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  #21  
Old Posted Aug 4, 2005, 11:01 PM
rabbi2007 rabbi2007 is offline
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Fort Montgomery

Emory was a wanna Be. He would have had a 12 foot wall aound this place and called it Fort Montgomery. He had NO desire to help anyplace west of the Southern Blvd, especially the last 8 years he was Mayor. Remember when he would show up at Crampton Bowl and walk the sidelines with a pistol on his side, a clown he was. I think in his first life he wanted to be a General in the Army or a Cop. Montgomery is a much better place with his type gone. Mayor Bright has been a Mayor to all of this city, the West, North, South and East. Think what this city has lost while we put up with him for the 20 plus years, we became famous for being the most boring city in the South to live. He fought constantly to keep professional baseball out now look we have not only professional baseball and Indoor Football, and there is even talk about Hockey when the Convention Center is finished, plus other venues that either have come here or are planning to move here. Our Airport is another example of neglect, visit or go the their website, this airport for the First time will be first class. Mayor Bright is what we needed, nothing more and nothing less. And for the first time we have a Mayor with compassion, with Emory it was " his was or the highway".
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  #22  
Old Posted Aug 4, 2005, 11:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thoraudio
And you gotta love the JOE L. REED ACAdome!!







Montgomery several small (2000-8000) venues, but no good 'big ones'.

Civic Center, Coliseum (not counting 'floor seats'), Ampitheater, Riverwalk stadium, Crampton bowl, Paterson field, Acadome, Carmichal (DEA ) center, ASF, museum ampitheater, Davis Theater, Civic Auditorium if its redone + a couple of 1000+ seat churches


as a kid, I even remember going to see Doug Henning (cheesy hippy/magician) at the Lee auditorium.... :hilarious


*edit* I think ASF is only like 750.... but still...


There will be a new 2000-3000 seat performing arts theater built onto the convention center also.

...no idea how many the ''expanded " civic center will hold yet.
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  #23  
Old Posted Aug 5, 2005, 1:19 PM
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Quote:
Lowe's, Home Depot Preparing to Battle with New East Montgomery Locations

Home improvement giants Lowe's and Home Depot battle for customers on East Boulevard and soon they'll be doing the same with new locations in East Montgomery.

CBS 8 News has learned that land on Chantilly Parkway has been rezoned so that Lowe's can being construction on its second Montgomery store. It will be within shouting distance of the new Home Depot that is currently under construction just a short distance away.

Chantilly Parkway has seen several businesses spring up in the past year as business development continues marching east up Interstate 85.
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  #24  
Old Posted Aug 5, 2005, 8:41 PM
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Another article on the downtown parking issue. I ate at Felder's today and had to park in front of the Federal Courthouse.... hamburger was good though

Quote:
Parking shortage slows downtown lunch business

By Juliana Wu
Montgomery Advertiser

Restaurants and their patrons in downtown Montgomery are feeling the effects of limited parking during lunch hours.

Restaurants say business has decreased since the Rosa Parks Library and Museum expansion eliminated a public parking lot on the corner of Montgomery and Lee streets.

"If (customers) can't park close enough to come to the restaurant, they're not going to come in," said Nobles restaurant co-owner Steve McGraw.

McGraw said he had to lay off all of his lunch employees and close business during the day due the decline in customers.

"I busted out crying," said Shannon Waddle, when she found out she could no longer serve lunch during the week at Nobles. Waddle still waits tables at Nobles during its Sunday brunch, but now she serves lunch across the street at Felder's Café Riverwalk.

They too said that they have felt the negative impact from the lack of parking. "We were doing probably 135 people a day. Now we're down to about 85 to 90," said owner Jack McKissack. "The Mayor is doing all this renovation downtown but there are no parking spaces."

The city is in the process of constructing two parking decks on Coosa Street and Dexter Street. Combined, they will provide over 800 parking spaces. Chairman of the Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation Gordon Martin estimates that the parking decks will be completed in 18 to 24 months.

For downtown restaurants, that doesn't seem to be soon enough. Owner of Cool Beans café Shari Rossman said she and her employees use the two-hour meter parking spaces. "I don't like having to park out here just because one of my customers could park there. But where should I park?" Rossman said.

