Montgomery development news

[OldCloverdale]

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...id_agains.html

Five cities, including Montgomery, are expected to compete against Hoo­ver in the first open-bid process for the SEC Baseball Tournament when pro­posals arrive this week.

Bid packages for 2012 and beyond were sent to Hoover, Memphis, Du­luth, Ga., Jacksonville, Fla., Jackson, Miss., Little Rock, Ark., and Montgom­ery, SEC Assistant Commissioner Craig Mattox said. Little Rock responded Monday that it won't bid because its stadium is smaller than the SEC's pref­erence of at least 10,000 seats.


One year remains on the SEC con­tract with Hoover's 22-year-old Re­gions Park, which has been the tour­nament host since 1998. Montgomery will bid to play at 7,000-seat Riverwalk Stadium, built in 2004 for the Class AA Montgomery Biscuits.

"We will be putting in a bid," said Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Com­merce Convention and Visitor Bureau. "We will be able to make accommoda­tions to seat more than the 7,000. Offi­cials with the stadium say it can be done."

Proposals are due Friday with a final decision still months away. Mattox said he anticipated sending requests for proposals only to Hoover, Mem­phis and Duluth but received addi­tional inquiries.

"There was a lot more interest than I thought there would be," Mattox said. "We've never gone through the bid process before, so I'm going to be kind of anxious to see the financial proposals, what the other fa­cilities are like and if they're able to meet all of our requirements."

Mattox said the 10,000-seat prefer­ence is based on the tournament's his­tory at Regions Park, which lists a ca­pacity of 10,800. The SEC reported that four of the eight sessions from May drew more than 11,500 fans, including 13,327 for the champi­onship game. Other requirements in the bid pack­age include standards related to media seating, parking, TV camera positions, hospitality space and local hotels.

Memphis' AutoZone Park, which has a capacity of 14,320 for the AAA Memphis Redbirds, was ranked the nation's top minor-league ballpark last year by Baseball America. Memphis and SEC officials have said parking is no longer an issue for the city, which tried to get the tournament before Hoover's five-year extension in 2006.

Duluth (capacity: 10,000) and Jack­sonville (11,000) also fit within the SEC's preferred capacity. Duluth's Coolray Field, home of the AAA Gwin­nett Braves, could have issues with limited batting practice sites and ho­tels near the ballpark.

The 7-year-old Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, home of the Class AA Jacksonville Suns, staged the ACC Tournament from 2005 to 2008. The ACC averaged 6,407 fans in its four championship games in Jacksonville, all without local draw Florida State.

In sessions involving Florida State, Jacksonville regularly reported crowds exceeding 10,000 fans, including 17,860 for a Florida State-North Caro­lina game. Other games drew far fewer fans than most SEC games in Hoover. Jacksonville unsuccessfully bid last year for the 2011-13 ACC Tournament.

The expected SEC bid from Jackson is believed to be for the suburb of Pearl, home of the Class AA Missis­sippi Braves, Mattox said. Trustman Park opened in 2005 and lists a capac­ity of 8,480.

The SEC is accepting proposals for 2012 through '16 but is not requiring bids for all five years. "If they want to bid for two years, that's fine," Mattox said.

Mattox said proposals will probably be presented to SEC athletics directors in August. He anticipates the ADs will want feedback from SEC coaches after their November meeting, meaning a decision would probably come in De­cember.

Several SEC coaches have said they want to remain in Hoover, including Ole Miss' Mike Bianco, whose program would benefit by having more fans in nearby Memphis. In June, SEC Com­missioner Mike Slive said Hoover does a "terrific" job, and that he likes how the buildup to the tournament is simi­lar to the anticipation of reaching Omaha for the College World Series.

