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  #741  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 12:32 PM
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D.C. group plans new office building in Birmingham
Birmingham Business Journal - by Lauren B. Cooper Staff


The Washington, D.C.-based International Code Council said it will build a new 60,000-square-foot office building in Birmingham to house its local office.

According to a news release, the location of the building is yet to be determined, but Birmingham's Rives Construction Co. will oversee the delivery of the project, which will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

The Birmingham expansion is part of a new facilities master plan and capital budget of $41 million, which also includes a new office building in Los Angeles, renovations to its Chicago office and expansion of a distribution center in Kansas.

ICC is a nonprofit, which develops building safety codes used in residential, commercial and institutional construction.

It's Birmingham office is currently located on Montclair Road.
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  #742  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 12:33 PM
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I can't imagine streetcars coming back. Never thought I would see the day.

Quote:
Transit authority soliciting streetcar proposals
Birmingham Business Journal - by Jimmy DeButts Staff

The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority is seeking proposals for the design and construction of its planned $33 million streetcar system.

Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford has promoted a 2.5 mile streetcar line that will run through downtown. The proposed route would begin at the intermodal facility on Morris Avenue and wind through the city, passing cultural hotspots, such as the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

The city has indicated the streetcar line will begin construction in early November. Plans also call for a trip to Milan, Italy, in September to purchase the vintage-looking streetcars that will be run by electricity.

Interested parties must attend a May 19 pre-proposal conference to qualify as bidders. Proposals will be accepted by the transit authority until June 30.
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  #743  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 10:48 PM
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I just wish they weren't of the "vintage" variety.
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  #744  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 9:54 AM
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so where would that new office be?

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  #745  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 12:08 PM
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Birmingham needs a dog park - and the area near the interstate at George Ward seems ideal.


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Birmingham may be in line for a dog park at George Ward
Group wants room for hounds to roam
Friday, May 02, 2008
VICTORIA L. COMAN
News staff writer

A group of dog owners wants to establish the Birmingham area's first dog park on land at the city's George Ward Park.

Dog lovers with a group called Bark for a Park are meeting with city officials about building a dog park. They propose setting aside three acres at the park where dogs can exercise, socialize and run around without a leash.

The proposed site is near Green Springs Highway and Interstate 65.

Claudine Graf, Bark for a Park's president, said the group is offering to raise money for the park and manage it if the city provides the land.

Dog parks are not a new concept in the state. Auburn and Huntsville have them, Graf said. There also are dog parks in Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere around the country.

Birmingham park officials have just started looking at the proposal.

"This is just the starting point for us," said Stanley Robinson, spokesman for the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board. The board must consider the proposal and contract before any plans are made, said Melvin Miller, Parks and Recreation director.

Bark's proposal includes a water fountain, benches and a double fence, Graf said. Double fencing creates a holding area so owners can let their pets off leash and the dogs can become acclimated to the park's setting.

Rules for Rover:

The park would have posted rules that would include people picking up and disposing of their pets' waste in designated areas. Aggressive dogs, dogs "in heat" and very young puppies would not be allowed, according to the group's proposed rules.

Birmingham dog owners have wanted a dog park for years. Many take their dogs to Rhodes Park, Crestwood Park, Avondale Park and others. Some people have complained that owners allow their dogs to roam off leash and that they sometimes run into street.

Graf said the dog park could be a destination spot for people who live nearby and for visitors to the city.

"People have told me they will drive in from Shelby County and Gardendale to a dog park," Graf said. "It's something different. It's something you can do with your family and your dog."

More information: www.barkforapark.org vcoman@bhamnews.com
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  #746  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 12:10 PM
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Not sure - I tried the International Code Council website and it didn't have any additional information. It may be nothing. I'll keep an eye out.


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Originally Posted by LSyd View Post
so where would that new office be?

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  #747  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Optimus Prime View Post
I just wish they weren't of the "vintage" variety.

You're not keen on the "vintage" variety?
I think they could create a nice ambiance for downtown - I was at Linn Park when the traveling 9/11 Memorial came through the city and a lady from Atlanta was going on and on about how she loved the dart trolleys.
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  #748  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 1:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hallman02 View Post
Birmingham needs a dog park - and the area near the interstate at George Ward seems ideal.
Huntsville's version

Huntsville's Dog Spot features a sprawling play area for large dogs (25 pounds and more) and one for smaller dogs separated by fencing. Poop bag dispensers are there to help encourage a cleaner park.

Benches will soon be installed to give canine owners a place to swap dog stories and watch their four-legged friends frolic. Officials also hope to add restrooms along with watering stations with spigots designed for dog snouts.

Jeff Martin with the city's facilities project management office said some of the ideas were gleaned from Hill-Sheppard's visits to other dog parks. Tuesday's park opening culminates several years of planning aided by a push to make Huntsville more attractive to younger professionals..

