[HSVTiger]

Due to the popular response, the Concerts in the Courtyard series at Bridge Street Town Centre has been extended through July 28.

The concerts are Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. in the Westin Huntsville courtyard. Performing contest winners appear tonight, Juice is performing July 14, Full Circle July 21 and a WAHR-FM 99.1 birthday celebration concert with a band to be announced will happen on July 28.

[mlog]

Trying to duplicate what Chattanooga has done with their downtown seems a bit strange. Chattanooga's nice part of downtown is right on the river and the aquarium is there. There's a nice pedestrian bridge over the river and things to do on both sides. On the north side is a nice park and a bunch of shops. On the south side is the downtown and the aquarium and lots of restaurants and stuff. Huntsville does not have a river to give it this characteristic.

I agree. Huntsville would be well served to study the success of Indianapolis. Huntsville today reminds me very much of Indianapolis 25 years ago. There was nothing open after 5 PM or on the weekends. The place was called "Nap Town." It was a sleepy place. However, today it has an alive and vibrant downtown. I would suggest the powers that be in Huntsville to take a trip north up I-65.

[HSVTiger]

I agree. Huntsville would be well served to study the success of Indianapolis. Huntsville today reminds me very much of Indianapolis 25 years ago. There was nothing open after 5 PM or on the weekends. The place was called "Nap Town." It was a sleepy place. However, today it has an alive and vibrant downtown. I would suggest the powers that be in Huntsville to take a trip north up I-65.

it's not so much to duplicate what Chattanooga has but how they did it. Even though they visited in 2000 other things have happened there. The focus would seem to be on housing, fund raising and private investment.
Huntsville has a good start on some of this. Indy, Greenville, SC, Raleigh, and Austin would all be good models.

[Huntsvillenative]

Something Hunstville should seriously consider is an incliner or chair ride from the foot of Monte Sano Mountain all the way up to the top like in Gatlinburgh or the one at Stone Mountain in Atlanta. At the top they could have a nice family style restuarant with an outdoor patio that overlooks the entire city skyline. Add some Alabam gift shops for tourism and other retail. Add some attractions for kids like a large arcade. We need to focus on tourism. TOURISM, TOURISM, TOURISM!!

Gatlinburgh's famous chairlift.
http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/display/b29344c9-8c5c-4f48-8e23-78c57df202a0.jpg

The incliner at Stone Mountain Georgia.
http://z.about.com/d/gosoutheast/1/0/D/2/-/-/EasterSunriseService.jpg

[HSVTiger]

a great idea :previous: and thinking out of the box. It could be done without impacting the mountain too much. After all there used to be a train that went up the mountain to the now gone, Monte Sano Hotel!

[HSVTiger]

City leaders head to Chattanooga again. Similar trips have been made to Austin, Raleigh and hopefully they will lead to something. Huntsville is doing
positive things downtown, it just seems to take time.

Big Spring Partners is taking 116 community leaders this week to study Chattanooga's downtown in hopes of replicating some of the city's more successful endeavors.

"Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley and Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie will be among the crowd returning to the Tennessee city for the first trip of this kind since June 2000.

Big Spring Partners, a non-profit organization focusing on revitalizing Huntsville's downtown, formed after that trip nine years ago using Chattanooga's River City Partners as a model, Executive Director Mary Jane Caylor said.

River City Partners, formed in 1986, is largely responsible for the Tennessee Aquarium and the famous River Walk.

"We believe we can take their success story and replicate it," said Caylor, who joined Big Spring Partners a few years after the first Chattanooga trip. "They had a lot of success back in 2000, and they've had even more since then."
HSV Times

Some comments since back from their trip

Some of the suggestions: Hire a full-time "empowered czar" with city money who does nothing but work on how to make downtown a more vibrant place; build a new baseball stadium for the Huntsville Stars where the slated-to-be-demolished Searcy Homes public housing project now stands; place art sculptures in public green spaces; create a long walkway along the downtown canal that is to be expanded soon and build shops and attractions alongside it; relocate SciQuest science museum from Calhoun Community College near current downtown attractions EarlyWorks Children's Museum and Constitution Village.

Other shared ideas included tearing up the streets surrounding the Madison County Courthouse to create green space and build an amphitheater.

Some members of the group suggested actions that wouldn't cost any money: Be passionate. Act with urgency. Be courageous and have faith in the big ideas.

[RuFresnel]

Are they finally getting started at Constellation?
Saw them pushing dirt around yesterday on the south end of the property.

[DavidH74]

It's pathetic that our airport does not have direct flights to NYC or Orlando anymore. Very annoying.

[jonnie256]

Are they finally getting started at Constellation?
Saw them pushing dirt around yesterday on the south end of the property.

I was wondering the same thing?

And when are they gonna start on the Madison huntsville hospital?

And when are they gonna start building the superwalmart off hwy 72 near balch rd across from madison bowling center?

Did they ever decide anything on the building height issue?whats the limit?

[HSVTiger]

It's pathetic that our airport does not have direct flights to NYC or Orlando anymore. Very annoying.

Well these are things the airport works on every day, they can't make an airline fly to the airport. HSV did have NYC nonstops (LaGuardia) but they were cut due to the sagging economy. Also nonstops to Orlando a few years
ago but Allegiant pulled out and Delta cut those as well. New nonstops to Chicago start in September 2. I expect these destinations will be back as the economy improves.

[David1502]

It's pathetic that our airport does not have direct flights to NYC or Orlando anymore. Very annoying.

The greatest chance the Huntsville Airport has of regaining service to Orlando is if AirTran Airways decides to serve the market. Delta has discontinued its Orlando minihub so the chances of Delta restarting service are pretty slim. AirTran, on the other hand has a strong presence in Orlando and has recently begun three day a week service from Orlando to some smaller market cities - Allentown, PA, Charleston, WV and Knoxville. Also, another factor in HSV's favor in atttracting AirTran to HSV is that the number one destination is Washington Reagan National and the number two is Orlando. AirTran could provide service to both and would be the only airline to provide full body jet service to the nation's capitol.

At the present time, with the exception of American's three flights to DFW, all HSV flights are regional jets. AirTran could change this situation and more importantly provide much needed fare competition through its ATL hub. Hopefully, the marketing department is giving a full court press to land AirTran.

The chances of landing New York service are less likely as there are only 21,000 passnegers in the HSV-LGA market.

For the top twenty origin and desitnation information, I referenced, see http://www.hsvairport.org/rc/stats_hia.html

[Colin Giersberg]

[QUOTE=jonnie256;4350956]I was wondering the same thing?

And when are they gonna start on the Madison huntsville hospital?

And when are they gonna start building the superwalmart off hwy 72 near balch rd across from madison bowling center?





The hospital will come. I am sure that they are getting it designed, which takes time. The architect has to be selected, which may take some time, since a hospital tends to have some very specific requirements that other structures do not have, and I am sure that those requirements are complicated to design. Huntsville Hospital will take their time to make sure that the new hospital will meet their needs for future expansion, so they are probably deciding just what all features they want, and then there are permits that have to be obtained prior to construction. Site work will have to be done, and there could be some archeological or enviromental issues that would have to be dealt with, and there will be problems with the design that will have to be worked out as construction continues. You can expect at least a two year time frame for everything to come together before the hospital will open, but that is just my opinion.

Walmart will come when the economy improves, if they don't back out of their plans for that piece of land.

