Decatur Development Thread - Page 2

Sulley · #21 Posted **Sep 18, 2009, 7:09 PM**

Just thought I'd shake things up a bit... I was sad that you had to make every post

SpawnOfVulcan · #22 Posted **Sep 19, 2009, 2:35 AM**

Hahaha, thanx Dallas/Gloria/Optimus/Sulley (all the names I've known you by since I've been here) I appreciate it

OCA REP · #23 Posted **Sep 25, 2009, 6:21 PM**

I guess I got sad for Alabadrock making the only posts on this thread as well...

All of the banking news in the state seems to be bad; here's more from today's Montgomery Advertiser.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/...off+65+workers

Compass to Lay Off 65 Workers
The Associated Press • September 24, 2009

DECATUR — BBVA Compass Bank has announced that about 65 of its employees in Decatur will be losing their jobs.

The company said some of the jobs are being moved to Texas.

Other positions are being outsourced to Atento, a unit of a Spain-based telecommunications and technology giant. BBVA also is based in Spain.

Employees said they were told they would lose their jobs by the end of the year.

Sulley · #24 Posted **Sep 25, 2009, 8:30 PM**

Compass is so gone from Birmingham.

Helloooo, Houston (ew).

SpawnOfVulcan · #25 Posted **Sep 26, 2009, 12:56 AM**

It really pisses me off that they're shifting these jobs away. Alabama banks need to take more pride in their company, and try to keep from being bought out like Compass did.

SpawnOfVulcan · #26 Posted **Sep 29, 2009, 6:56 PM**

From AL.com - Huntsville Times

Link

Quote:

Decatur rocket plant expected to expand production this week
By Shelby G. Spires
September 29, 2009, 11:25AM

The United Launch Alliance is set to branch out this week with the first steps in expanding its Decatur rocket plant to produce a new rocket - the Atlas V.

The first Atlas V hardware from Denver, Colo. arrives this week as preparation continues in transitioning production to Decatur.

When the transition is complete, Decatur will be the production home for both Delta and Atlas rockets. Two Atlas V second-stage fuel tanks will travel from Denver to Huntsville International Airport aboard a Russian Antonov 124 cargo plane.

The aircraft is expected to touch down at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Huntsville International.

Started in December 2006, the United Launch Alliance combines the efforts of Boeing and Lockheed Martin to produce the Delta and Atlas rockets, also known as Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.

Construction on the $450 million Decatur plant was begun by Boeing in 1997, and it started production in 2000. The plant is 1.5 million square feet large.

The EELV program was started by the U.S. Air Force in 1996 as a way to spur competition for the rocket business. The Air Force awarded $500 million to each company as seed money, while Boeing and Lockheed put up $500 million each to develop the rockets.
However, the satellite market collapsed in 2001 due mostly to the sagging technology sector and the economic downturn that came shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

SpawnOfVulcan · #27 Posted **Oct 6, 2009, 5:02 PM**

The Decatur based United Launch Alliance (partnership between Lockheed Martin and Boeing) got a $927.7 Million contract today.

ULA Gets a Fat Contract

SpawnOfVulcan · #28 Posted **Oct 15, 2009, 5:46 PM**

The first Decatur area Longhorn will begin construction soon at the new "Crossings of Decatur" shopping center.

http://decaturalabamadevelopment.wor...ng-to-decatur/

SpawnOfVulcan · #29 Posted **Oct 16, 2009, 6:43 PM**

Morgan County's unemployment rate dropped slightly from 10.5 percent to 10.4 percent.

Eric Fleischauer's blog

SpawnOfVulcan · #30 Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 4:53 AM**

I came up with an idea for 2nd Avenue in downtown Decatur. I propose tearing up the roadbed for about a mile and replacing it with a creek with waterfalls and sidewalks. What do y'all think?

Southlander · #31 Posted **Oct 26, 2009, 2:40 AM**

The whole idea of Operation New Decatur in 1968 or so was to greatly reduce on-street parking in downtown Decatur and improve conditions for walking shoppers. Construction (when if finally began) began in late summer, with the streets ripped up just in time for Christmas shopping.

It took about a year to complete construction. By the time construction was finished, a number of businesses had given up and closed. The city made it difficult - and sometimes impossible - for shoppers to get into the stores, much less find them if you were new in town. Shoppers HATED the fact that they could no longer park in front of their chosen store.

Operation New Decatur effectively finished killing retail in the Second Avenue area.

Before you block off what few businesses are left with waterfalls etc., ask the business owners what they think.

SpawnOfVulcan · #32 Posted **Oct 26, 2009, 2:51 AM**

I know I wasn't specific in the original post about it, but obviously things like that would be taken into consideration. Obviously, one of the first things to be done, before construction, would be to create places for people to park and insure that accessibility during construction would be the same as it would be after.

Dyingyak · #33 Posted **Oct 26, 2009, 2:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

I came up with an idea for 2nd Avenue in downtown Decatur. I propose tearing up the roadbed for about a mile and replacing it with a creek with waterfalls and sidewalks. What do y'all think?

I'm never a fan of converting a street to a pedestrian only zone. It has failed far more than it has worked across the county, and the cases that have worked have either been so specialized, ie Fourth Street Live, or there is a critical mass of residential within walking distance to support a few a business and not totally depend on parking and walking from 1 or 2 blocks away.