Martin said the downtown site seemed ideal because it's next to the skateboard park, which already has a public parking lot and offers shade and some fencing.

The city spent about $7,000 on more fencing, signs, a staging area, the "poop bag" disposal station and parking lot improvements. The park encompasses an area roughly the size of several football fields.

"As we get some money budgeted for it, there will be some more improvements," Martin said Friday.

Users will have to adhere to rules and clean up after their pet. Among them: Dogs must be vaccinated for rabies; no more than two dogs per individual; dogs in "heat" not allowed; digging prohibited; and no dogs under 4-months old. Owners will also have to work through tensions that could result from dog fights.

Hill-Sheppard said dog owners are already planning events at the Dog Spot. Some owners have contacted her about dog play dates and birthday parties, she said, and the Greater Huntsville Humane Society wants to hold a canine event there leading up to its annual Dog Ball.

Park hours will follow those of other city parks, from dawn to one hour after dark seven days a week.
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  #749  
Old Posted May 5, 2008, 10:38 PM
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Good luck Mr. Coyne...

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Friday, May 2, 2008
Developer: City should become 'green' model
Birmingham Business Journal - by Jimmy DeButts Staff

A local businessman wants Birmingham to be the Silicon Valley of "green" manufacturing.

Melaver Inc. Chief Operating Officer Colin Coyne is circulating a plan with the goal of establishing Birmingham as a model "green" community that would be a national hub for manufacturing and distributing sustainable products.

Coyne says his proposal will spur economic growth, job creation, quality of life and educational improvements in the region.

The "Sustainable Birmingham Initiative" employs a for-profit model for a new "green" economy he believes could transform the city into a national green manufacturing leader.

Coyne said Birmingham is centrally located in the Southeast and it could become a "green product" distribution hub through the interstate highway arteries that flow through the Magic City. He envisions products like bamboo flooring and automatic computer systems that control household lighting systems having the same impact on Birmingham's economy as the steel industry had in the 20th century.

Those types of sustainable industries can bring long-term growth to the region because they don't rely on finite resources like those needed to produce steel, Coyne said.

The time is now to capitalize on the looming seismic economic shift, Coyne said. He said the project will succeed only if the city sheds its history of foot-dragging and cynicism.

Birmingham can be the 21st Century Silicon Valley by shifting from heavy to more environmentally friendly manufacturing, Coyne said.

"Why not us? Some community is going to do it," Coyne said.

A 90-day timeline is needed to hammer out policy, educate the public and begin implementation of Sustainable Birmingham, Coyne said.

Coyne wants Birmingham to be the launching point for a green initiative that incorporates successful programs found in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Antonio, Boston and Portland, Ore.

While those cities have implemented programs such as sustainable economic zones, light rail and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating Systems, Coyne said none has embraced all the initiatives collectively. He hopes his company's renovation of the Birmingham Federal Reserve Building will serve as a tangible example of the potential "green" industries possess. The Federal Reserve will be LEED certified.

Birmingham has trouble attracting manufacturers because it is under strict Environmental Protection Agency restrictions limiting emissions. Green industries could bypass those limitations, Coyne said.

Operation New Birmingham President Michael Calvert endorsed Coyne's proposal. He said there are elements that should be implemented immediately such as new building energy standards.

Calvert said other components likely will need to be integrated more slowly as the community gets a greater grasp on the concepts. He said Birmingham can use tax incentives and designate special economic zones to attract sustainable product manufacturers.

"It's something the city of Birmingham needs to pursue," Calvert said. "That makes great sense. We could certainly be a regional center for that. There are partnerships with local universities that can be worked out."

Birmingham can distinguish itself by engaging all the city's stakeholders to develop a three-pronged plan encompassing economic, environmental and social strategies that targets a new economy, Coyne said.

Coyne said Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford can be a catalyst for establishing a sustainable manufacturing hub in the city. Langford could not be reached for comment.

Coyne stresses the potential profitability for companies that get in on the ground floor of the green industry.

Using their corporate clout, business leaders can help shape legislation to create incentives to attract sustainable manufacturing businesses and special economic zones that foster green industries, Coyne said. He said it is critical to show the profitability of creating a national sustainability prototype. "If the stakes are high enough you'll find a way to do it," he said.

Attracting young professionals requires not only quality jobs but arts and natural amenities that boost a city's value, Coyne said.

Roald Hazelhoff, director of the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham Southern College, said the region could benefit from marketing itself as "the gateway to nature."

He said Coyne's proposal has elements to protect the environment including establishing a moratorium on green field development near waterways and promoting LEED building codes.

Hazelhoff said change will occur slowly but pointed to Portland's gradual resurrection from an economically-depressed city in the 1970s into a vibrant community in the 1990s.