Rossman said she and her employees receive parking tickets every day because they can't move their cars every two hours in an eight to 10 hour workday. At $4 a ticket that adds up to $20 parking fee every week for a five-day week.

Montgomery has made efforts to provide short-term solutions to the parking problem, said Michael Briddell, executive assistant to the mayor. The city used to offer parking spaces at the Riverwalk Stadium parking lot and a free shuttle that transported people downtown. But Briddell said that the city discontinued the service because few people used it.

"Old habits die hard," Briddell said. "We've been blessed/cursed with a dormant downtown for many years. People just got acclimated to parking right there where they needed to go."

Some lunch patrons admit they are walking farther, but they are also eating downtown less often. Larry Forston walked about five blocks from the Alabama Judicial Building to Felder's Café Riverwalk Wednesday for lunch.

"When it's 100 degrees, I won't walk," Forston said.

On those days he said he doesn't buy lunch, "or I just drive to a fast food place that has parking," he said.

Jerry Stinson parked two blocks away from Felder's Café Riverwalk. "I don't mind walking," he said, "but if you're late and you have to park two blocks away that would be a problem."
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  #25  
Old Posted Aug 6, 2005, 2:49 AM
rabbi2007 rabbi2007 is offline
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????

What are they waiting on ?? Why have we not seen any pics on our new Convention center and Hotel ?? What are they hiding ? Why has construction not started in the old Parking lot??? I know that basically the RSA has taken control over the civic center and they will own the Hotel. I also heard that the hotel went from being 16 floors to 21 floors and as of late it will now be 12 floors with more than 300 rooms. My question is what are they waiting on??? Does anyone know???
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  #26  
Old Posted Aug 9, 2005, 12:48 PM
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Trying for Kia....

Quote:
Officials plan on push for Kia plant

By Deborah Willoughby and Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser

Long-simmering rumors about expansion at Montgomery's Hyundai plant came to a full boil Monday with a report that Mississippi is trying to land a Kia manufacturing plant.

The Korea Times reported Monday that Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group said it may build another automobile manufacturing plant in the United States and that Mississippi is emerging as a key contender for the site.

The Korea Times story said research for locating the plant is under way.

Hyundai, which has a controlling stake in Kia, opened a $1 billion manufacturing plant in Montgomery in May. Rumors of expansion on the 1,744-acre site have abounded for months.

Mike Chung, a market analyst with the automotive Web site Edmunds.com, said that although Kia has its own leadership structure, Hyundai deeply is involved in its decision-making.

Chung's take on the news that Mississippi is in the running for a Kia plant is that it would be much more logical for Kia to build its cars in Alabama, a point Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright echoes.

Bright said he wants Kia officials to know that Montgomery is willing to offer an incentive package to attract another automotive plant to the city.

"I don't want them to look and decide on Mississippi without giving us here in Montgomery an opportunity to discuss it," Bright said. "I'll do everything I can to make it happen. We need those good jobs here in Alabama."

Montgomery's edge is that Hyundai already is here, Chung said.

"A lot of it is a logistics issue. It's a matter of building vehicles across platforms," Chung said. "By sharing components, you get economies of scale and much more efficiency. I would see it as an extension of the current plant. I don't see them spending the capital to create a completely new plant."

Chung said the automotive parts suppliers that are working with Hyundai are another draw for Kia.

"Alabama should have a foothold in Hyundai and Kia in the years to come," he said.

Chung said Hyundai and Kia already have joint ventures in this country, including a proving ground in California and a research and development center in the Detroit area.

Several vehicles produced by Hyundai and Kia are built on the same platform.

"They are literally the same vehicle in terms of structure and mechanics," Chung said.

Few details emerged about what cities and states are doing to court Kia.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is on a trade mission to Asia, and a visit to Korean automakers was a logical part of the trip, officials said.

Scott Hamilton, director of communications for the Mississippi Development Authority, said, "The governor and MDA officials are meeting with a number of companies that have investments in Mississippi or which we believe have the prospect of making investments here. At this stage, we don't expect any immediate results, but we certainly are actively looking for all sorts of economic development opportunities."

In Alabama, most economic development officials did not offer any information about efforts to bring in a Kia plant.

"We don't discuss projects," said Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office.

The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and Gov. Bob Riley's office said much the same thing, explaining that they don't want to tip their hands to to competitors for any potential development.