SpawnOfVulcan · #34 Posted **Oct 26, 2009, 4:29 PM**

Quite honestly, there are a lot of residents within walking distance of this street. Because of Decatur's history of growth, there are neighborhoods on every side of this part of downtown. Of course, I also don't know if these people would even consider walking downtown to visit this.

Though, tell me, what would be the difference between this an Bridge Street. Besides arranging BEFORE construction for boutique stores (which, I don't see any reason why that couldn't be done either), what is the difference? True, there isn't the high number of wealthier people as there are in Huntsville, but Decatur for all of its lack luster demographics does have a population of people that would be attracted downtown by something like this. If you looked at downtown before Maria Bonita (one single restaurant) moved in on 2nd Ave virtually no one came downtown, save for the occasional performance at the Princess Theatre. Now that Maria Bonita has moved in, it's hard to find parking, there are more performances at the Theatre, there are two or three new restaurants, etc... You have to wonder what would happen if we were to facilitate the replication of the advent of this kind of restaurant.

Let's face it, the city MUST be able to have something that can attract and entertain young professionals or else the city will cease to be a player in regional economics, ie: growth will stagnate.

Dyingyak · #35 Posted **Oct 26, 2009, 6:06 PM**

Well, the purpose of the residents within close proximity is just to "charge" the area. They are the people who are in the coffee shop every day and sitting around on the benches, they aren't the big spenders who come in from other areas of town that really generate revenue for merchants.

As for the difference with Bridge Street...parking and accessibility. At Bridge Street you might have to park and walk, but you don't have to hunt several blocks for parking. The psyche of someone looking for parking is they want it now and close, and if they can't have that they want it easy. In an active downtown environment you rarely get any of the three...but when there is something worth visiting it then that person looking for a space is willing to compromise.

I'm not completely ruling it that it wouldn't work...but typically in places where it has worked they are very unique circumstances and very motivated investors.

SpawnOfVulcan · #36 Posted **Oct 26, 2009, 6:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyingyak

I'm not completely ruling it that it wouldn't work...but typically in places where it has worked they are very unique circumstances and very motivated investors.

I understand. I think it's a case by case thing. There is ample parking though. One problem that the city has always had is a glut of parking space.

SpawnOfVulcan · #37 Posted **Oct 28, 2009, 1:33 AM**

An idea is being considered by ALDOT to help ease rush hour traffic inbound to the River City north of the river. A message board is being considered in order to warn motorists of bottlenecks and bad traffic ahead. Usually, if you hit AL 20 going to Decatur at 5:15 PM, you'll be sitting on that same road for the next hour, (it's true, I've done it multiple times). So, they're considering placing a board where US 31 and AL 20 converge before riding a causeway to the bridge over the main channel.

There is already one message board being installed on the I-65 Tenn River Bridges the cross in Decatur from Morgan County to Limestone County. This one will be used to warn motorists of icing on the bridge.

jmanhsv · #38 Posted **Oct 28, 2009, 3:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

So, they're considering placing a board where US 31 and AL 20 converge before riding a causeway to the bridge over the main channel.

That doesn't make any sense. That's so close to the causeway that there's no alternate route. So by the time you see the sign that says "ACCIDENT AHEAD- EXPECT DELAYS," you've already been stuck in traffic for an hour.
Why not put the message board on 565 between Greenbrier and Mooresville? Then you can warn motorists about incidents/construction/delays/icing on AL20 and/or I-65 and they can have the opportunity to use an alternate route.

ALDOT-- Taking the "Intelligent" out of Intelligent Transportation Systems....

SpawnOfVulcan · #39 Posted **Oct 28, 2009, 4:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmanhsv

That doesn't make any sense. That's so close to the causeway that there's no alternate route. So by the time you see the sign that says "ACCIDENT AHEAD- EXPECT DELAYS," you've already been stuck in traffic for an hour.
Why not put the message board on 565 between Greenbrier and Mooresville? Then you can warn motorists about incidents/construction/delays/icing on AL20 and/or I-65 and they can have the opportunity to use an alternate route.

ALDOT-- Taking the "Intelligent" out of Intelligent Transportation Systems....

That's a good question. Though, my guess would be that then, the board would be in Huntsville, and there would be a lot of junk to work through in order to get the officials monitoring the traffic in Decatur to communicate with the officials in Huntsville operating the board.

The Decatur Daily article says that ALDOT hasn't yet worked out a cooperative system to operate a board on AL 20, so I don't know what's going on.

The best idea would be to have smart access system like Atlanta has, that only allows a certain number of cars through. In this case, some contraption would close off the road passing under I-65 into Decatur, diverting the traffic up the ramp to the Birmingham/I-65S flyover. Though, considering who we're working with (ALDOT) that would never happen.

SpawnOfVulcan · #40 Posted **Nov 5, 2009, 6:37 PM**

Ground breaking has taken place for the new $17 million Morgan County Industrial Park. This new park hopes to follow the success of the Mallard Fox Creek Industrial Park in Decatur which has attracted such businesses as Boeing (now ULA) for a total investment of $1.2 Billion.

The park is located in the center of Morgan County in Hartselle on either side of I-65 near the Thompson Road exit. It is 166 acres and their aim is to attract biotech, aerospace and defense industries.