson (http://blog.al.com/live/about.html) November 12, 2008 3:02 PM

Mobile, Ala. -- Mobile shipbuilder Austal USA has won a $1.6 billion contract to build 10 high-speed transport ships for the U.S. military.
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, announced the award this afternoon.
"I am pleased that the Navy continues to recognize Austal's tremendous shipbuilding capabilities," Shelby said in a statement. He called the award "a testament to Alabama's stellar workforce."
Austal employs about 1,000 workers at its Mobile River shipyard.

Austal beat out two other teams that had submitted design contracts for the so-called Joint High Speed Vessel, a Navy-Army program for a high-speed, shallow-draft vessel intended for rapid transport of troops and cargo.
The vessel It will include a flight deck for helicopters and an off-load ramp that will allow vehicles to quickly drive off the ship.
The Navy's current acquisition plan calls for building 10 vessels between fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2015.

[SouthSky]

Dekalb County Times-Journal ridiculousness:

http://times-journal.com/story.lasso?ewcd=f2f5534651d06e72&-session=FPTJ:42F943BB1b26824EAFhir3175A3B

It’s time we stand up for our license plate rights and show those South Alabama bosses a thing or two. I say boycott the beach.

Mountains forever, beaches never.

What?

[| BRAVO |]

Well, that's just silly - I like the tags. It seems we'll fuss over anything.

[10101000]

Dekalb County Times-Journal ridiculousness:

http://times-journal.com/story.lasso?ewcd=f2f5534651d06e72&-session=FPTJ:42F943BB1b26824EAFhir3175A3B



What?

Wow, seriously!

[elb401]

What a joke. Looks like that don't have any real news up there.

[BlessedMobile]

Wild rumor:

A certain Midtown grocer might be shuttering doors as its parent company files for bankruptcy soon.

Most likely it is Naman's on Old Shell. They do consider themselves a grocery store of sorts.

[Scottybo]

Food World sounds about right. Since Bruno's and Food World both shut down their pharmacies, that could be a sign of financial trouble.

[nimsjus]

Most likely it is Naman's on Old Shell. They do consider themselves a grocery store of sorts.

That would not surprise me since their financial difficulties have been publicized recently in the paper. I hope it is not them. I love that place, and it has really invigorated that area. I think it is one of the best things that has happened in Mobile in a long time. It is one of the places I take out of town visitors now, especially ladies. All of those other stores besides Old Dutch moved into that area because of Namans Market's success. I always thought that no matter how the market/deli did, that their catering stuff would be able to carry it. It seems like the deli part does a really good business, but Im not sure how much shopping people do there. I rarely see anyone in the market part when I go there. They are also employing a ton of people which would not bode well for those jobs. It seems like they have twice as much staff as they need running around.

[Musicisright]

Sadly, I heard the same thing about Naman's, from a very reliable source.

[Port_of_Bama]

Dekalb County Times-Journal ridiculousness:

http://times-journal.com/story.lasso?ewcd=f2f5534651d06e72&-session=FPTJ:42F943BB1b26824EAFhir3175A3B



What?




LoL, LOL :lmao: how sad is that man !!!


I was living In Huntsville for almost 4 years and the mountains are nice don`t get me wrong but they aren`t tall enough to be featured on a tag. It would look like a hill becasue that is exactly how they looked like in Huntsville like huge hills nice at night with the lights and all but hillish.

[10101000]

Well, we have some in Alabama highest peak is like 2000 and some. So, that would not be a lie, but I just do not think that people see that in Alabama right now. We do not have a Gatlinburg and we do not have a Branson. Only Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

[10101000]

Its here!!!

http://www.crescenttheater.com/

[Alabadrock]

Well, you have to realize that the relief between the peaks of the mountains and the valley floors in North Alabama is actually pretty close to the relief of those ranges in the western US.

[10101000]

How about a mixture of the two? Let's just satisfy everyone.

[phoenixboi08]

Mobile votes against the winning president sh*t happens.......

1) 1960's Brookley Airforce Base .......gone
2) 1992 Naval station Mobile......ha ....gone

3) 2008 KC-45 Tanker.....lol....bye bye Blues

Yes this election was historic !! :hell:

Don't quite get what it is you're getting at :shrug:

[phoenixboi08]

Obama does not care about Mobile, he cares about the middle east. I do not trust him. All of you that wanted change, you got it, he did not say what kind of change, but you got a Half white/Black man in the white house. I am sure that the Arabs will be able to enter the country for free now and not have to lift a finger like most folks that live off the government.

Thanks

kind of funny, when I do spell check it says his name is Osama!

Usually, I'm all for EVERYONE voting, but with people who possess minds (or rather trash recepticles) like this, why would I want them too?

Seriously, did you just eat all the bull you were fed about "Osama," or were you an idiot to begin with?

If you DON'T support him, that's fine. If you voted for McCain, good for you! (I'm from Arizona and he was my senator for QUITE some time and I know him to be capable - when he's not traipsing around with governors from Alaska that is). I'm not critizing your beliefs AT ALL, but I can't believe you could honestly say that crap when you KNOW it isn't true. I mean does it just make you feel better or something? Really, HOW OLD ARE YOU?

And I'm so friggin sick of the race bull-on both sides. I don't understand WHY it's even an issue. If you think Obama won because of the color of his skin, think again. If you think it was due to sympathy, you are really deluded!

Just take a look around you! The night Obama was announced as the president elect the worldwide perception of the U.S. was higher than it ever had been since Bush was elected for his first term. You may argue that "THEY" don't know what they're talking about, but I digress. When it comes to U.S. politics, no one is more knowledgable than foreigners. Why? Because they give a damn. Because they listen to facts and actually try to grasp what is going on, instead of griping and whining.

I'm not "Anti-American" (for those of you "Patriots" out there) I just can't belive that there are people THIS STUPID! IT'S RIDICULOUS!!!!

[Muskavon]

Heck, he already apologized, let it go. At the risk of prolonging things I will say I'm always a little suspicious of the positives of all the other countries loving something we are doing. They are all motivated by self interests just as we are. Sometimes you can be disliked for the right reasons.

[phoenixboi08]

Heck, he already apologized, let it go. At the risk of prolonging things I will say I'm always a little suspicious of the positives of all the other countries loving something we are doing. They are all motivated by self interests just as we are. Sometimes you can be disliked for the right reasons.

Which is my point. Kim (in North Korea) is at the brink of death...probably. We naturally want to see a leader willing to cooperate and not some idiot! Of course all states are selfinterested! That's part of the realist theory of world politics...which is a story for another time....my point is that I think others might have picked up on his suposed "terrorist ties."