"We never comment on projects in the works. Any project we're aware of, we go after hard," said Ellen McNair, vice president for corporate development with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Although Bright does not know anything specific, he said there is movement to talk to Kia officials.

"I am instructing our industrial recruitment folks to stay in contact with Kia officials and let them know we would be serious about discussing them coming to Montgomery, Alabama," he said.

Bright said the city is willing to offer a similar package to the deal with Hyundai. The total incentive for Hyundai, which included contributions from local and state government and private entities, totaled more than $250 million.
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  #27  
Old Posted Aug 9, 2005, 3:08 PM
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Quote:
Mike Chung, a market analyst with the automotive Web site Edmunds.com, said that although Kia has its own leadership structure, Hyundai deeply is involved in its decision-making.

Chung's take on the news that Mississippi is in the running for a Kia plant is that it would be much more logical for Kia to build its cars in Alabama, a point Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright echoes.
I like this guy.

If we were able to sneak this away, or even if it was built near the state line, Alabama would wreak amazing benefits. I hope it happens.
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  #28  
Old Posted Aug 9, 2005, 3:14 PM
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There is

a supersite between Meridian and the state line that both states are pushing. Also Project Pinetree(Audi?) may come down to
a site near the Limestone/Madison county line between Athens and Huntsville on I 65 or a site in Chattanooga.
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  #29  
Old Posted Aug 14, 2005, 4:31 AM
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^ That would be cool to land the Audi plant there. Isn't it true that Audi was interested in an Opelika site about 7 or eight years ago? I believe it was the same site that almost landed the Nissan plant and later almost landed the Hyundai plant.


Speaking of landing, I hope to get more info on this surprising $4M addition to the development of the $40M+ upgrade/renovation of Dannelly Field...



Montgomery Airport Intermodal Center - $4 million

Senator Shelby said, “This project is extremely important to the Montgomery Airport as the airport continues to expand. This facility will serve as a hub for park and ride patrons, bus, air and private transportation.”




Maybe this will help make the light-rail link between the airport and the Union Station Intermodal Center downtown a reality in the near future.
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  #30  
Old Posted Aug 15, 2005, 1:07 PM
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very interesting....
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  #31  
Old Posted Aug 17, 2005, 1:31 PM
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Montgomery v. Pike Road

LET's GET IT ON!

Quote:
he debate has been brewing but now it may have escalated to an all-out war between Montgomery and Pike Road.

The two cities have gone round and round over where to draw the line and which neighborhoods belong to which city. Now, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright wants to end it all. He's calling a special election to annex all of Pike Road.

It came like a lightning bolt after all other city business was done.

Council Member Glen Pruitt introduced the resolution to the council.

"What we're doing is asking for a special election to make that happen so the citizens out there have a right to say yes or no if they want to come into the city of Montgomery," he said.

After a nearly unanimous vote, the politicking was on.

Mayor Bobby Bright says he's heard from lots of people in Pike Road.

"What they wanna do, based on what we hear, is they want to be part of the city of Montgomery," he said.

It should be a contentious fight. People in Pike Road started working towards a local government when the state legislature passed the first annexing bill. From there, attorneys on both sides filed lawsuits. At stake: some of the highest value property in Montgomery County.

"They're in our growth corridor, our most valuable growth corridor for the City of Montgomery," Bright said.

He admits the city wants that property for its tax value, but he also contends its about government efficiency.

"Birmingham is landlocked by 27 or 28 different municipal jurisdictions. I don't want Montgomery to be like that in 10 or 15 years. We need to have one administrative jurisdiction to handle all those city services," Bright said.

The city now has ten days to ask Probate Judge Reese McKinney to arrange for the election. Mayor Bright says city lawyers will start work on that process tomorrow morning.

State law says the vote should happen within three to six weeks.

Yikes.

For those outta the loop (which would probably be [total forum population] - 3), the 'city' of Pike Road is basically a T-junction and a post office. They incorporated a few years ago, basically just to stay out of Montgomery. But they don't offer services or a school system, and the residents number less than 1000 (I think).

This should be interesting
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  #32  
Old Posted Aug 17, 2005, 1:48 PM
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Annexation is always very fun!
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...and others I've surely forgotten...
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  #33  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2005, 1:02 PM
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good and bad.