[Capital Heights]

from the Montgomery Advertiser
Montgomery looking for developers for Dexter Avenue
By Jill Nolin • July 31, 2010

The city closed on a real es­tate transaction this week for properties that make up about 70 percent of the entire lower Dexter Avenue area, according to Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes.
The properties, owned by Ar­chie Daryanani, were bought for about $3 million. Daryanani will lease space at the current Look­ing Good location and remain there for now.
In the coming weeks, the city will start cleaning the façade of the buildings in hopes of mak­ing the properties more attrac­tive to would-be developers. That includes graffiti and gener­al dirt and dust. Crews will also clean out the pigeon droppings that have overtaken one of the buildings.
"We want the assets that we now have control of to be the dream of developers," Downes said Friday.
So far, six developers have expressed an interest, and that includes individuals from out­side of Montgomery, such as At­lanta and Florida, according to Downes. The city will also soon issue a request for proposal and qualifications in order to alert more potential developers about the prospects downtown.
The city has no plan of devel­oping any of the properties at this point or trying to sell the property for profit, according to Mayor Todd Strange. Strange has said all along that the city's intention was to buy the proper­ties, which the mayor says have "strategic value," so that the city could seize control of its fu­ture.
It is not clear what the prop­erties will become, but the city has already identified a clear need -- more residential op­tions. Downes said that there is a Montgomery developer who has at least 50 people on a wait­ing list for downtown residen­tial units.
An economic forecast in­cluded in the city's master plan for downtown projected a de­mand for thousands of residen­tial units per year once down­town revitalization was fully under way in Montgomery. It also predicted that twenty-some­things and empty nesters would be the most interested in down­town living.
Downes says that the current demand is showing that the eco­nomic study has merit.
"There's plenty of demand. We've just got to keep up with the supply," Downes said.
At this point, the developers that have contacted the city have discussed the possibility of a theater, restaurants, a bou­tique store, museum and offices, to name a few. All of the conver­sations have involved mixed-used projects that include resi­dential space.
"Our whole goal in down­town is twenty-four/seven life, and you only get that with these mixed use (projects)," Downes said.
One issue with residential living is the lack of emergency exits, Downes said. Since the lofts would likely be on the sec­ond and third floors of the build­ings, emergency exits would need to be added, he said.
The city is expected to close on One Court Square in August. The conversation about that lo­cation is still focused on the pos­sibility of moving both the downtown public library and the Children's Museum of Ala­bama into the building.

[bystander1]

Local leaders, EPA representatives discuss potential impact of tougher rules on air quality
Montgomery Advertiser - Montgomery, Ala.
Author: Jill Nolin
Date: Jul 29, 2010

Although Montgomery's air quality has stayed about the same, officials are concerned that tougher federal air pollution standards could cause the city to be listed as having "bad air quality," which could adversely affect not just the city's reputation but its ability to recruit new businesses.

And it's not just Montgomery that could be affected. Montgomery would be just one of three urban areas in Alabama that could fall afoul of tightened U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. If these regulations are lowered enough, they could also affect Elmore County.
...
Currently, Jefferson and Shelby counties are the only counties in Alabama that have emissions higher than the EPA standards. But if the limit were to be lowered to 70 parts per billion, the change would likely affect Madison, Mobile and Baldwin counties.
...

If the area doesn't meet the standard, which the EPA calls "non-attainment," it could help the Montgomery area obtain funding for innovative projects that would reduce the area's emissions.
...
Already, the planning department has been working on plans for several alternatives to traditional automotive transportation. For example, hybrid electric busses should be added to the Montgomery Area Transit System's fleet by next summer; transportation planners also want to explore the possibility of adding a passenger rail service for people who commute to downtown from east Montgomery.

...haven't we been talking about that rail service for at least the past ten years? It proves that you shouldn't drag your feet when it comes to urban planning; doing so could hurt yourself in the long run economically...

[SpawnOfVulcan]

What I wanna know is how all these rapidly growing metro areas have poor air quality, yet they're still able to attract massive industrial investment...

Any kind of rail project in the state could easily help push other pilot projects along. Maybe this will actually get them working.

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by tredici

What I wanna know is how all these rapidly growing metro areas have poor air quality, yet they're still able to attract massive industrial investment...