Yeah...I guess I could have turned the other cheek, but then again...I got upset and carried away. I apologize, but I retain my convictions that Tim is severly misinformed and that is a very dangerous thing to be in this day and age.

[10101000]

Which is my point. Kim (in North Korea) is at the brink of death...probably. We naturally want to see a leader willing to cooperate and not some idiot! Of course all states are selfinterested! That's part of the realist theory of world politics...which is a story for another time....my point is that I think others might have picked up on his suposed "terrorist ties."

Yeah...I guess I could have turned the other cheek, but then again...I got upset and carried away. I apologize, but I retain my convictions that Tim is severly misinformed and that is a very dangerous thing to be in this day and age.

Dude, do not bother me today, I am not in the mode for more drama. I did apologize for what I said.

[OCA REP]

Noticed a link to this news article at a commercial aviation related website this morning:

http://www.al.com/business/press-register/index.ssf?/base/business/1226830613202950.xml&coll=3

Bodies for funerals no longer flown to Mobile

Sunday, November 16, 2008 By KAIJA WILKINSONBusiness Reporter

Bodies are no longer being ferried in and out of Mobile Regional Airport for funeral purposes because the commercial aircraft are too small. Delta Airlines, which flew the only local aircraft capable of carrying the shipping containers and caskets, switched to smaller planes Nov. 1.

As a result, the body of a man who died in Texas but wanted to be buried in his hometown of Mobile took several hours longer to reach its resting place this month. Bodies headed out of Mobile for burial elsewhere are also arriving later than before.

The situation is creating hassles for funeral homes in Alabama and Mississippi, as well as costs that in many cases are passed on to families. "It adds more expense to something that's already expensive," said Phil Gilmer, owner of Gilmer's Funeral Home, located less than five miles from Mobile Regional. Gilmer is having to drive a 140-mile round trip to the Pensacola airport to ship or pick up bodies.

In a gas-guzzling hearse, the extra distance means more than $150 in fuel costs, said Reggie Young, funeral director and embalmer at Ascension Funeral Home in west Mobile. It also means more work hours taken out of the day.
Such ferrying services — offered by a number of airlines — are also available out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

No Mobile-area funeral directors interviewed by the Press-Register said they were using that New Orleans airport, but some Jackson County, Miss., funeral directors were doing so.

Josh Guthans, funeral director at Holder-Wells Funeral Home in Moss Point, said that New Orleans International is more than 120 miles distant, while Mobile Regional lies just 30 miles away.

Holder-Wells employees have had to drive to New Orleans twice this month, he said. The gas and work hours added costs of about $200 for the families, he said.

In Mobile, Gilmer expressed puzzlement at the airport situation. "We're a metropolitan city; we have two airports and one of the longest runways at Brookley," said Gilmer, who vowed not to add to shipping costs for grieving families. "I don't know if the problem is with Delta or the (Mobile) Airport Authority."

According to Delta, slack demand for passenger tickets prompted it to pull its 142-seat MD-88 jets from Mobile. In its place, linking Mobile and Atlanta, are a pair of smaller planes, neither of which has a large enough cargo hold for boxes or caskets.

Authority spokeswoman Julie Bordes said that in years past, Delta has decreased the number of seats offered on mainline jets, such as by taking away one of two MD-88s during slow months. This is the first time in recent years, however, that the larger jets have been pulled entirely, she said.

Anthony Black, a spokesman at Delta headquarters in Atlanta, said the Mobile jet was not idled, but was shifted to another market that enjoys greater passenger demand. Delta has 117 of the planes in service now, the same number it had last year.

Any of Delta's larger aircraft that seat 130 to 280 people, such as the 737 and 777, can carry bodies for funeral purposes, he said.

"The No. 1, overwhelming driver for service in any market is going to be passenger demand, which will dictate what size aircraft you operate into a market," Black said.

In October 2008, Delta's MD-88 aircraft in Mobile was only 59 percent full, a decrease of 3 percent from 2007, according to the Airport Authority.

Delta is the leading carrier of bodies nationwide, he said, shipping several thousand each year, Black said.

Using Delta, shipping a body from Point A to Point B ranges in cost from about $275 to well over $1,000, according to Delta's funeral services division, Delta Cares. To ship a body from Mobile to Washington, D.C., for example, would cost about $305; from Mobile to Denver, about $775.

Black said he believes that most funeral homes who were regular customers were notified of the change, and will be notified if the service returns.

Some of the funeral home executives who spoke to the Press-Register said they heard nothing from Delta directly. David Jones, assistant manager of Pine Crest Funeral Home and Cemetery, said he found out about the change from a competitor Nov. 2. Jones said Pine Crest ships about 40 to 50 bodies each year. He said he hopes the service returns, and quickly. Those hurt most, he said, are the families.

Welcome to our world. Montgomery went through this a couple of years back when all commercial air traffic into MGM went to "connection" type carriers and non mainline aircraft. Maybe it will change in both cities eventually...

[10101000]

That is bad business!

[Port_of_Bama]

That is bad business !!



MOB forumers lets let the politics go Tim apologize and it takes a man to admit when he is wrong . I disagreed with him as well but the man apologized and those who were botherd by his comments can either accept his apology or not. It`s all good this is the Mobile development forum lets keep it that away.

[10101000]

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/12270033538260.xml&coll=3


Tuesday, November 18, 2008 By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter
The future of downtown Mobile could include people sitting on benches in Bienville Square, in a bar on Dauphin Street or in a condominium on St. Louis Street, all opening their laptops to use free, wireless In ternet.

Part of a new plan for downtown Mobile is a proposal for the city to provide a seamless zone of free, broadband-speed wireless Internet access throughout downtown Mobile.

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones said he's already directed the city's telecommunications and technology departments to explore the matter.

Advertisement


"That's something we consider a priority," Jones said. "A lot of people are interested in having broadband access. ... It would be a selling point for Mobile."

Officials have not decided whether the city would do it on its own or work with a private company, Jones said. The city's network doesn't currently have the capacity to simply offer access through it, he said.

That's how a free wireless service began in downtown Houston.

A few years ago, Houston built a wireless network to allow parking meters to accept credit card payments, said Janis Benton, the deputy director for the city's Information Technology Department.

Earlier this year, officials decided to secure the part of the network that dealt with the parking meters and open up the rest of the bandwidth to anyone who wanted to hook on, she said.

It cost the city about $25,000 to make the upgrades, she said, and there's no operating cost because the network needs to be maintained for the parking meters anyway.

The network covers about a 4-square-mile area, and about 200 unique users connect every day, Benton said.