Quote:
Montgomery's Riverwalk Amphitheatre Closed for Up to Two Years

Riverwalk Amphitheatre, one of the centerpieces of Montgomery's riverfront redevelopment efforts, will be closed due to nearby construction. Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright told CBS 8 News Friday that for the next 18 to 24 months the amphitheatre will be closed.

Mayor Bright says limited events could possibly still be held. In that case, fencing would be put up around the construction zone to protect visitors. The facility is near several construction projects including the Civic Center remodeling and expansion that is underway.
Good because it means that Riverwalk development is getting fully underway, bad because the place has only been around for a couple of years, and now they're shutting it down for the next 2...
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  #34  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2005, 1:03 PM
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Downtown lofts now open

Quote:
Ten years ago, it may have been unheard of in Montgomery to renovate commercial structures built in the late 1800's and turn them into luxury apartments. Today, it's just one of many changes happening downtown.

The old gun shop built in 1904 now houses seven luxury lofts. Extensive renovation give the spaces all the amenities of a new apartment, but provides a charm you'll be pressed to find anywhere else.

Beau Daniel, Director of Operation for Foshee Builders Inc., says, "We couldn't have put anything in here that would have added more character than the original brick." Contractors even preserved the original freezer doors of ice house next door, but nostalgia isn't the only reason builders are renovating.

Daniel adds, "There are so many things the mayor has done to make downtown the place to be."

Virtually everything in downtown Montgomery is within walking distance. Biscuits baseball and restaurants like the Brew Pub are right across the street. With more public and private developments in the works, moving here is starting to make a lot of sense to people including our mayor.

Montgomery Mayor, Bobby Bright, says, "I've already inquired about purchasing one of them. If I could, I would come over here at lunch and lay back and sleep and wouldn't have to be on the road burning that expensive gas going back and forth to home." Still not sold on the idea? Peter Epton and his fiancee, Nina, just moved into a loft last month and for them the location and space is ideal.

Epton says, "The lyncher for us was the bathroom because in Japan, where we were living, we had a shower room, a large space where we can move around and we like the freedom of the shower head."

Lofts range in price from $1,000 to $2,500 a month, but builders and residents alike say what you get in return is worth it.

Commercial spaces are also available on the first floors of the renovated structures. The building WSFA 12 News reporter, Theo Travers, toured with Mayor Bright will be ready for tenants as early as next week.
Nice... maybe this will lead to more downtown living...
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  #35  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2005, 9:11 PM
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Interesting that the plans for Harrah's in Wetumpka are now up to $300 million :
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunhera...s/12410627.htm
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  #36  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2005, 4:07 AM
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I saw an "exclusive rendering" of the casino on WAKA news that had a hotel that looked like it would be at least 15-18 stories.

I rode by the site about a week ago, and it looks like they are on the third level of the first of two parking decks for the casino.

They are planning to upgrade their other gaming facility in Montgomery and the bingo hall in Atmore into similar casinos after the current project is complete.
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  #37  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2005, 1:13 PM
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I enjoy table games (21 and poker), but don't see the draw in these electronic bingo games at all...... just me I reckon.
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  #38  
Old Posted Sep 2, 2005, 1:03 PM
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It means so little compared to the big story 300 miles south west of here, but they started tearing up the parking lot to begin construction on the Civic Center hotel today
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  #39  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2005, 4:23 AM
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Yeah. Construction begins and there is still no idea how it will look
or its height. Hopefully we'll see something soon...
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  #40  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2005, 4:01 AM
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Here's some news (that we already knew a while back) from the Birmingham Business Journal:


Colonial BancGroup to build new corporate HQ in Montgomery


Colonial BancGroup Inc. officially confirmed Wednesday night what many Montgomery area residents have known for months: The bank holding company will build a new corporate headquarters on a 25-acre site in the capital city.

The 218,000-square-foot headquarters will consist of a six-story operations building and a three-story executive building joined by a rotunda lobby. The new headquarters will be home to more than 550 employees.

Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Inc., a Montgomery-based architectural and engineering firm that also has a Birmingham office, designed the building. Birmingham's Brasfield & Gorrie LLC is the general contractor.

Colonial BancGroup (NYSE: CNB) has assets of about $21 billion and 309 banking offices in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada and Texas.



They chose sprawl over a 16-story HQ downtown.
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