Regards, Colin

[Huntsvillenative]

Huntsville definitely needs a new stadium of about 13,000 seating capacity (with grass seating space in the outfield) that is multipurpose use for baseball, football and concert events. And it needs to be in downtown for revenue and development growth. The ideal and most realistic and logical location would be adjacent to the VBC as shown below. Also notice how similar it would look to the location of Indianapolis' AAA stadium next to the RCA Dome. The front entrance would be off of Holmes and an outfield entrance plaza with concession stands and booths off the corner of Clinton and Monroe St.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i29/Jay_33/itown.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i29/Jay_33/htown.jpg

The yellow outlining is where the stadium would go with the seating facing towards the downtown skyline. The red area lining would be parking areas. Holmes Ave would have to be rerouted as seen above. And the green areas would be greenspace or retail development. The blue ares would be either hotel or retail eatery developments.

[jmanhsv]

The greatest chance the Huntsville Airport has of regaining service to Orlando is if AirTran Airways decides to serve the market. Delta has discontinued its Orlando minihub so the chances of Delta restarting service are pretty slim. AirTran, on the other hand has a strong presence in Orlando and has recently begun three day a week service from Orlando to some smaller market cities - Allentown, PA, Charleston, WV and Knoxville. Also, another factor in HSV's favor in atttracting AirTran to HSV is that the number one destination is Washington Reagan National and the number two is Orlando. AirTran could provide service to both and would be the only airline to provide full body jet service to the nation's capitol.

At the present time, with the exception of American's three flights to DFW, all HSV flights are regional jets. AirTran could change this situation and more importantly provide much needed fare competition through its ATL hub. Hopefully, the marketing department is giving a full court press to land AirTran.

The chances of landing New York service are less likely as there are only 21,000 passnegers in the HSV-LGA market.

For the top twenty origin and desitnation information, I referenced, see http://www.hsvairport.org/rc/stats_hia.html

Actually, AirTran's DC hub is at BWI, the only major DC airport which HSV currently doesn't have non-stop service, and the #3 destination on the list you referenced (up from #5 six months earlier), probably because of its proximity to Goddard/NASA headquarters. But point taken. We do need AirTran, badly.

[mlog]

Huntsville definitely needs a new stadium of about 13,000 seating capacity (with grass seating space in the outfield) that is multipurpose use for baseball, football and concert events. And it needs to be in downtown for revenue and development growth. The ideal and most realistic and logical location would be adjacent to the VBC as shown below. Also notice how similar it would look to the location of Indianapolis' AAA stadium next to the RCA Dome. The front entrance would be off of Holmes and an outfield entrance plaza with concession stands and booths off the corner of Clinton and Monroe St.

That's a good (but outdated) photo of downtown Indy. In 1996, the city abandoned the old AAA Bush Stadium and built the modern Victory Field downtown. Bush Stadium was converted to dirt track for midget auto racing. I'm not sure what it's doing today -- probably unused. The city has adopted the theme of sports. Downtown it hosts the NFL Lucas Oil Stadium (the RCA Dome in the photo is no more), the NBA Conseco Fieldhouse, AAA baseball Victory Field, NCAA Headquarters and Museum, Indiana University Natatorium, as well as a fairly new zoo adjacent to the new White River State Park downtown. They have a "canal" downtown with a walkway similar to Huntsville, though the Indy canal is longer, but the concepts aren't that much different. Obviously, Huntsville isn't going to attract NFL and NBA teams to downtown, but the point is that there are similar approaches that could be followed.

[HSVTiger]

Downtown project still alive, even though we haven't seen anything yet,
from WHNT TV

HUNTSVILLE, AL - A big piece of land in the heart of Huntsville that some have forgotten about is starting to show signs of a pulse. It located near Clinton street near Memorial Parkway. The spot is marked as home for the Constellation project.

The developer of the project says the project is moving forward. Several people in Huntsville may have driven by the site that measures 18 acres, and thought-- "what's ever going to happen here?"

The developer says despite all the delays, the piece of land will hold a magnet to attract more people to downtown Huntsville which is supposed to be the heart and soul of the city.

It's no surprise to anyone our nation is in a economic slump. The financial crisis has been impacted from coast to coast.

Developer Scott McLain says Huntsville is a bit different.

"We have our issues as well, but because of this location, and this economy this project is happening," said Developer Scott McLain.

The project McLain talks about is called the Constellation. Its designated home sits off of Memorial Parkway near the Von Braun Center. The Constellation's construction was announced couple years ago.

McLain says its 18 acre site will put an emphasis on attracting people to downtown Huntsville.

The dirt has yet to move at the site that is said to be the heart of Huntsville.

"There were just a couple of permitting issues, and such that were tedious, and took a long time," added McLain.

McLain says he's worked through the issues. He acknowledges it's taken a long time, but things are about change.

"We're talking to restaurants, green grocery stores, we're working on the condominium, or apartment project. We've got our two hotels in process," added McLain.

The land near Memorial Parkway looks wide open, untouched, and neglected to the naked eye. The Constellation's developer says everyone should hear his view of what's happening behind the scenes.

"Every part of the project has action. To drive by, you don't see that, but I work on it everyday," added McLain.

McLain says he hopes the project will be completed in less than five years.

[DavidH74]

I wish Constellation the best. I'll leave it at that.

Is there any way HSV can pull off a mini "Power and Light District" that seems to have had great success in rejuvinating downtown KC? "Fourth Street Live" in downtown Louisville is another example of injecting life into an otherwise not-so-vibrant downtown.

[Huntsvillenative]

I talked to a guy downtown tonight that says he's spoken with members of the council and says we're looking at building a state-of-the-art Aquarium to rival the one in Chattanooga and Science Museum for downtown Huntsville. He also said he doubts there will be a new baseball stadium in downtown but expects a new one somewhere and a possibility that the Stars may move up to Triple A and a name change could be coming and that would call for a new stadium and first class amenities that 'The Joe' doesn't have. I asked where he thought the new stadium would be but he said it's too early to speculate on that. it's still in the development process. I'm trying to figure out where the city is getting all of this money to make these dream projects a reality? The renovations to the arena are now expected to cost much more than originally thought.

[HSVTiger]

I talked to a guy downtown tonight that says he's spoken with members of the council and says we're looking at building a state-of-the-art Aquarium to rival the one in Chattanooga and Science Museum for downtown Huntsville. He also said he doubts there will be a new baseball stadium in downtown but expects a new one somewhere and a possibility that the Stars may move up to Triple A and a name change could be coming and that would call for a new stadium and first class amenities that 'The Joe' doesn't have. I asked where he thought the new stadium would be but he said it's too early to speculate on that. it's still in the development process. I'm trying to figure out where the city is getting all of this money to make these dream projects a reality? The renovations to the arena are now expected to cost much more than originally thought.

Well unless there are some huge private investors out there it seems a bit
far fetched..but never say it can't or won't be done.

"Former Mayor Loretta Spencer and Stars owner Miles Prentice negotiated the current lease, which will expire Sept. 30, 2010.

"Miles was driven because he was an investor, but we cooperated very well," Spencer said Friday. "We knew what their needs were to stay in Huntsville, and I thought we were extremely fair."

While the idea of a new downtown ballpark has been batted around for years, Spencer said she never seriously considered it. She said she chose to focus instead on expanding Huntsville's retail and industrial base.

A new stadium "would be great," Spencer said. "But you have to have projects that pay their way. What we get a return on is what we put the biggest investment in."

Mayor Tommy Battle has no plans to invest the city's limited resources in a new stadium, either.