People can buy a piece of equipment called an extender for less than $200 to get a stronger signal indoors, Benton said. That's less than it would cost for five months of high-speed Internet from Comcast in Mobile.

The program has also had the ancillary benefit of making Houston more "hip," Benton said.

"It's legitimized us with young people in a way that nothing else has," she said. "Of all the things we do in government services, this is the one thing they connect with."

Computer users can find free wireless hotspots in downtown Mobile now. Southern Light, a fiber-optic company headquartered on St. Anthony Street, started beaming a free wireless signal into Cathedral Square several years ago.

But company CEO Andy Newton said he has been disappointed with the use it gets — 20 people a month, he estimated.

He said he thought people would connect to it in order to send e-mails from the park or check fantasy football scores while watching games in Heroes, the nearby sports bar.

"We were hoping to get more use," Newton said. "Maybe if it were more ubiquitous across the downtown area it would be used more

[OCA REP]

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/12270033538260.xml&coll=3


Tuesday, November 18, 2008 By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter
The future of downtown Mobile could include people sitting on benches in Bienville Square, in a bar on Dauphin Street or in a condominium on St. Louis Street, all opening their laptops to use free, wireless In ternet.

Part of a new plan for downtown Mobile is a proposal for the city to provide a seamless zone of free, broadband-speed wireless Internet access throughout downtown Mobile.

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones said he's already directed the city's telecommunications and technology departments to explore the matter.

Advertisement


"That's something we consider a priority," Jones said. "A lot of people are interested in having broadband access. ... It would be a selling point for Mobile."

Officials have not decided whether the city would do it on its own or work with a private company, Jones said. The city's network doesn't currently have the capacity to simply offer access through it, he said.

That's how a free wireless service began in downtown Houston.

A few years ago, Houston built a wireless network to allow parking meters to accept credit card payments, said Janis Benton, the deputy director for the city's Information Technology Department.

Earlier this year, officials decided to secure the part of the network that dealt with the parking meters and open up the rest of the bandwidth to anyone who wanted to hook on, she said.

It cost the city about $25,000 to make the upgrades, she said, and there's no operating cost because the network needs to be maintained for the parking meters anyway.

The network covers about a 4-square-mile area, and about 200 unique users connect every day, Benton said.

People can buy a piece of equipment called an extender for less than $200 to get a stronger signal indoors, Benton said. That's less than it would cost for five months of high-speed Internet from Comcast in Mobile.

The program has also had the ancillary benefit of making Houston more "hip," Benton said.

"It's legitimized us with young people in a way that nothing else has," she said. "Of all the things we do in government services, this is the one thing they connect with."

Computer users can find free wireless hotspots in downtown Mobile now. Southern Light, a fiber-optic company headquartered on St. Anthony Street, started beaming a free wireless signal into Cathedral Square several years ago.

But company CEO Andy Newton said he has been disappointed with the use it gets — 20 people a month, he estimated.

He said he thought people would connect to it in order to send e-mails from the park or check fantasy football scores while watching games in Heroes, the nearby sports bar.

"We were hoping to get more use," Newton said. "Maybe if it were more ubiquitous across the downtown area it would be used more

Montgomery has been doing this around Court Square and along Commerce Street towards the river for some time now. I see people out occasionally on various benches with their laptops. I have never taken mine out to test signal strength, etc.

Here is a link to the city's website where this is discussed:

http://www.montgomeryal.gov/index.aspx?page=147

This is a good thing and I think it really does add to the "hip" factor for a city to be able to promote something of this nature!

[NitekKetin]

If there were wireless hotspots along the waterfront or in the Main Library, I wouldn't mind spending a day surfing at Cooper Riverside or in the Reading Room at Ben May.

On the other hand, between DSL at home and work, I spend too much time online anyway. :)

[nimsjus]

If there were wireless hotspots along the waterfront or in the Main Library, I wouldn't mind spending a day surfing at Cooper Riverside or in the Reading Room at Ben May.

On the other hand, between DSL at home and work, I spend too much time online anyway. :)

No hotspots necessary...This will be a free "cloud" over the Henry Aaron Loop. They never mentioned the stuff about the parking meters when discussing this. They made it sound like they were just doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. I do like the idea of being able to use credit cards at a meter though. I think that would help downtown businesses. I know I have had to skip out on a stop downtown because I didnt have quarters. I have also gotten tickets at meters because the pennies I put in the meter bought me like 8 minutes and that wasnt enough time to handle my business. The businesses always complain that paid parking puts them at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of town that has free parking. I think the impact on potential consumers is that they have to find change not that they have to pay a quarter to park and eat and that just make their meals/purchases too expensive. If my thoughts are true, then credit cards on meters would eliminate that disadvantage.

[nimsjus]

City and county expected to sign lease for courthouse park deal....
http://blog.al.com/live/2008/11/23_orange_beach_city_workers_t_1.html

[nimsjus]

It is getting a little lonely in here guys...
The real estate section had a little downtown food news. Didnt Weichman have a place on one of the interstate service roads or somewhere else in town a while back. I feel like I had an aunt who had a rehearsal dinner at a place called Weichman's. I was too young to rememebr.
Weichman's After 5 will open for dinner on Nov. 26 in the Spot of Tea restaurant at 310 Dauphin St., downtown, according to John Weich man . He has partnered with Spot of Tea operator Tony Moore to use the restaurant after Moore's breakfast and lunch business. Weichman and his staff will start serving at 5 p.m., he said.
Zitsos Cafeteria will close its doors at the end of the month in the AmSouth Bank building on 107 St. Francis St., after 30 years in that location, according to Claire Zit sos . The owners decided not to look for another

[NitekKetin]

On a somewhat related note, I think the base of the AmSouth building is one cold, fugly structure. The modernist architecture completely overshadows what little warm coming from the tenant spaces. Ugh!

[BlessedMobile]

It is getting a little lonely in here guys...
The real estate section had a little downtown food news. Didnt Weichman have a place on one of the interstate service roads or somewhere else in town a while back. I feel like I had an aunt who had a rehearsal dinner at a place called Weichman's. I was too young to rememebr.
Weichman's After 5 will open for dinner on Nov. 26 in the Spot of Tea restaurant at 310 Dauphin St., downtown, according to John Weich man . He has partnered with Spot of Tea operator Tony Moore to use the restaurant after Moore's breakfast and lunch business. Weichman and his staff will start serving at 5 p.m., he said.
Zitsos Cafeteria will close its doors at the end of the month in the AmSouth Bank building on 107 St. Francis St., after 30 years in that location, according to Claire Zit sos . The owners decided not to look for another

I remember Weichman's. The last one I remember was on the beltline near Airport Blvd. They served a nice meal with the white table cloth look. I imagine it most likely is being run by a family member who is capitalizing on the family name. Whatever works!