They don't. There's a reason that there has been little industrial development in Birmingham for the last 25 years.

That doesn't mean that nothing can happen in a non-attainment area, but to add new sources of emissions, you have to offset that by removing emissions else where. Usually through shut down facilities.

[Thedarkone1977]

Misc. Alleyway Pictures from around the web


Alleyway Pictures





The Alley bar








The Alleyway’s Dreamland BBQ




Sa Za Pizza





On the Roof at Alley Station

[bystander1]

Interesting article...

Businesses moving back to downtown Montgomery
By Cosby Woodruff • August 14, 2010
Montgomery Advertiser

A decade ago in downtown Montgomery business was on the move -- regrettably it was moving out of downtown. But now, not only has Montgom­ery's downtown bounced back, businesses are coming back, too.

A perfect example is invest­ment firm Welch, Hornsby & Welch. It opened in the down­town area, before moving out east. It's now moved back down­town, across the street from where it first opened its doors in 1988.

By moving to the top floor of the building at 1 Commerce St., just across from 1 Court Square, the firm sent a message to the Montgomery business commu­nity that downtown is more than after-hours entertainment and loft apartments.

The firm, with its business model, could just as easily have set up shop anywhere when its lease in a building along East Boulevard expired.
Welch, Hornsby & Welch's decision made it part of a grow­ing trend of white-collar busi­nesses moving into office space, new and old, in the center of town.

Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. announced earlier this summer that it will move its headquarters from Birmingham to a new building under con- struction on Dexter Avenue. The five floors between Servis­First Bank and Welch, Hornsby & Welch in the onetime Colonial Bank executive building are mostly filled with a mix of gov­ernment agencies and profes­sional firms.

Nim Frazer, chairman of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and an established figure in the commercial real es­tate market, said two things are driving more white-collar com­panies to downtown.

Popularity and price are the biggest factors in most moves, he said.
Moving downtown is seen as hip and very attractive to youn­ger employees, he said.

But he said decision makers are more often moved by the bot­tom line, and a downtown ad­dress can be less expensive -- maybe by more than 30 percent -- than a similar space with an east Montgomery address.

"A Class A office out east might go for $20 (per square foot, per year)," Frazer said. "In downtown, it might be $15 to $17.
"Deals are being made down­town."

Click here to read the rest.

[Thedarkone1977]

Misc. Riverwalk Stadium Pictures from around the web







[IMG]

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by Thedarkone1977

Misc. Riverwalk Stadium Pictures from around the web

We have such a GREAT looking stadium here in Montgomery!

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by OCA REP

We have such a GREAT looking stadium here in Montgomery!

Hey OCA REP, I saw you on TV the other night! Good job defending Five Points in Old Cloverdale!

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by bystander1

Hey OCA REP, I saw you on TV the other night! Good job defending Five Points in Old Cloverdale!

Thanks man... definitely my least favorite part of being "Mayor."

[Thedarkone1977]

Misc. Union Station Pictures from around the web

[Thedarkone1977]

ASU, AUM work to improve facilities
By Matt Okarmus • mokarmus@gannett.com • August 23, 2010






Local colleges have been undergoing transformations recently, as both Alabama State University and Auburn Montgomery have had various construction projects going on around campus.

The projects cover everything from renovations to the creation of new buildings to adjustments that make the campus easier, and safer, to navigate.

"Our approach is first-class, state of the art and second to none," said Kippy Tate, ASU's vice president for buildings and grounds. The campus has several projects that total about $160 million.

A major project from the university is the 32,000-square-foot, built-from-scratch football complex housed in the traditional Hornet Stadium. The field will support practice for the football team that currently plays home games at Cramton Bowl, although a permanent football stadium located on campus is being proposed.

Surrounding the field will be an athletic and academic complex for students and staff. It will feature amenities such as coaching offices, academic rooms, locker rooms and training rooms.

Football isn't the only sport receiving attention -- three new fields were also built in ASU's current remodeling. The men's baseball and women's softball teams will have their own playing fields, and there will be a separate intramural field that will also be used for soccer.