"The city can't afford to do everything," he said. "We've got especially tight resources right now, and there's no guarantee that a downtown stadium would alter attendance that much."
HSV Times

[TimCity2000]

Isn't Triple A usually for pretty big markets? I would think the Barons would move to Triple A before the Stars. Maybe I'm wrong.

[OCA REP]

I talked to a guy downtown tonight that says he's spoken with members of the council and says we're looking at building a state-of-the-art Aquarium to rival the one in Chattanooga...

~yawn~ ... and I am not knocking Huntsville when I express that sentiment. I had the exact same response when Montgomery jumped on the let's "build an aquarium" bandwagon. The largest one in the world is VERY close to both of our cities and the one in Chatanooga is in your own backyard.

He also said he doubts there will be a new baseball stadium in downtown but expects a new one somewhere...

This seems shortsighted. One of the best things that occurred here in Montgomery was the construction of Riverwalk Stadium in our downtown. A new baseball park could be a huge catalyst to get people back into the core of your downtown!

a possibility that the Stars may move up to Triple A and a name change could be coming

This would surpise a LOT of people! I guess it is a possibility, but generally AAA teams are located in larger markets. Plus, if attendance for the Stars has been as bad as some have reported, it does not look like a move to to AAA is warranted. However, maybe there is a AAA team that is looking to re-locate. $$$ and a state-of-the-art ballpark can be good incentives!

[HSVTiger]

I would hope that Huntsville would do something besides an aquarium. That would be like Chattanooga building a Space Museum. I think this is a joke at your expense. Huntsville will create it's downtown to it's strengths.
Examples, The Medical District, plenty of opportunity at the Councill Court site
Light rail, this could link downtown with Research Park and the airport.
Downtown Research Park..this would create more jobs, retail, and housing.
Affordable downtown housing,,you have to have this for retail/
Sci Quest could be part of the Research Park.
Baseball Stadium..only if private investment foots the bill.
Constellation...this will be a big deal when it takes off.
VBC expansion/renovation big help..another hotel should be pursued.
Office tower at the Holiday Inn site
Federal Courthouse on the old Mental Health site..this totally up to the Federal government but Huntsville is on the list.
Pinhook Creek riverwalk, still being talked about and planned just do it already!
Fountains /sculptures, Arts District this could include Five Points, the feeling
is already apparent in this area.
Meridian Street corridor, develop condos/ retail north to Oakwood, a trolly route would run along this route when developed.
Downtown grocery store..Constellation may have this.
Continue with the plan to bridge over Church Street at Big Spring like Monroe Street is.
Extend greenway/Big Spring to Medical District/Councill Court and north to depot. This is in the planning stages.
Downtown state of the art Planetarium.. part of Sci Quest/Downtown Research Park and plays to Huntsville's heritage.
This is just a start, the problem is doing it, it has to start to create momentum.

[Rush]

We do apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it took us to open Rush. Opening a business such as ours is a process with a lot of hoops. We still have a number of items that we are in the process of completing. The upstairs, Mickey's Upstairs, will be opening in approximately 3 weeks. At that time we will have our grand opening. Our capacity numbers will more than double at that time and we plan on launching a marketing campaign to help spread the word. However, at this time we are open WED-SAT. Doc will host Karaoke on Wed and Thur and Don-E is our resident DJ on Fri and Sat. Don-E does a great job of playing to the crowd in the building and breaking records that people may have never heard. His main focus is electro, house, breaks with some old school, hip hop and sick mash ups. Are definite focus is the people of the area that are sick of the run of the mill nightclubs that Huntsville has had in the past. Once we cranked up, fully opened, we are going to turn loose a new experience for all of our patrons. Mickey's Upstairs will feature great party bands and DJs playing 70s, 80s, and 90s. It is a great venue and we are extremely excited about finally getting close to our vision. What took so long was the upgrades the city required us to do to the building, which are all understandable and almost complete. Anyhow, sorry to ramble. Please spread the word and come give us a try. These next couple of weeks are basically soft opening warm ups and while we try to get the buzz circulating. Any support is greatly appreciated.

[TimCity2000]

i agree with OCA REP... an aquarium is just not very creative, and two of the best are within hours of huntsville.

i'd love to see a stadium downtown with nightlife/restaurants/shopping around it.

[Huntsvillenative]

The Aquarium is not far fetched idea and is said to be one of the top priorities of the new mayor and council. Just because Chattanooga has one and ATL has one does not mean that Alabama should not have a state aquarium. California has multiple aquariums and it's the worst state financially in America. A new world class aquarium to represent the entire state would be closer for people in AL, MS, West TN, MO, LA, and AR residents to travel to Huntsville and have shopping attractions like Bridge Stree and Constellation nearby or close than to travel to a much larger and crowded hard to get around city like Atlanta. I would like to see us build one that is bigger and features more to do than the one in Chattanooga. Maybe have an indoor garden attraction included with man made waterfalls, fountains, and dolphins. Make it bigger than the TN Aquarium but half the size of the GA Aquarium. This would boost our tourism to a new level and would put a lot of money in the community for other major investment projects that aren't there now and expand our market.

For the record, Huntsville is already one of the fastest growing cities in all of America!

As for Sci-Quest, it's most likely going to be relocated to downtown next to or near Early Works Museum. This is probably the new science museum. Most likely location would be the Regions bank which would be razed to make way for it.

Don't be surprised if tax dollars aren't used on some of these planned projects. Especially on a world class aquarium that would be a profit making investment for the city and state.

[Huntsville_secede]

Ok so this so called Dave and Buster's type place um they forgot to actually put some games in there. I was very disappointing its nothing like Dave and Buster's. It's basically an upscale bowling alley with a restaurant kinda like Tin Pin Alley by Dolce group that they were originally planning on building. We still need a real Dave and Buster's type place.

[HSVTiger]

CNN Money magazine has selected Madison as one of the top 100 best places to live in 2009. The Huntsville suburb comes in at No. 49 as the highest ranked Alabama city on the list, which was released earlier today.

Three other Alabama cities were named in the top 100: Calera came in at No. 83, Alabaster at No. 85 and Helena at No. 90.

[jmanhsv]

The Aquarium is not far fetched idea and is said to be one of the top priorities of the new mayor and council. Just because Chattanooga has one and ATL has one does not mean that Alabama should not have a state aquarium. California has multiple aquariums and it's the worst state financially in America. A new world class aquarium to represent the entire state would be closer for people in AL, MS, West TN, MO, LA, and AR residents to travel to Huntsville and have shopping attractions like Bridge Stree and Constellation nearby or close than to travel to a much larger and crowded hard to get around city like Atlanta. I would like to see us build one that is bigger and features more to do than the one in Chattanooga. Maybe have an indoor garden attraction included with man made waterfalls, fountains, and dolphins. Make it bigger than the TN Aquarium but half the size of the GA Aquarium. This would boost our tourism to a new level and would put a lot of money in the community for other major investment projects that aren't there now and expand our market.


An aquarium? Huntsville shouldn't waste its time and money trying to become a tourist town. It's not one, and it never will be. Some might argue that Chattanooga wasn't a tourist town 20 years ago, before the aquarium. But they have the advantage of 2 interstates filled with vacationers from the north headed to Florida. Being mostly off the Interstate system, Huntsville doesn't have that kind of thru traffic. Also, aquariums work better in cities near a significant body of water-- lake, bay, river, etc-- with a variety of aquatic species. Huntsville has neither... technically, we're on the Tennessee River, but Chatty's already got that one covered.