[BlessedMobile]

No hotspots necessary...This will be a free "cloud" over the Henry Aaron Loop. They never mentioned the stuff about the parking meters when discussing this. They made it sound like they were just doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. I do like the idea of being able to use credit cards at a meter though. I think that would help downtown businesses. I know I have had to skip out on a stop downtown because I didnt have quarters. I have also gotten tickets at meters because the pennies I put in the meter bought me like 8 minutes and that wasnt enough time to handle my business. The businesses always complain that paid parking puts them at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of town that has free parking. I think the impact on potential consumers is that they have to find change not that they have to pay a quarter to park and eat and that just make their meals/purchases too expensive. If my thoughts are true, then credit cards on meters would eliminate that disadvantage.

Well nims...I think you pegged the real motive behind the downtown hotspot. Pull out the old credit card and feed the meter. It does make sense as I have often not had enough change to feed the meter to a point where I know there won't be a ticket on my car when I return. I believe that downtown shopping will get a boost.

[nimsjus]

I think many of us assumed this would be the first and easiest project out of the new plan for Mobile, but Jones confirms the city is working to establish a partnership to build the boat slip on the land just north of the Convention Center. He also talks about long term trying to negotiate for the docks land just north of the Convention Center, which the docks are not currently willing to part with. In the article he also mentions hiring a construction firm for the Maritime Museum.

[nimsjus]

I think many of us assumed this would be the first and easiest project out of the new plan for Mobile, but Jones confirms the city is working to establish a partnership to build the boat slip on the land just north of the Convention Center. He also talks about long term trying to negotiate for the docks land just north of the Convention Center, which the docks are not currently willing to part with. In the article he also mentions hiring a construction firm for the Maritime Museum.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122804011982700.xml&coll=3

[nimsjus]

Two more big ideas getting off the ground. The first article is about the restoration efforts for Barton Academy. The Mobile County BoE has selected a firm to do some preliminary architecture work. Nichols tosses out some figures for planning, drawings and construction. I can see some people getting pissed about the board spending money on Barton(which they don't use) meanwhile they are firing teachers. They do have some grant moeny lined up too.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122812654123320.xml&coll=3
The second article is about a meeting at Bishop St about the proposed Mobile to Florence West Alabama Highway. DOT officials and memebres of the state legislature are in town to discuss. Not sure how much I would use such a road (I only go to west alabama forthe occasional Iron Bowl to root for AU), but it could only be good for Mobile to be more connected. I imagine this road would cross the proposed I-85 extension (Meridian to Montgomery across the black belt), and the new I-22 (Bham to Memphis). That would really make Mobile more easily accessible to West Alabama/East Mississippi as well as the Midwest (via Memphis). Not a real high priority to me for Mobile, but if someone wants to build this I wouldn't complain.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122812654023320.xml&coll=3

[Port_of_Bama]

Glad to see things moving forward for downtown ,Royal street is very close to having a complete 360 degree make over. Royal street is realy looking nice with new renovations hotels and all. I hope they move some of that progress north of Royal street as well.

[nimsjus]

Anyone have any thoughts on how Gates being retained by President-elect Obama will affect the tanker decision? I was under the impression that he sided with EADS throughout much of the process. Is that correct? If so I assume that would mean I would think that would mean at least a split contract. Thoughts?

[SouthSky]

I think Gates is a small victory for EADS if he does stay, however Obama might lean on him to go with an "American" company. I believe he sided with the EADS proposal and he very well could suggest it again under an Obama administration.

[BlessedMobile]

As the man-in-charge of the Defense Department wouldn't it make sense that Gates was in agreement to choose EADS/NG to build the tanker? Gates spoke his blessing on the process and choice; I don't think he would have done so had he not agreed with the decision. I believe that Gates plus Obama spell a split tanker contract. A split contract means we WIN! Once Airbus has a foothold in the US you can believe they will move more work to Alabama and compete better for American military and general aviation work. It would be nice to have it all but ENOUGH to build and run the plant for 10 years is ENOUGH to keep it here and running much longer. Oh yea, and why would Obama not give all of the work to Boeing?...because he wants to please our allies in Europe, he wants to create 40,000 new jobs in an area which would build his political base, he wants the military to like him and the better planes they get from EADS/NG, he doesn't lose any votes NOT giving Boeing the whole pie and he really does want to get us out of this recession with job creation both at Boeing and EADS/NG. The Democrats will support whatever Obama wants in sufficient numbers to combine with the Republicans who will largely support the split contract for cost and quality reasons. Gates is good news for Mobile!

[Port_of_Bama]

Not development related but there was a reporter for the NewYork Times was visiting the Mobile and New Orleans area .It was a fun and interesting read he did a 15 page report with about 12 pictures I hate he didnt get more pics of downtown.http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2008/11/16/style/t/index.html#pagewanted=0&pageName=16mobilew&

[10101000]

Terrible pictures! Makes Mobile look like a red- neck town!

[Port_of_Bama]

Terrible pictures! Makes Mobile look like a red- neck town!


Oh yeah I agree the pics of the Greek revival houses were the only ones that I liked. he/she should have posted some dt pics.

[10101000]

Wednesday, December 03, 2008 By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter
Care to chase that New Year's Eve champagne with graham cracker and marshmallow?

Mobile is building a giant, electric Moon Pie model that will drop at the stroke of midnight at the city's Dec. 31 street party near Fort Conde. The Chattanooga Bakery, meanwhile, will bake the world's largest Moon Pie and cut it up and serve it for the occasion.

"New York is dropping the ball, Atlanta's dropping the peach, now our time has come and we'll be dropping a Moon Pie," said City Councilman Fred Richardson, who has spearheaded the effort for a Moon Pie-themed New Year's Eve.

The giant pie will be lowered to the street from 100 feet in the air using a city fire ladder truck.

Richardson said he contributed $9,000 from his city discretionary fund to build the giant dropping Moon Pie.

The city will also offer live music and fireworks at its party, which will last from 10 p.m. to midnight, spokeswoman Barbara Drummond said.

Moon Pies were invented by Chattanooga Bakery in 1917 after Kentucky coal miners told a company salesman that they wanted a filling snack as big as the moon. The graham-cracker-and-marshmallow treat has been a mainstay at Mobile Mardi Gras parades for decades.

The company will bake its monster Moon Pie for free. The dimensions of the pie were unavailable Tuesday, but a Chattanooga Bakery representative spoke last year of creating a 4-foot-diameter, 60-pound pie for the city.