Projects also include renovations to student housing, the Dunn Tower and the Levi Watkins Library, among others. All projects fall under a master plan for ASU, according to Marketing & Communications Vice President Danielle Kennedy-Lamar.

"We want to provide our students with the best facilities," Kennedy-Lamar said. "We are most excited about this transformation."

AUM's current projects also fall into a master plan, one that shares similarities with ASU. While a Student Services Center is being planned for a February 2012 opening at ASU, renovations are being made to the Taylor Center at AUM with both centers being called a "one-stop shop" for students.

"We are excited about what this will do for students," AUM Chancellor John Veres said.

AUM's most noticeable project is the reconstruction of the entrance/exit at Taylor Road. Veres said the renovation will look more presentable, but the main concern was safety with traffic piling up at that one location.

AUM planned with the city of Montgomery to create a right in, right out system on AUM Drive, which runs parallel to Taylor Road. Located just before the renovated entrance/exit, the area will provide a place where traffic on both sides can only turn right to either get in or get out of campus in order to free up traffic flow.

AUM's major project, with an estimated completion of time of 2012, is the AUM Wellness Center. Located near the Taylor Road entrance, the center will house amenities such as an aquatic center, weight room, cardio/aerobics room, a rock-climbing wall and multipurpose courts.

Students are a major focus of the center, as the university plans to use sports management majors and those involved with physical education and exercise to help staff the center. They were also a part of the creation, as students voted on a tuition increase that is the primary funding for the center.




Overview of ASU, AUM campus projects
August 23, 2010


Alabama State University

Football complex
Size: 32,000 square feet
Cost: $7.2 million; new playing surface cost $725,000
Completion: Occupying late February 2011; surface was completed May 2009
Purpose: Will house practice facility for football program, along with an academic complex for all athletes including a coach's office, weight room, academic rooms, balcony overlooking field, locker room, training room.

Baseball and softball fields plus intramural fields
Size: NCAA regulation
Cost: $4.9 million
Completion: November 2010
Purpose: Men's baseball, women's softball (separate fields) and soccer plus intramural sports (separate field)

Two new student housing buildings
Size: Two new buildings, four floors each
Cost: $25 million
Completion: occupying June 2011
Purpose: Student Housing

Student Services Center
Size: 78,000 square feet
Cost: $25 million
Completion: February 2012
Purpose: "One stop shop" that will house registration, financial aid, food court, theater, recreation rooms, etc.

Dunn Tower renovation
Cost: $1.3 million
Completion: September 2010
Purpose: Exterior repairs

Levi Watkins Library
Size: Renovating 87,000 square feet of existing; adding 60,000
Cost: $20.5 million
Completion: undetermined
Purpose: Five stories of new construction, renovations

Ralph D. Abernathy Building
Size: 140,000 square feet
Cost: $30.5 million
Completion: May 2009
Purpose: Give the College of Education, which was previously spread out, one central building


Auburn Montgomery

Taylor Road entrance renovations
Cost: $2 million
Completion: Open, but still some repairs left
Purpose: Presentation and safety concerns

AUM Wellness Center
Size: 73,000 square feet
Cost: $20 million; $17 million from raised fee that students voted on
Completion: 2012
Purpose: Student center with strong wellness component that will include human performance centers, classrooms and amenities such as cardio/aerobics rooms, aquatic centers and multipurpose courts.

Taylor Center renovations
Cost: $8.4 million (long term); $800,000 (phase 1)
Completion: Construction will start soon
Purpose: Creation of student space to create gatherings, consolidation of offices including registration, admissions, cashier. Will also have clubs such as SGA and indoor recreations.

Right in, right out on roadway near Taylor Road entrance
Cost: $150,000
Completion: October 2010
Purpose: To free up traffic at the Taylor Road entrance

[Capital Heights]

I do not want to sound like a Nazi but you really should credit the source when you post these type things.