"We are ripe for this," Hazelhoff said. "We can be the Portland of the South. Portland didn't become what it is overnight. Once people started believing in it they want more. There is a sense of rediscovery. This is a very livable city."
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  #750  
Old Posted May 6, 2008, 1:44 AM
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I-22

ALDOT is letting the costruction of I-22 to within 400 feet of I-65 this month. I-65 is currently being widened to eight lanes and construction of the intersection is for review to contractors on a disc from ALDOT.

Click Here to View
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  #751  
Old Posted May 8, 2008, 1:20 AM
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Last edited by | BRAVO |; May 12, 2008 at 10:29 PM.
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  #752  
Old Posted May 8, 2008, 1:32 AM
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Keep posting hallman. The people who post on certain places seems to ebb and flow over time. Sometimes groups seem to like to congregate either here, at SSC, or Urban Planet. And the posting activity seems to migrate amongst them depending on what group is pissed off at what site on any given day, lol.

Keep the B'ham thread going in the meantime so visitors will see it and possibly decide to contribute. Before you know it, it'll be active again with a new group or old posters coming back. I try to post stuff in the P'cola thread to keep it alive (but that is obviously tougher considering the lack of positive activity). I try to pretend the few of us who do are holding it open till the other P'colians come back from other sites....but that is just a joke...we don't have activity on any sites.
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  #753  
Old Posted May 8, 2008, 3:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hallman02 View Post
nevermind...
Sorry Tim! I've been wrapped up with monitoring replies to my Destin threads (in this section and in the My City Photos section) today. Thanks for keeping this thread alive with new posts!

BTW, I'm about to post a new photo thread entitled "Birmingham Interstate Scenery." Hope y'all will take time to check it out.
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  #754  
Old Posted May 8, 2008, 12:21 PM
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Thanks guys. I just had a moment. I took down my rant.

Last edited by | BRAVO |; May 12, 2008 at 10:29 PM.
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  #755  
Old Posted May 12, 2008, 6:22 PM
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I passed by here in route to Atlanta last week and the structure looks impressive.


Quote:
Construction on Bass Pro in Leeds on schedule, manager says
Posted by William Thornton -- Birmingham News May 12, 2008 12:01 PM

Leeds' 150,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store is still on course for a November opening, construction project manager Steve Gels said today.


Gels said 85 percent of the store's steel structure is complete, with electrical and plumbing lines in progress. The roof should be completed in five weeks. Work has begun on the store parking lot and paving should begin in three weeks.

Little Rock, Ark.-based Vratsinas Construction Co., which also built Bass Pro locations in Miami and San Antonio, is handling the project. The Leeds location, expected to draw 3 million visitors a year, will go on a 109-acre site. It is expected to employ 300 people.

Work on the store's 18,500-gallon freshwater aquarium is also under way. When completed, it will have several waterfalls and house colorful native fish, officials with the outdoor retailer said. Construction of the park's lake will take about three months to complete.
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  #756  
Old Posted May 12, 2008, 7:03 PM
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I passed by here in route to Atlanta last week and the structure looks impressive.
Are there any other stores going up yet, or just the Bass Pro ?
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  #757  
Old Posted May 12, 2008, 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by DruidCity View Post
Are there any other stores going up yet, or just the Bass Pro ?
I didn't notice any. That exit is going to explode when Bass Pro opens.
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  #758  
Old Posted May 12, 2008, 11:08 PM
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Especially when the Barber expansion is complete, too.
That place is really impressive.
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  #759  
Old Posted May 15, 2008, 2:50 PM
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BIRMINGHAM FORUM MEET

For those who may not have noticed the announcement for the Birmingham Forum Meet posted at the top of the Southern States section (*cough* Blazer85 *cough*), please go here for more information:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=149888
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  #760  
Old Posted May 16, 2008, 8:10 PM
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Quote:
BJCC to solicit bids for architect on dome project
Posted by Roy L. Williams -- Birmingham News May 16, 2008 2:17 PM

Board members of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex today approved a plan to begin soliciting bids for an architectural firm to design a proposed domed stadium.


Land adjacent to the BJCC is being considered by a site committee of business leaders for the $500 million dome, which aims to bring more conventions, sporting events and concerts to Birmingham. The independent committee set up by Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford this summer is expected to choose between the BJCC site and two other finalists, Legion Field and property near the Birmingham Race Course.

BJCC consultant H.B. Brantley said the convention complex will begin submitting information about the dome project next week, opening it up to architectural firms across the country "capable of building such a facility." At the request of Langford, the BJCC approved a suggestion that anyone getting the design contract use Alabama architecture firms to assist them.

"We only get one chance to do this right. I want to keep those dollars in Birmingham," Langford said.
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