Richardson wanted a Moon Pie drop last year, but the idea was scuttled because the city had too little time to prepare.

Richardson had pushed for a slightly messier version of the drop — either letting the world's biggest edible Moon Pie splatter on the street or building a pinata that would drop thousands of little Moon Pies to people below.

Drummond nixed both of those ideas.

"We will have an elegant Moon Pie event," she said.




© 2008 Press-Register. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122829934397140.xml&coll=3

[CottonCity251]

Wednesday, December 03, 2008 By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter
Care to chase that New Year's Eve champagne with graham cracker and marshmallow?

Mobile is building a giant, electric Moon Pie model that will drop at the stroke of midnight at the city's Dec. 31 street party near Fort Conde. The Chattanooga Bakery, meanwhile, will bake the world's largest Moon Pie and cut it up and serve it for the occasion.

"New York is dropping the ball, Atlanta's dropping the peach, now our time has come and we'll be dropping a Moon Pie," said City Councilman Fred Richardson, who has spearheaded the effort for a Moon Pie-themed New Year's Eve.

The giant pie will be lowered to the street from 100 feet in the air using a city fire ladder truck.

Richardson said he contributed $9,000 from his city discretionary fund to build the giant dropping Moon Pie.

The city will also offer live music and fireworks at its party, which will last from 10 p.m. to midnight, spokeswoman Barbara Drummond said.

Moon Pies were invented by Chattanooga Bakery in 1917 after Kentucky coal miners told a company salesman that they wanted a filling snack as big as the moon. The graham-cracker-and-marshmallow treat has been a mainstay at Mobile Mardi Gras parades for decades.

The company will bake its monster Moon Pie for free. The dimensions of the pie were unavailable Tuesday, but a Chattanooga Bakery representative spoke last year of creating a 4-foot-diameter, 60-pound pie for the city.

Richardson wanted a Moon Pie drop last year, but the idea was scuttled because the city had too little time to prepare.

Richardson had pushed for a slightly messier version of the drop — either letting the world's biggest edible Moon Pie splatter on the street or building a pinata that would drop thousands of little Moon Pies to people below.

Drummond nixed both of those ideas.

"We will have an elegant Moon Pie event," she said.




© 2008 Press-Register. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122829934397140.xml&coll=3

Using a city fire ladder truck sure is an elegant event. This is kinda funny, might go and see it...or hopefully it'll be avaliable on youtube. I hope the moon pie falls right on Fred Richardson's head.

[OCA REP]

Wednesday, December 03, 2008 By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter
Care to chase that New Year's Eve champagne with graham cracker and marshmallow?

Mobile is building a giant, electric Moon Pie model that will drop at the stroke of midnight at the city's Dec. 31 street party near Fort Conde. The Chattanooga Bakery, meanwhile, will bake the world's largest Moon Pie and cut it up and serve it for the occasion.

"New York is dropping the ball, Atlanta's dropping the peach, now our time has come and we'll be dropping a Moon Pie," said City Councilman Fred Richardson, who has spearheaded the effort for a Moon Pie-themed New Year's Eve.

The giant pie will be lowered to the street from 100 feet in the air using a city fire ladder truck.

Richardson said he contributed $9,000 from his city discretionary fund to build the giant dropping Moon Pie.

The city will also offer live music and fireworks at its party, which will last from 10 p.m. to midnight, spokeswoman Barbara Drummond said.

Moon Pies were invented by Chattanooga Bakery in 1917 after Kentucky coal miners told a company salesman that they wanted a filling snack as big as the moon. The graham-cracker-and-marshmallow treat has been a mainstay at Mobile Mardi Gras parades for decades.

The company will bake its monster Moon Pie for free. The dimensions of the pie were unavailable Tuesday, but a Chattanooga Bakery representative spoke last year of creating a 4-foot-diameter, 60-pound pie for the city.

Richardson wanted a Moon Pie drop last year, but the idea was scuttled because the city had too little time to prepare.

Richardson had pushed for a slightly messier version of the drop — either letting the world's biggest edible Moon Pie splatter on the street or building a pinata that would drop thousands of little Moon Pies to people below.

Drummond nixed both of those ideas.

"We will have an elegant Moon Pie event," she said.




© 2008 Press-Register. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122829934397140.xml&coll=3

And to think... we were worried about PICTURES making Mobile look like a red-neck town... ;)

[10101000]

Ha Ha

[nimsjus]

I liked the idea of the moonpie drop when first proposed. Initially richardson said it would be similar to times square and the drop of the electric lighted moonpie would be atop the RSA Tower. I thought that was a unique qay to create a Mobile tradition for New Years. I dont like it at all dropping from a fire engine. That is so cheap looking. Ill be down there either way and will definitely eat some of the world record moon pie, but I wish they would do the moonpie drop on one of downtown's skyscrapers.

[10101000]

Agreed

[Port_of_Bama]

yeah droping that thing from a ladder is a little crazy.

[Bogue]

I know the pictures weren't the most pleasant, but they fit the article. If you read the article, it's actually kind of a beautiful picture of the area that the author paints. A few dirty truths but on the whole it seemed pretty positive to me. If nothing else it left me w/ a major craving for fried pickles.

I like the idea of the moon-pie drop, but I think it needs to be done from a better location than a fire truck. Perhaps that will change if/when people show up and make it a bigger event.

[10101000]

I am not a big fan of the article, only because he choose some of the most old southern places to talk about. Mobile is shooting for a new direction and the writer did not mention anything about it. I am glad that you found it appealing, but to some people I am sure that it sparked a message of back woods to them. I had some of my co-workers to read the article and they said the same thing. Personally, I have read better articles about Mobile in the New York Times, this, IMO was by far the worst.

[BlessedMobile]

Let's realize that we are dealing with only $9,000 to do the pie and put on the event. It will be fun and maybe start something that draws people downtown for the New Years. Fred means well and Barbara is ALWAYS thinking of events that spotlight Mobile in the region and nationwide. I can see this being bigger and better. It wouldn't be hard to make a system to descend the pie from the RSA. I hope it does make YouTube...you know it will. Smile folks, it's all in fun.

[Electrical Porpoise]

Orange Beach would even consider this tacky...sheesh. Perhaps we can have a giant spotlight scan the buildings with an RC Cola logo to top off the night.