Huntsville can't attract tourists, but it can attract residents. Let's capitalize on that. If Huntsville wants to spend money on attractions, build ones that will be appealing to residents and would enhance the quality of life here. I would go to an aquarium once, maybe twice, and then never go again because it's the same old stuff. However, a downtown ballpark or an entertainment district would bring me back again and again. Any of the ideas Tiger listed earlier would much better than an aquarium for the city in the long-term.

[tredici]

As for the Stars going to AAA, it's entirely possible. I mean, if Jackson, TN can have a AA team, Huntsville could have a AAA team. That being said, the Barons would likely be the one to jump to AAA if any team in Alabama did.

[HSVTiger]

An aquarium? Huntsville shouldn't waste its time and money trying to become a tourist town. It's not one, and it never will be. Some might argue that Chattanooga wasn't a tourist town 20 years ago, before the aquarium. But they have the advantage of 2 interstates filled with vacationers from the north headed to Florida. Being mostly off the Interstate system, Huntsville doesn't have that kind of thru traffic. Also, aquariums work better in cities near a significant body of water-- lake, bay, river, etc-- with a variety of aquatic species. Huntsville has neither... technically, we're on the Tennessee River, but Chatty's already got that one covered.

Huntsville can't attract tourists, but it can attract residents. Let's capitalize on that. If Huntsville wants to spend money on attractions, build ones that will be appealing to residents and would enhance the quality of life here. I would go to an aquarium once, maybe twice, and then never go again because it's the same old stuff. However, a downtown ballpark or an entertainment district would bring me back again and again. Any of the ideas Tiger listed earlier would much better than an aquarium for the city in the long-term.

Well one of the largest tourist attractions in Alabama every year is the Space Center and HSV/Madison County. People who don't live here view us in a different light.
The top five counties with the largest travel-related expenditures are: Baldwin County with almost $2.3 billion in travel-related spending, Jefferson County was second with more than $1.5 billion, Madison County was third at $991 million, Mobile County ranked fourth with more than $944 million and Montgomery County was fifth with nearly $558 million.
Source Governors press release April 17, 2009

[HSV79]

Call me crazy but I'd like to see a large indoor waterpark that could be used all year long. And on those hot summer days the roof could be retracted to let the sunlight in. But I know that's millions of dollars. But a new baseball stadium could have been built considering how much over budget that jail was. I think a Dave and Busters would go great downtown along with some actual fast food joints as long as they were done tastefully.

[OCA REP]

Also, aquariums work better in cities near a significant body of water-- lake, bay, river, etc-- with a variety of aquatic species.

OK, OK... IF an aquarium has to be built in Alabama, I guess we can do it down here in Montgomery along the ALABAMA RIVER and make it the STATE aquarium. I am not a fan of this plan, but it might be another jewel in the crown we have been developing downtown.

:)

[ThatGuy]

As for the Stars going to AAA, it's entirely possible. I mean, if Jackson, TN can have a AA team, Huntsville could have a AAA team. That being said, the Barons would likely be the one to jump to AAA if any team in Alabama did.

I think the trend now is to have the AAA team be close to the Parent team to facilitate a quick/cheap call-up to fill in for injuries.

The play on the field isn't enough to entice visitors. This is an "American Idol" society. We have to be SOLD. Going to the game has to be an EVENT. I don't think attendance would be that much higher if the games/parking were free.

Since the best place for a new stadium would be the current Coke building, they could call it Coke Field (as somebody already suggested) but they could also make it a miniature version of the Coke Museum in Atlanta with interactive exhibits for the kids.

The park could also lease out an outfield location for a sports bar overlooking the field. Something like that would be very attractive to me if I were staying downtown for convention.

[ThatGuy]

Ok so this so called Dave and Buster's type place um they forgot to actually put some games in there. I was very disappointing its nothing like Dave and Buster's. It's basically an upscale bowling alley with a restaurant kinda like Tin Pin Alley by Dolce group that they were originally planning on building. We still need a real Dave and Buster's type place.

Looks like they are trying to sell (http://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/Entertainment-and-Amusement-Activities-Business/469587/) it already...

[-=skywalker=-]

Personally I think building a state aquarium in Huntsville would be a waste, I'd rather see that kind of thing in Montgomery or Mobile. The TN Aquarium is only an hour to an hour & a half away.

I do however agree we can expand on the science and space exploration theme, like a state-of-the-art world class science museum with a planetarium. That is Huntsville's niche, it makes the city unique in the region and would be a big boost to continue to grow on it.

Also, a new stadium downtown would be a great idea and would spur downtown retail/restaurant developement as well as a need for another hotel. Whether Huntsville get's a AAA team or not, a new stadium downtown can be used for other events, such as concerts and downtown festivals (Big Spring Jam).

[tredici]

Expanding on the Space Exploration theme would be the best bet for Huntsville. There really aren't any other space museums anywhere nearby. The closest legit one would probably be Kennedy in Florida.

[jmanhsv]

Well one of the largest tourist attractions in Alabama every year is the Space Center and HSV/Madison County. People who don't live here view us in a different light.
The top five counties with the largest travel-related expenditures are: Baldwin County with almost $2.3 billion in travel-related spending, Jefferson County was second with more than $1.5 billion, Madison County was third at $991 million, Mobile County ranked fourth with more than $944 million and Montgomery County was fifth with nearly $558 million.
Source Governors press release April 17, 2009

It would be interesting a breakdown of those numbers-- the $20 I spent on gas last week could be seen as a "travel-related expense."

By the way, according to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, in 2007, the "economic impact (http://www.tnvacation.com/media/industry/EconomicImpact2008.pdf)" of tourism in Chattanooga/Hamilton County was $710.4 million. You can't tell me that Chattanooga, with its national ad campaigns and strategic location, is getting almost $200 million less in tourism annually than Huntsville. If that's true, then I've seriously underestimated this city's tourism industry.

[tredici]

I think what might be happening with those numbers, jman, is all of Hamilton County's tourism is basically based in Chattanooga. And there is only so much you can fit in one city that doesn't sit on the coast.

That being said, there has to be a different way of calculating the tourism dollars between Tennessee and Alabama.

[huntsville_rocks]

I think the baseball park would be a waste. If I want to go to a game, I can make a day trip to the Braves, if I really loved baseball or wanted to watch it, or take some kids there. The Stars play 70 games in huntsville, I seriously doubt less than 10% of the population could or would go to all 70 home games. I mean, you are talking about weeknights, back to back, that takes a committment, and maybe lots of money and no job to worry about, so I personally think it is a waste. I might go to 3 or 4 games a year, and that would be enough for me. Its not some everyday thing.
As far as the aquarium, I too think its a great idea. Everytime I have been to an aquarium, its packed with kids, on school trips, or families. It would make alot of money, and I would expect the target audience to be kids and families. Everytime someone goes to chattanooga, thats money huntsville is losing. And for someone to say they would go to the aquarium once and never again, I suppose you never go the rocket center either right?
And I would expect huntsville's tourism industry is highly boosted by government tdy into the area every week. These folks come here spending lots of money, but obvioulsy they arent going to watch minor league baseball on a weeknight til midnight. Just my thoughts...

[stallty]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=171419

I found this on the Building and Architecture forum. It list the west precinct as best in class for brick buildings. It is definitely a good looking building for Huntsville.

[TimCity2000]

i think it's clear we're talking about two different things here... an aquarium would be primarily for tourists, while a baseball stadium would be for residents. honestly, between the two, i'm in favor of the residents. huntsville already has an amazing tourist destination and it's not downtown. let's make downtown an amazing place for its citizens to live, eat, work and play!