Who cares, Im going to be so drunk on Billy Beer that I wont remember the night anyways. ;)

[SouthSky]

Corps permits Speedway:

http://blog.al.com/live/2008/12/corps_grants_permit_for_earnha.html

[MobiMan]

Does anyone know when BAUMHOWERS WINGS is set to open in the old Rousos location DT


AND THATS VERY GOOD NEWS ON THE SPEEDWAY

[Port_of_Bama]

Glad to hear that someone is moving into old Rousos, and that was a good location. Every since they have moved they havn`t been doing as well they got caught up in the Baldwin County flight. I`ll check up on it for you though.

[nimsjus]

Glad to hear that someone is moving into old Rousos, and that was a good location. Every since they have moved they havn`t been doing as well they got caught up in the Baldwin County flight. I`ll check up on it for you though.

Rousos is one of those places that pisses me off. They were a Mobile fixture that sold out to flight. I couldn't care less if they fail on the Eastern Shore. Not to mention I think they would have done a booming business selling seafood directly across from the cruise terminal.
In other news, here is an article about the future of the civic center. No groundbreaking news, but it is good to see that the options are being discussed. They throw out examples of what they would like to do and it includes mixed use developments like Atlantic Station and Coconut Grove in Atlanta and Miami. If they pull something off like that, then look out. I think that would be a huge boost to Mobile from an image perspective in the eyes of young professionals and tourists. Not to mention it would help to reverse some of the flight (both residential and retail). Plus by creating a destination shopping/eating venue, I think they would actually help, not hurt, local business downtown by bringing people in and allowing them to see what is already down there that they might not know about. If any of these options happen, it would very positively affect that area along with the Ft. Conde Village area, which is right next door. Adding all that residential/retail would definitely boost business for whatever restaurant moves into the old roussos location. I think all of this big idea stuff hinges on a national economic upturn and Mobile securing at least a portion of the tanker contract to boost our local demographics.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1228644945100740.xml&coll=3

[Port_of_Bama]

Yeah and now they are suffering from tha flight also. An Atlantic station type of devlopment downtown would be a good look for Mobile.

[BlessedMobile]

Corps permits Speedway:

http://blog.al.com/live/2008/12/corps_grants_permit_for_earnha.html

I saw the article and noticed that there was no quote from the developers. Mayor Davis is not inside the information loop on the development but is expressing his hopes. You can be sure that the PR tried to get a comment from Dow but got none. I know the five options expired in November so they have got to either put up more cash to renew the options or throw in the towel.

[| BRAVO |]

:tup:

Hoar Construction chosen to build Mobile museum
Birmingham Business Journal - by Lauren B. Cooper Staff

The city of Mobile hired the Birmingham-based general contractor for the project that will serve as the centerpiece of Mobile Landing, the city’s downtown riverfront development, said a news release.

Ground is expected to be broken on the 90,000-square-foot museum in the spring and the museum should take 18 to 20 months to build, said the release.

The building will be shaped like a ship headed into Mobile Bay and inside it will feature interactive exhibits on topics such as early Gulf settlements, marine archeology, deep sea exploration, modern shipbuilding, maritime commerce and industry and other topics

[nimsjus]

That is awesome news. That project really is a big deal for Mobile and it has been so long in coming that most folks forget about it. Glad to hear it will finally get off the ground soon.

[MobileLSUboy2005]

Ok so now the northern-bypass route option is out. (good) that wasnt going to do anything, and everyone knew it. So in order to not hurt the shipping industry, and make them quit crying...why cant we just build another tunnel south of the one we already have that is six lanes wide and doesnt have a 90 degree turn to get into it?? The tunnel sections could be built right there on the river like all the other ones before it , and that way ships can go over, and everyone's happy... Hazardous cargo would still have to go over the Cochrane bridge, but who cares.... then just build a new section of the bayway that woudl go south of the battleship and then connect in where the existing structure is at about where the middle-bay onramp to the bayway is....

oh yea, PS....at my apartment this AM in Baton Rouge we had about 3 inches of snow! haha of course LSU didnt cancel finals...

[LHG]

I agree. Given the cost of a bridge, you would think that a reconstructed or redesigned, replacement tunnel would make sense. Cost would be a factor, but if they (we) can spend all of that money on the "Big Dig" in Boston, they (we) can spend it here. A bridge will not happen - if the bridge concept proceeds, it will be tied up in litigation for years and years.

On a similar matter: Ann Bedsole made a great point in Sunday's paper: why are we not immediately proceeding with the idea of eliminating the Water Street interchange and demolishing the overpasses. What a no brainer!

[Muskavon]

Ok so now the northern-bypass route option is out. (good) that wasnt going to do anything, and everyone knew it. So in order to not hurt the shipping industry, and make them quit crying...why cant we just build another tunnel south of the one we already have that is six lanes wide and doesnt have a 90 degree turn to get into it?? The tunnel sections could be built right there on the river like all the other ones before it , and that way ships can go over, and everyone's happy... Hazardous cargo would still have to go over the Cochrane bridge, but who cares.... then just build a new section of the bayway that woudl go south of the battleship and then connect in where the existing structure is at about where the middle-bay onramp to the bayway is....

Is the bridge idea being driven by a desire to get bigger ships in there? I swear I read something about the tunnel limiting ship size, but I don't see why they couldn't bury a new one a few feet deeper. Heck leave the current tunnel for traffic going directly into the city plus add a new one. Then you've really thinned traffic for a long long time.

BTW, saw where Dunkin' Donuts is once again gonna try to open stores in the Mobile-Pensa area according to the PNJ....but 40 of them? Jeez.

[Del]

So, do they deliberately seek federal money to do things that cripple major industry in the other 49 states, or is this one of those "Only in Alabama" things?

[elb401]

I would hate to see a couple of thousand jobs lost for a stupid bridge. Maybe the port and other government groups can lease, sell,buy, or trade some of the land at the old homeport (and help rebuild their facilities) so they can atleast keep the jobs in Mobile county. The have been so good and loyal to us, i would hate to literally throw them under a bridge. to have those ship yards lost take all the gains and plus some from the TK plant. A tunnel would have the same effect. they have to shut down for a year or more to build the tunnel then rebuild their plants. I just wish the idiots back in the day got the tunnel and bridge right in the first place.