[HSVTiger]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=171419

I found this on the Building and Architecture forum. It list the west precinct as best in class for brick buildings. It is definitely a good looking building for Huntsville.

the pic from that site, this building is on West Clinton, downtown.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3711767176_4d3ff4ce1e_b.jpg

[Huntsvillenative]

The Aquarium would be for both tourists and residents. It would be a wonderful place to take a date or your girlfriend. It would draw in more tourism which is very improtant in economic growth. It would bring in newer and bigger businesses which would create more jobs. Why some can't see this is beyond me.

Too many posters on here who think like Spencer and that's why Huntsville never saw a major growth in tourism and downtown development under her. Now that we got a mayor who wants to be and is active and do things that betters the city, we now have a brighter future than ever for our city and our lifestyles.

Bottom line is Huntsville is dead boring and that's how outsiders see it when they come here. I see it and I live here and have my entire life.

The Mayberry image died when Spencer was voted out of office. A new Huntsville is on the horizon.:tup:

[OCA REP]

I think the baseball park would be a waste. If I want to go to a game, I can make a day trip to the Braves, if I really loved baseball or wanted to watch it, or take some kids there. The Stars play 70 games in huntsville, I seriously doubt less than 10% of the population could or would go to all 70 home games. I mean, you are talking about weeknights, back to back, that takes a committment, and maybe lots of money and no job to worry about, so I personally think it is a waste. I might go to 3 or 4 games a year, and that would be enough for me. Its not some everyday thing.

We get the 12-pack of season tickets for the Biscuits down here in MGM and this (to me) the PERFECT number of games. However, there are lots of people that get the full season package (70 games) and the half season (35 games) package. Surely the Stars offer something similar?

And I would expect huntsville's tourism industry is highly boosted by government tdy into the area every week. These folks come here spending lots of money, but obvioulsy they arent going to watch minor league baseball on a weeknight til midnight.

The military (at Maxwell AFB and the Gunter Annex) are some of the biggest supporters of our team. I suppose it is because they have lived all over and are used to organized/professional sports. Plus it gives a sense of belonging when you are living in a city for a short time span and can pull for the local team.

First pitch down here is generally at 7:05 PM and everything is usually over by 10:00 PM. The midnight thing is definitely a STRETCH... free baseball though!

[OCA REP]

the pic from that site, this building is on West Clinton, downtown.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3711767176_4d3ff4ce1e_b.jpg

NICE looking building. The word "precinct" was mentioned... is this a fire station/police substation?

[HSVTiger]

NICE looking building. The word "precinct" was mentioned... is this a fire station/police substation?
Yes it is a combined precinct station serving downtown and central Huntsville.
They are wanting to do similiar for the other two precincts. Huntsville has 17 fire stations so I guess now two others will be combined with the police stations.

[huntsville_rocks]

chattanooga has both a downtown baseball park & an aquarium. I have never been to a game there, but been to the aquarium a few times each year. Every time I have been, there are lots of folks around that area, and I assume it has nothing to do with baseball. If you remove the aquarium from chattanooga, why would anyone be in that area and how would any of the restaruants have customers? If you remove the ballpark from downtown chattanooga, would anyone even notice? The aquarium would be open pretty much everyday, the stars only have 70 games a year, so that means only 70 days a year will the stars be bringing potential customers to downtown. Not sure how that will make downtown more vibrant. According to the huntsville times, the stars only had 600 people come to a game last week. A new stadium will not increase attendance that much more with out some different management.

[-=skywalker=-]

Let's be honest, do you really think an aquarium would be profitable for Huntsville? Chattanooga has a good 15 year head start, the city has dumped millions of dollars on expanding it and adding to the riverfront. So ask yourself if you lived in a place like Scottsboro where it's the same drive time/mileage either way, which aquarium would you go to?! That ultimately is the thing, Huntsville will be fighting for tourist dollars with pretty much a neighboring city.

Personally, I'd rather see the city use that money to build a world class science museum, planetarium, and hell why not build an Air & Space Museum similar to the Smithsonian's Udvar Hazy Center in D.C., in case there's someone who hasn't been there yet: it's the aviation museum in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. link (http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/)

The science/space/aviation thing is what makes Huntsville unique in the region, it's called the "Rocket City" for a reason. I think the best bet for the city's future is to expand and build on what we already have, it's Huntsville's niche and there's so much that can be done with it if city leaders would wake up to smell the coffee.

[gkcooper]

I think we need a world-class zoo. An aquarium would be great, but there are several within a few hours of here.

[| BRAVO |]

Where is Huntsville's zoo?

[HSVTiger]

Where is Huntsville's zoo?

Birmingham

[tredici]

If Huntsville were to ever build an aquarium, they would have to do something to make it unique. Something that separates it from all other aquariums. Throw out the idea of the largest aquarium on earth, someone's just gonna build a larger one.

My idea would be to somehow link the space program to an aquarium. For example, they could create an example of what one of those subsurface oceans on some moons around other planets might look. Or maybe a moon version of Atlantis. Have like the moon lander and other moon stuff sunk to the bottom of a "lunar" surface, you could call it the "Sea of Tranquility." ;)

One reason why the aquariums at Bass Pros are so popular is that they tie in the local ecology when they're building the tanks. The Estuarium near Mobile (if it still exists) is a GREAT example.

If it's gonna be an aquarium, it has to be completely unique. Something that no one else has, and would interest locals and outsiders.

[-=skywalker=-]

If it's gonna be an aquarium, it has to be completely unique. Something that no one else has, and would interest locals and outsiders.

But the question is, do you really think that's possible? I mean let's face it, Huntsville is a bit underachieving in this department. The city has so much potential, it has themes to expand on and build a unique identity for it's tourist industry but little effort has been made. I've lived here since 1997, in those 12 years the only thing that's been done to better any of the attractions around here is the addition of the Davidson Center at the Space & Rocket Center and that took 10 years.

Personally, I think a half assed attempt at an aquarium would be an epic failure. The city can't even improve on what it already has here, so why embark on a new venture? I guess I just don't have faith in the leadership around here, I see little things that could be done to go along way to making the city a vibrant exciting place to live but it seems the establishment has it set in their minds that they want Huntsville to stay the Alabama hick town they grew up in 30 or 40 years ago. A perfect example of this would be the height restrictions downtown and the highrise criminal condo fiasco.

[mp7123]

How about this for a unique attraction... somehow land one of the 3 remaining space shuttles here when they are retired. Build something similar to the Davidson Center for Space Exploration around it. Problem with that is there are only 3 left. I would assume one would end up at the Smithsonian, one in Houston, and one at Cape Canaveral... so this might be tough for Huntsville to pull off.

[HSVTiger]

How about this for a unique attraction... somehow land one of the 3 remaining space shuttles here when they are retired. Build something similar to the Davidson Center for Space Exploration around it. Problem with that is there are only 3 left. I would assume one would end up at the Smithsonian, one in Houston, and one at Cape Canaveral... so this might be tough for Huntsville to pull off.

"Space shuttle Discovery already has been offered to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

The privilege of showing off a shuttle won't be cheap -- about $42 million.

This figure will include $28.2 million for the removal of hazardous chemicals -- such as ammonia, used as a coolant, and nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine, used as fuel; $5.8 million for moving the shuttle via a carrier aircraft to its new location; and $8 million for preparing the shuttle for display."
CNN

The remaining two would be placed in storage at Kennedy Space Center until their final homes are decided.

If a space shuttle is too pricey, NASA is offering some of its shuttle main engines for anywhere between US$400,000 and US$800,000, not counting shipping costs.

The space shuttles, will not come with any main engines.

[tredici]

But the question is, do you really think that's possible? I mean let's face it, Huntsville is a bit underachieving in this department. The city has so much potential, it has themes to expand on and build a unique identity for it's tourist industry but little effort has been made. I've lived here since 1997, in those 12 years the only thing that's been done to better any of the attractions around here is the addition of the Davidson Center at the Space & Rocket Center and that took 10 years.

Personally, I think a half assed attempt at an aquarium would be an epic failure. The city can't even improve on what it already has here, so why embark on a new venture? I guess I just don't have faith in the leadership around here, I see little things that could be done to go along way to making the city a vibrant exciting place to live but it seems the establishment has it set in their minds that they want Huntsville to stay the Alabama hick town they grew up in 30 or 40 years ago. A perfect example of this would be the height restrictions downtown and the highrise criminal condo fiasco.

Haha, that's why I say IF they build one. I honestly think that an aquarium in Huntsville wouldn't fly. But, if they did happen to build one, it would have to be completely unique. It would surely take a lot of thinking to figure out.

[ThatGuy]

One reason why the aquariums at Bass Pros are so popular is that they tie in the local ecology when they're building the tanks.


A Bass Pro Shop would probably be just as big a draw (if not bigger) as an aquarium. Maybe the city could pay for the building or something to entice one to downtown (since they would rather be out on the Interstate).

Does anybody have any confidence that Huntsville could build a successful aquarium?

[HSVTiger]

At the Constellation site a leasing sign has gone up for the office building that will sit on the vacant parcel of land due north of the main area. That is across Clinton, but is part of the Constellation development.
From the rendering it looks to be nice 3 or 4 story building. That is a prime
spot a 20 story building would look good on but would reguire a large parking deck.
On SW end some piddling entrance road work is underway to allow better access from the Memorial Parkway north bound frontage road.

[Huntsvillenative]

Does anybody have any confidence that Huntsville could build a successful aquarium? Yes! Spencer's gone so the Mayberry approach went with her. We're already seeing big ideas thrown out by Battle and the new CC. Give them a chance to make it all happen.

Bass Pro would work better near the river as it would only attract outdoor sports lovers. No way would it outdraw a family friendly state-of-the-art world class state aquarium in downtown where there's much more to do than out by the river.

And for the record, most states have an aquarium except for Alabama. Some states have multiple aquariums. Coca Cola could do a museum park like in ATL where there would be an aquarium, coke museum, and new science museum all within a shirt walking distance. Tie it in to Big Spring across from the VBC.

A world class zoo would be great as well but not in downtown. Madison would be a good location for a zoo or even a classic theme park that rivals Alabama Adventure. Memphis has the nicest zoo in all of America. Huntsville could build one on that scale with all the freed up space and land out that way. Plus Madison is one of the fastest growing cities in America.

There's so much potential in Huntsville. Thank God we finally got a mayor who now sees that.:tup:

[ThatGuy]

A family friendly state-of-the-art world class state aquarium in downtown

Lol. Do you still believe in Santa Claus too?

In November 2001, Bernard Marcus announced his idea to build an aquarium as a present to Atlanta, Georgia that would encourage both education and economic growth. Marcus and his wife Billi visited 56 aquariums in 13 countries to research and design a structure, and finally donated $250 million toward Georgia Aquarium’s construction.[2] An additional $40 million dollars in financial contributions was donated by major corporations including the Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, Home Depot, UPS, AirTran Airways, BellSouth, Georgia Pacific, Time Warner, SunTrust and Southern Company. [2] The corporate donations allowed the aquarium to open debt free.

$300 Million for that Aquarium. We can't even afford the bids we have been getting on the VBC and the Art Museum expansions...

[Huntsvillenative]

Lol. Do you still believe in Santa Claus too?

In November 2001, Bernard Marcus announced his idea to build an aquarium as a present to Atlanta, Georgia that would encourage both education and economic growth. Marcus and his wife Billi visited 56 aquariums in 13 countries to research and design a structure, and finally donated $250 million toward Georgia Aquarium’s construction.[2] An additional $40 million dollars in financial contributions was donated by major corporations including the Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, Home Depot, UPS, AirTran Airways, BellSouth, Georgia Pacific, Time Warner, SunTrust and Southern Company. [2] The corporate donations allowed the aquarium to open debt free.

$300 Million for that Aquarium. We can't even afford the bids we have been getting on the VBC and the Art Museum expansions...


Stop being a pessimist. Nobody ever said it has to rival the Georgia Aquarium or that it would cost hudnreds of millions of dollars. True we don't have that much money but we're not neccessarily broke either. We probably have as much to invest in an aquarium today than Chattanooga did 15 years ago. And they've come out pretty darn good since they built one. Their tourism was zilch at the time and now they draw a nice number of national tourism, even with ATL having the much bigger aquarium and a lot more to offer for tourists than Chattanooga does.

So who's to say that Huntsville can't draw in tourism like that? With the Space Center here they can now build on that. It can be done with the right vision and leadership. Spencer had no vision and held us back with her old Aunt B Mayberry ways of leading the city to where proposing an aquarium would have been a laughing joke under her term. But Battle has a vision and that's what the city wanted and why he was elected. So far, he's making progress. You would have never seen Spencer push go to other major cities to see how they work and try to make our scompetitive to those. If she did she would have said "it's nice but can't work here". And that's the attitude of alot on this forum. Nice but can't be done. Anything can be done with vision.

Wanna know what all could happen for downtown Huntsville should an aquarium be built? You would get more business for tourism such as a world class Science Museum, upscale retail and shops, first class restaurants, better entertainment, and larger developments such as a dream signature tower because of companies wanting to be in downtown where the action would be, and most importanly would creat many more jobs in downtown.

Think outside the box not in it.

[HSVTiger]

Something like this should be downtown and include Sci Quest as well

http://www.rcenter.org/AboutTheCenter/default.asp

http://www.rcenter.org/Images/AboutTheCenter/rcenterfront.jpg

[tredici]

A Bass Pro Shop would probably be just as big a draw (if not bigger) as an aquarium. Maybe the city could pay for the building or something to entice one to downtown (since they would rather be out on the Interstate).


That won't happen. Bass Pro already has the plans for the Decatur location. They're just waiting for the economy to pick up.

[HSVTiger]

A museum that is downtown gets ok on expansion

Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com
City panel approves less expensive plan, parking compromise

A reworked Huntsville Museum of Art expansion got a thumbs-up Wednesday from members of a city subdivision board.

Committee members applauded the new design by Fuqua & Partners Architects, which shifts the two-story addition from the Williams Avenue side to the rear of the museum. It includes lots of glass, a concert stage and new entrances allowing people to enter from Big Spring International Park.

It may be a little different from this rendering, this is the Big Spring Park side(west)

http://www.hsvmuseum.org/Graphics/exp_rendering0309.jpg

[TimCity2000]

40 years ago today, the Saturn V lifted off for the moon.

Congrats, Huntsville!

[HSVTiger]

40 years ago today, the Saturn V lifted off for the moon.

Congrats, Huntsville!

Shuttle Endeavor launched from the same pad yesterday

http://www.spaceshots.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/f2169.jpg

http://www.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/Space%20Shuttle_Saut_slideshow_604x500.jpg

Von Braun with Apollo 11 waiting for launch, without him we may not have made it to the moon..6 times

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/images/vonb-07-nasa-6901046-apollo11col-l.jpg

NASA photos

[Huntsvillenative]

A museum that is downtown gets ok on expansion

Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com
City panel approves less expensive plan, parking compromise

A reworked Huntsville Museum of Art expansion got a thumbs-up Wednesday from members of a city subdivision board.