[MobiMan]

the Bridge isnt that big of a deal the ship yards dont want the bridge because it means they have to spend millions moving things a round to accommadate for the Bridge, oh and if we were gonna lose the cruise ship come on now do you think Sam Jones would be for the Bridge, no not at all
the Bridge will help with traffic and with the growth of Mobile
our population isnt gonna get smaller, and if it does then we have a problem
far worse than a bridge coming to town

a new tunnel, come on that is crazy, that would cost twice what the bridge would cost... remember cost goes up every other week even over night
so the longer we wait and complain the more its gonna cost you and I

build the new Bridge put it in the right place where it will cause the least problems for the shipyards and lets be done with it


but please dont build an ugly bridge give it a little class
something to add to the skyline not take away from it

i wanna see something being built


and please lets get some young people with vision elected
these old guys on the city council
are holding us back

[nimsjus]

I really couldnt care less if people from Fairhope, Daphne, and Spanish Fort have to sit in traffic on their daily commute. They chose to live there knowing that they had that commute. If they don't like traffic then move back to Mobile (there are plenty of nice houses and neighborhoods to suit all tastes-suburban, midtown, urban, new construction, historic, etc). My other issue with this plan is that I fail to see how adding a few more lanes under/over the river is going to help congestion when all those extra cars accomodated by a bridge have to get back on the 4 lane bayway. If you add the bridge, you just create a new bottleneck on the bayway itself. The only way I would even remotely think this project was worth it was if it came with a widening of the bayway (preferably at a higher level also so that it isnt taken out by the next big storm like similar bridges in Pcola, Biloxi and New Orleans). All in all I think this is a big waste of money to accomodate people who dont give a rip about Mobile at the expense of Mobile's downtown jobs, tourist industry, port and historic character. I can't fcome up with a single benefit from the building of this bridge. I guess if I decide to try to go to the ESC on a Friday at 5 o'clock then all of what will be lost will be completely worth it...

[elb401]

uhhh.....the shipyards spending millions to relocate isn't a big deal. thousands out of work. shipyards can't work with pillings in the middle of the yard. you do know that money doesn't grow on trees for them. if the bridge disrupts them then the city, county, state, and feds need to pay for most if not all of the relocation. I really don't think Sam jones knows any more than we do. He said find a good route. He really doesn't have a lot of influence in that department.

[MobiMan]

the pilings wouldnt be in the middle they would be at the northern end, disrupting the oil rig facilities, and thousands would not be out of work, i worked at Ingals well now called Northrop Grumen and numerous other shipyards when i was in my late teens and early twenties and most of them had bridges over the top of them they worked out just fine, the bridge is coming no matter what you or i say, so build it,

this is why nothing gets done in mobile
all these old guys and misinformed idiots calling the shots
hey lets build a big ugly courthouse thats gonna cost the tax payers
tousands and thousands of dollars every year to maintain due to leaky ceilings and high power bills

lets not build a bridge and keep new industry out

everybody is trying to build a legacy
get a painting of themselves on a courthouse wall
or a statue in a park
or even better then that a name on a building
or maybe even all 3



oh and one huge reason traffic is bad at the tunnels is because people come to a crawl when they aproach the tunnels, because they are scared
so no matter what you do, its not gonna get any better
havent you noticed traffic picks up really quick once your out of the tunnels

oh and for money not growing on trees for the shipyards no it doesnt but it is sitting in the banks for them, they have millions on top of millions

build the damn bridge and let it be over with

[Port_of_Bama]

It is not worth losing our jobs for the Baldwin County commuters i have nothing against them but come on they knew the risk. I don`t see why they want do a Boston or Mobile big dig like an earlier poster posted. I also thank that it would be a good idea for them to make the tunnel 3 lanes and add lanes to the bay bgridge as well if possible. Why didn`t they thank of this when they fisrt built the tunnels ?

[nimsjus]

oh and one huge reason traffic is bad at the tunnels is because people come to a crawl when they aproach the tunnels, because they are scared
so no matter what you do, its not gonna get any better
havent you noticed traffic picks up really quick once your out of the tunnels



Ill agree with you that the tunnel makes people slow down due to its poor design, but ALDOTs issue has nothing to do with the speed at which people move over/under the river. ALDOTs reports site traffic volume when discussing the issues with the tunnels. Traffic volume is based solely off of traffic counts. The issues they had with the Northern Route was not how fast or slow that route was, but how it would not take enough cars out of the tunnel (and the cost). The point is they are trying to decrease the number of cars using the tunnel because it is at its capacity by their calculations. My problem with that thought process is that all those cars end up on the bayway (regardeless of how they cross the river) and it still only has two lanes per direction. Building the bridge is really short sighted. If you build the bridge, in 5, 10, 15, 50 years you are still going to eventually have to expand the bayway or else it will become the next "bottle neck". A better idea in my opinion would be to let Baldwin County residents sit in traffic since they chose to live over there or improve mass transit, but dont just build a bridge. We have already doen this patch job, short sighted crap twice before (Bankhead and Wallace Tunnels). You cant build enough or big enough roads. Look at taffic in places like Bham, Atl, etc. It is hundreds of times worse than the bayway/tunnels. The only time major delays occur is when there is an accident. Traffic moves fine as long as there are not wrecks. I think that is about all you can ask.

[MobiMan]

It seems as if everyone is blaming Baldwin County for the whole mess LOL
for Baldwin County to be the blame it seems to me that most who live there would have to work here...
what about the Pensacola people who work here, and yes they work here to
what about people who are just passing through
Truckers, people on vacation, people relocating, sales people, tour busses, regional managers who go back and forth from baton rouge to panama city, vendors, college kids coming home for the weekend, and oh lets not forget summer time when we mobilians go to gulfshores every day of the week and yes we even go at 5pm, we shop in Baldwin County to ect ect ect
come on now the interstate was well travelled before a few people moved to Baldwin County

actually when they did the study people in Mobile didnt move to Baldwin County
the majority moved to west Mobile

that is just crazy to say its Baldwin Counties fault


Bankhead tunnel was a toll tunnell it wasnt built for thousands of people to go through, it was built for covenience for people who could and would pay a toll


i do agree they should have made the wallace tunnel four lanes
and made it a str8 shot without the curve
but its to late to think about that now

did you really think people would have taken the northern rout, would you have taken it?

ok i can get to the bayway 5 miles down the road or i can go the 25 mile way
or whatever it is but its way out of the way
and the way people drive around here 100 in a 55
they are gonna take the shorter rout even if they have to sit in traffic for a moment

[BlessedMobile]

Mobi...you make too much sense to not be on here more. Speak o' wise one! Now for the bridge. I have studied ALDOT drawing of the now 3 possible sites and concluded, after talking to all the waterfront people, that the northern route is the best. Why? because it will put a cap on only Bender because of the seldom used rig repair docks north of the tunnel. Bender does most of that work at the homeport facility and that is not likely to change. There will be a turnbasin by the new TK facility on Pinto Island so the ships, etc can turnaround there and won't need to go up to the Cochrane bridge area. Harrison Brothers will be history due to a large pylon and my guess is that the family would like to cash out and go home. Atlantic Marine will be South of the bridge. Austal won't be hindered at all. The pylons are large but if you will go over to the
Cochrane bridge you will see that they don't take up that much space. Any landowner will be very well compensated for the land and shuffling required. It's not like they will have a critical building,etc where a pylon will be placed. These people are not a process or an assembly line manufacturer. What you can't do on this acre will now be moved slightly over. Some have asked about the cruise terminal...oh, but the bridge will be over the ship! So what, the passengers will see it for all of fifteen minutes and then they are off to the bar or leave port. What passenger is NOT going to go on a cheap cruise because he will be able to see the bottom of a giant bridge for 15 minutes? Build the bridge...Build it now.