Committee members applauded the new design by Fuqua & Partners Architects, which shifts the two-story addition from the Williams Avenue side to the rear of the museum. It includes lots of glass, a concert stage and new entrances allowing people to enter from Big Spring International Park.

It may be a little different from this rendering, this is the Big Spring Park side(west)

http://www.hsvmuseum.org/Graphics/exp_rendering0309.jpg

That's gonna be GORGEOUS! Now let's tear down those doctor offices and the Holiday Inn across from it and expand Big Spring Park to include an 150,000 square foot aquarium and a state-of-the-art science museum of about 90,000 sqaure feet and relocated Sci-Quest there.:tup:

[TimCity2000]

^i definitely agree about getting rid of the holiday inn. it seems so... suburban.

[HSVTiger]

^i definitely agree about getting rid of the holiday inn. it seems so... suburban.

There are plans to do that, but what would replace it are unknown, another hotel? Maybe an office tower, Big Spring could be extended under Williams or Monroe and create a greenway along the creek all the way to the Medical District,, its just several blocks, have restaurants line the way and tie into the Councill Court redevelopment.

[ThatGuy]

Maybe a new baseball stadium.

[HSVTiger]

Maybe a new baseball stadium.

room for it would be a problem in that area most likely, currently the best site
is the before mentioned Coca Cola plant /Searcy homes.
With all the talk and a proactive downtown mayor no height restrictions away from the residential areas somethings got to give. Somebody wants to do something.

[ThatGuy]

room for it would be a problem in that area most likely, currently the best site
is the before mentioned Coca Cola plant /Searcy homes.
With all the talk and a proactive downtown mayor no height restrictions away from the residential areas somethings got to give. Somebody wants to do something.

You are probably right, but it might be cheaper making room there than buying and clearing the coke property. Personally, I'd prefer it on the coke spot, but it's not like there is a "For Sale" sign out in front of the building...

[ThatGuy]

What about something like an Eiffel Tower, Space Needle, London Eye (scaled back to a realistic size of course) type attraction downtown?

Also, does anybody know how the costs of aerial gondola cable cars compare to light rail or monorail? If we could connect the whole city via aerial cable cars it might become iconic like the street cars in San Fran... I would definitely commute to work on those!

[mp7123]

but is Huntsville ever going to repaint their police cars. They have to be some of the ugliest police cars i've seen.

As for downtown... why not a ballpark with a hotel attached along half of the outfield fence. Make it a duel use field for high school football as well... that would make the stadium usable basically year round.

[ThatGuy]

but is Huntsville ever going to repaint their police cars. They have to be some of the ugliest police cars i've seen.


I vote for painting them Day-Glow Yellow! :)

[crr0004]

It will be awhile before we see HPD cars looking any different, especially with the city having to cut new city vehicles out of the budget.

Am I the only one that feels relocating Sci-Quest anywhere downtown is a terrible idea? I think that has to be the lamest museum, and it really wouldn't bring anyone in between the ages of 10 and 60 downtown.

[HSVTiger]

but is Huntsville ever going to repaint their police cars. They have to be some of the ugliest police cars i've seen.

As for downtown... why not a ballpark with a hotel attached along half of the outfield fence. Make it a duel use field for high school football as well... that would make the stadium usable basically year round.

At one time Joe Davis was dual purpose, (notice the unusual seating layout)
but the wear and tear on the field was excessive. Painting/changing graphics on police cars would be quite expensive. But a new design should be done as new cruisers come on line they could have it.
Sci Quest if they moved would have to up their game to become a world class or just a regional class museum. They are limited by funds as well.

[HSVTiger]

It could be worse..meanwhile in North Korea and Iran nuclear dreams push forward.

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Boeing announced today it is laying off about 130 employees in Huntsville in response to cuts in the 2010 defense budget and "the administration's shift in U.S. defense priorities."

In a statement, the company said layoff notices will be issued to about 250 employees in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program at various locations, including Alabama, Alaska, California and Colorado.

The employees are to receive a 60-day advance notice of the layoff on Friday.

The cuts are part of 1,000 jobs Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems said this week it plans to eliminate because of defense budget changes and cuts.

[HSV79]

Well with all the possible developments downtown its got me excited. Like Tiger said something has got to give. If one wants to see a good model for Sci Quest just look down the road at Birmingham. They have a very nice hands on museum called Mc Wane Center. That place is awesome and is pretty much packed most of the time. I have noticed a lot more people seem to be out and about at all these night spots. Seems if you build it they will come..... Can't wait to see what will be done with that horrible eyesore Holiday Inn!

[tredici]

40 years ago today, the Saturn V lifted off for the moon.

Congrats, Huntsville!

If it wasn't for that program, I probably wouldn't be from North Alabama, and on top of that, probably wouldn't exist...

[mlog]

Yes! Spencer's gone so the Mayberry approach went with her. We're already seeing big ideas thrown out by Battle and the new CC. Give them a chance to make it all happen.

Bass Pro would work better near the river as it would only attract outdoor sports lovers. No way would it outdraw a family friendly state-of-the-art world class state aquarium in downtown where there's much more to do than out by the river.

And for the record, most states have an aquarium except for Alabama. Some states have multiple aquariums. Coca Cola could do a museum park like in ATL where there would be an aquarium, coke museum, and new science museum all within a shirt walking distance. Tie it in to Big Spring across from the VBC.

A world class zoo would be great as well but not in downtown. Madison would be a good location for a zoo or even a classic theme park that rivals Alabama Adventure. Memphis has the nicest zoo in all of America. Huntsville could build one on that scale with all the freed up space and land out that way. Plus Madison is one of the fastest growing cities in America.

There's so much potential in Huntsville. Thank God we finally got a mayor who now sees that.:tup:

I'm in kind of a hurry right now, but I want to make two quick points.

1. What's wrong with a downtown zoo? Indianapolis has a new, world class zoo, and it is downtown.

2. Don't you think we should wait a little longer before we shower Battle with accolades on his accomplishments? He might well prove to be better than Spencer, but aren't we jumping the gun a bit by pronouncing it so?

[ThatGuy]

Club 222 is going into the old Copelands location on the Parkway.

[bodagetta]

Club 222 is going into the old Copelands location on the Parkway.

First I've heard of this so I did some Googling and found:

http://www.huntsville222club.com/index.php.

Looks like an amateur effort on the website so far, weather report is set for Pueblo, Colorado and Calendar is misspelled. Hopefully this is not indicative of the quality of the club.

[Huntsvillenative]

I'm in kind of a hurry right now, but I want to make two quick points.

1. What's wrong with a downtown zoo? Indianapolis has a new, world class zoo, and it is downtown.

2. Don't you think we should wait a little longer before we shower Battle with accolades on his accomplishments? He might well prove to be better than Spencer, but aren't we jumping the gun a bit by pronouncing it so? There's no room in downtown Huntsville for a zoo.

[luvinhsv]

First I've heard of this so I did some Googling and found:

http://www.huntsville222club.com/index.php.

Looks like an amateur effort on the website so far, weather report is set for Pueblo, Colorado and Calendar is misspelled. Hopefully this is not indicative of the quality of the club.

WOW that is a pathetic website! Hours of OPPERATION?? Seriously? And they will bring Big City nightlife to Huntsville. Problem is, people say they want that here, but nothing ever survives. And given this location? Glad I'm not an investor!

[crr0004]

Judging by the crowd 222 is catering to, if it doesn't fail as a business then it will get shut down by the police.

[Huntsville_secede]

Judging by the crowd 222 is catering to, if it doesn't fail as a business then it will get shut down by the police.

And exactly who are they catering to? I didn't see that anywhere on the website.

[Jacknah]

And exactly who are they catering to? I didn't see that anywhere on the website.

To rednecks who want to see what "big city nightlife" is like.

[mp7123]

look on the bright side... maybe it will keep all of the thugs down there and away from downtown and Bridge Street.

[Huntsville_secede]

look on the bright side... maybe it will keep all of the thugs down there and away from downtown and Bridge Street.

The website says...

Wednesday- Corporate Mingling

Thursday- 'Blues,Brandy,Cigars'

Friday- Ladies Night

Saturday- Everyones Party

Sunday- Jazz (ft. live band)

I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that this is catered towards thugs.

[jonnie256]

I think that Huntsville should build a huge waterpark,I think this would do really well here!my opinion

I think if they build a 3 story building to start off where constelation is suppose to be,its a waste of that space. They should at least put a 12 to 16 story building some where on that property. I mean going down 565 east or west towards huntsville,wouldn't you rather see a tall building there other than a 3 story?!LOL I know i like looking at the tall buildings going down the interstate in Nashville and B'ham....just a thought

[ThatGuy]

If it were 1979, Copelands would have made a great game room...

[mp7123]

The website says...

Wednesday- Corporate Mingling

Thursday- 'Blues,Brandy,Cigars'

Friday- Ladies Night

Saturday- Everyones Party

Sunday- Jazz (ft. live band)

I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that this is catered towards thugs.


I never said it would be catered to thugs. It doesn't have to be catered to them to attract them.

[Huntsvillenative]

I think that Huntsville should build a huge waterpark,I think this would do really well here!my opinion

I think if they build a 3 story building to start off where constelation is suppose to be,its a waste of that space. They should at least put a 12 to 16 story building some where on that property. I mean going down 565 east or west towards huntsville,wouldn't you rather see a tall building there other than a 3 story?!LOL I know i like looking at the tall buildings going down the interstate in Nashville and B'ham....just a thought

The waterpark idea is a really good one and would generate a lot of revenue to both Madison and Huntsville. But I wouldn't make it just a normal waterpark. I would add dark water rides, an amazon style 18-hole put-put course with fountains and falls and jungle atmosphere, an indoor nascar style mini-go cart track, mega sized arcade, a 100 acre theme park with a lake and a Ferris wheel on it multiple roller coasters, dark rides, outdoor amphitheater, food court, etc. A good location for something of that magnitude would be somewhere in Madison along HW20 where there's alot of free space and land for parking and future expansion development.

As for the 3 story building at Constellation, I don't know where that came from as one of the hotels was to be 6 stories. But now that Battle has gotten the height limit raised I would expect the developers to revise their heights to go taller than originally planned.

[HSVTiger]

The waterpark idea is a really good one and would generate a lot of revenue to both Madison and Huntsville. But I wouldn't make it just a normal waterpark. I would add dark water rides, an amazon style 18-hole put-put course with fountains and falls and jungle atmosphere, an indoor nascar style mini-go cart track, mega sized arcade, a 100 acre theme park with a lake and a Ferris wheel on it multiple roller coasters, dark rides, outdoor amphitheater, food court, etc. A good location for something of that magnitude would be somewhere in Madison along HW20 where there's alot of free space and land for parking and future expansion development.

As for the 3 story building at Constellation, I don't know where that came from as one of the hotels was to be 6 stories. But now that Battle has gotten the height limit raised I would expect the developers to revise their heights to go taller than originally planned.

The office building has always been a part of the development, remember it is across Clinton. As far as we know the mysterious invisible hotels are 6 floors. A more exciting concept would have been a 16-24 story building with
an overhead walkway to the main development and designed for future elevated tram south to Parkway Place and west to Research Park.

[HSVTiger]

The earlier proposed light rail idea having tough sell..

Doug Gooch of Madison thinks so. The president and CEO of River Country Development has been evangelizing for his consortium's light-rail plan in speeches like one last week to the Huntsville Rotary Club.

City leaders, however, aren't sure. At least, they aren't sure about Gooch's plan.

Gooch's team has done a lot of thinking and he's done a lot of selling, but there's been no support from City Hall yet.


"I have been unable to get movement from the city to establish a light-rail authority," Gooch said Tuesday.

Such an authority is a must to apply for the stimulus funds.

"Contact your City Council members," Gooch urged the Rotary Club. "Contact the mayor."

Mayor Tommy Battle said Friday that he appreciates Gooch's passion, "but we have to make sure it makes sense, and dollars and cents."

Gooch's first phase would be an elevated, secure-access train that would run above Interstate 565. It would take thousands of cars off Research Park Boulevard and the interstate, he says, and set the financial foundation for more.

Gooch said Redstone Arsenal's commanding general could easily fill the trains just by saying to his work force, "You will ride the train."

"I don't see that happening," Battle said Friday.

The mayor said his administration is studying the issue and so is at least one volunteer committee. Nowhere in Battle's comments were the words "not happening" or "no way."

[tredici]

I think that Huntsville should build a huge waterpark,I think this would do really well here!my opinion

I think if they build a 3 story building to start off where constelation is suppose to be,its a waste of that space. They should at least put a 12 to 16 story building some where on that property. I mean going down 565 east or west towards huntsville,wouldn't you rather see a tall building there other than a 3 story?!LOL I know i like looking at the tall buildings going down the interstate in Nashville and B'ham....just a thought

Would never happen. There's already an amazing facility in Point Mallard in Decatur. Plus, if you want one that's closer to Huntsville, the one in Madison would be a good place to improve and expand.

Point Mallard is close to the interstate and is already an established vacation destination. Also one of the busiest "theme parks", and the busiest waterpark, in the state.

[gkcooper]

I have believed for years that we need a "real" motorsports park. Trust me, there is a demand for an NHRA sanctioned 1/4 mile track with a road coarse. One that can handle the big events. The perfect location would be Greenbriar/565.

[HSVTiger]

Downtown Gateway Place appears ready to go..the senior housing adjacent to the hospital

On Monday, the authority board took a look at updated drawings of Gateway Place, a $10 million senior center set to cover three acres at the intersection of Gallatin Street and Lowe Avenue. On Monday,Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Lundy said he hopes to break ground on the new building later this summer or early in the fall.

The latest design, which was revised in the spring, drops the senior center from four stories to three stories. The brick building still contains 86 public housing apartments for the elderly spread across 90,000 square feet. The building, originally shaped like an L, now forms a horseshoe around an interior courtyard.

[HSVTiger]

Lincoln Mill renovation has begun, located on Meridian Street North downtown

The estimated $20 million project calls for massive renovations to the main building into offices and possibly retail on the first floor, and condominiums on the second and third floors selling between $150 to $200 per square foot.

Parking will be in what is now the basement. The smaller old building in front of the main one will be renovated also for restaurants, shops and possibly an independent film theater.

MATHENY GOLDMON ARCHITECTS is the architect for the project and this firm is quickly being recognized as doing beautiful and superior design around the Huntsville area. Not the good ole boy lazy architecture this area has grown used to seeing but actual design that actually makes you stop and admire the building. The new downtown fire/police station mentioned a page or so back is an example and won an award for it. I don't have any affiliation with these guys.