[Muskavon]

I may piss everyone off, but I find it amusing that anyone thinks a bottleneck in one of the most major corridors across the country (I-10) will somehow not be addressed because idealistic and utopian people think we should downgrade our reliance on cars and, more importantly, trucks. Mobile needs to come up with a solution pretty soon or someone else will step in and decide this for you. It really doesn't matter to the national flow of goods that many of your people live in Baldwin County and you are pro-urban. It'll get fixed sooner or later. Your choice or someone else's. It will get fixed. That is for sure. I'd start seriously thinking of the best way to get 6 or 8 lanes from Baldwing County to Mobile...unless you just want to bang your head into a wall for political reasons. "Nothing" isn't going to be an option. That is one thing I'm sure of.

[Alabadrock]

I think a bridge would be best. Make it really tall. In order to get it tall enough, why not make the roadway leading it up to the main deck corkscrew so that there doesn't have to be a HUGE ramp leading up to the bridge. I know it sounds really crazy, but aren't all of the ideas?

[BlessedMobile]

I think a bridge would be best. Make it really tall. In order to get it tall enough, why not make the roadway leading it up to the main deck corkscrew so that there doesn't have to be a HUGE ramp leading up to the bridge. I know it sounds really crazy, but aren't all of the ideas?

Thanks for your suggestion. I will forward it to the people who wanted to build a bridge that no travelers were going to use; they are looking for options other than a smart bridge location.

[elb401]

Mobiman, Maybe my fears are from reading what those "idiots" are saying. We all know that a bridge will be built. the metro area needs it. I hope that they pick a spot that doesn't effect jobs. I guess we could loose a few hundred (I hope you are right that it wont be thousands. the ship builders probably lied about the job figures to try to get their way) and it wouldn't kill us. If the job loses aren't big and the governments pay for all the damage, then the only thing that will suck is that you wont get an unobstructed view of the bay from the battleship anymore. but I can live with it, I only go there maybe once every 2 years.

[NitekKetin]

I think a bridge would be best. Make it really tall. In order to get it tall enough, why not make the roadway leading it up to the main deck corkscrew so that there doesn't have to be a HUGE ramp leading up to the bridge. I know it sounds really crazy, but aren't all of the ideas?

Even more efficient: instead of a corkscrew, the cars can be lifted, individually of course, to the central span via a heavy-duty, expensive-to-maintain automobile elevator. :)

Regards,
Senior ALDOT Planner.

[Alabadrock]

Yay! Even more extravagant! Let's see just how expensive we can make this!

[Muskavon]

I guess Mike Dow could be considered an eternal optomist....

http://www.al.com/business/press-register/insider.ssf?/base/business/1229249859133800.xml&coll=3

[MobileNative]

Does anyone have a picture of what the courthouse annex next to the future Mardi Gras park is supposed to look like? All I could find was a Press Register article that mentioned it would have historic detailing.

[Exodus]

I like the pics. They are real, charming, and show an actual homieness and interesting mixture of culture. Give me some "deep fried" or "redneck" culture around me any day over housing projects or subdivisions and malls.

[OCA REP]

I liked the idea of the moonpie drop when first proposed. Initially richardson said it would be similar to times square and the drop of the electric lighted moonpie would be atop the RSA Tower. I thought that was a unique qay to create a Mobile tradition for New Years. I dont like it at all dropping from a fire engine. That is so cheap looking. Ill be down there either way and will definitely eat some of the world record moon pie, but I wish they would do the moonpie drop on one of downtown's skyscrapers.

Is the moonpie drop still on? I know there were mixed emotions over it and I thought about it when reading this morning's USA Today. They have an article about "different" drops that take place around the United States on New Year's Eve. Sadly, no mention of the moonpie!

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-12-17-new-years-eve-drops_N.htm

U.S. cities celebrate New Year's Eve with Peep, pirate and pickle drops

Everyone knows about the ball that gets dropped on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Maybe you've even heard about the 800-pound peach that gets dropped in Atlanta at midnight on Dec. 31.
But you may not have heard about the dropping of the sausage, or the gumbo pot, or the giant Peep, a 25-pound fiberglass replica of the famed marshmallowy candy made in Pennsylvania.

TripAdvisor.com has assembled a list of these and other quirky New Year's Eve events to create a top 10 list of wacky things that get lowered on Dec. 31 around the country to mark the arrival of the new year.

The Peep show is in Bethlehem, Pa., marking the third time the city has dropped the illuminated treat from a crane at midnight as part of a family-friendly First Night celebration.

Also in Pennsylvania, in the town of Lebanon, a 7 1/2-foot edible bologna made by the Weaver-Kutztown Bologna Company is lowered at midnight and then donated to area charities.

In Key West, Fla., there are three such countdown celebrations: a conch shell lowered on a pole to the roof of Sloppy Joe's Bar, the lowering of "Drag Queen Sushi" in a 6-foot-tall shoe at the Bourbon Street Pub, and the descent of a costumed pirate "wench" from a schooner in the harbor.

In Port Clinton, Ohio, the self-proclaimed "Walleye Capital of the World" drops a 20-foot, 600-pound fiberglass walleye fish at midnight.

In Elmore, Ohio, there's a sausage fest, inspired by a local business,Tank's Meats. A lit-up 18-foot sausage drops to welcome in the New Year, but there's also a sausage toss and a sausage-eating contest.

Mount Olive, N.C., has a pickle drop with a 3-foot-high glowing pickle plunging down the Mount Olive Pickle Company's flagpole into a tank.

Raleigh, N.C., lowers a massive copper acorn weighing 1,250 pounds from atop the city's civic center as part of a First Night event.

A giant gumbo pot is lowered in New Orleans to mark the New Year, along with fireworks on the Mississippi.

In Easton, Md., a giant crab is what gets lowered as part of a First Night celebration, and in Plymouth, Wis., it's a great big hunk of cheese — though not an edible hunk.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

[10101000]

Yes it is still on, I am going to it.