[Thedarkone1977]

Montgomery marketing campaign aims to change perceptions
By Jill Nolin • August 30, 2010


A local and an out-of-towner walk into a bar in Montgomery and strike up a conversation about their perceptions of Alabama's capital city.

If these two are typical, the dis­cussion would quickly have one of them defending Montgomery -- and that person would not be the local.

Montgomery leaders are find­ing that such is often the case. Those who have recently visited the city tend to have more positive views of the city than the people who actually live here or the peo­ple who have visited in years past.

"If you haven't been to Mont­gomery lately, you haven't been to Montgomery," said Anna Bucka­lew, senior vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

But in many cases, Montgom­ery leaders are finding that locals are their own worst enemy when it comes to the message being sent out about them and their commu­nity.

"We're going to start our efforts locally because, at the end of the day, we have to convince ourselves that we are better than we are," Mayor Todd Strange said Friday.

Montgomery, especially its downtown, has changed drastical­ly in the past decade, even the past few years. Instead of a quiet, dark downtown area on the weekends and on some weekday nights, peo­ple will find, well, people.

Downtown revitalization started along the riverfront more than six years ago with the open­ing of Riverwalk Stadium and the introduction of Biscuits baseball. Now, there are the Riverwalk ven­ues, the Harriott II riverboat, the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, new restaurants and the Alley Station entertainment district.

Now, Montgomery leaders are ready to market what they consid­er to be the new product that is to­day's Montgomery -- one that does not rely solely on its heritage for its identity. The campaign also will incorporate other areas of the city, such as shopping in east Montgomery.

The timing and opportunity to change Montgomery's image are important enough to city leaders that $208,000 will be spent from now until the end of the 2011 fiscal year, even as other cuts in city gov­ernment are being made.

"Perception is reality," Strange said. "So if the outward image is a positive one and the perception is that this is a good place to come visit or live or work, then we reap the benefit of that. It's all about economic development. It's all about creating the jobs."

Montgomery may never know what opportunities have been lost because of negative perceptions that exist for whatever reason. Polls have found that the No. 1 image issue facing Montgomery is its public school system.

"We don't know how many times we don't even make it on the list (for economic development projects) because we have a nega­tive perception," Buckalew said. "Our goal is to eliminate that nega­tive perception and turn that into a positive message about Mont­gomery. We know this will take time."

The money will be used for things such as billboard signs along Interstates 65 and 85, pro­ducing commercials and a new re­cruiting film, and signage that will go up at city construction sites and at properties acquired by the city.

For example, now that the city has acquired and boarded up about a dozen properties in the lower Dexter Avenue area, signs will eventually go up that include phrases like "Building a dream" or "Start your dream here" while not­ing that commercial space is avail­able behind the plywood.

The signage is expected to start going up sometime before the Montgomery Half-Marathon on Oct. 2, since the race, which is in its second year, will bring in peo­ple from beyond the city limits.

About the same time, about 100 guide signs for Montgomery's at­tractions in downtown will start appearing around downtown. This is not the same as the historic walking tour that is still under de­velopment.

The branding campaign will re­place the city's current slogan, "Cradle of the Confederacy, Birth­place of the Civil Rights Move­ment," with "Capital of Dreams" for marketing purposes. The new slogan is intended to encapsulate the city's unique history and the possibility of dreams yet to be real­ized in the city.

The official city seal, which in­cludes "Cradle of the Confedera­cy" in a star with "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement" going around it, will stay the same.

"The 'Capital of Dreams' con­cept to me is good because if you want to look historically or even at modern-day times, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, the Confed­eracy had a dream, Hyundai (Man­ufacturing) had a dream. You can just dream on," Strange said.

Although it was dropped from the official slogan, there is another phrase that Strange intends to add for his purposes: "Capital of Dreams, City for Success."

"For me, there's got to be dreams coming to fruition. (RSA chief) David Bronner says 'A good idea without money is just a good idea.' So a dream without the capa­bility of moving it forward is just a dream. You may dream for 10 years before you ever get that break that moves you forward," Strange said.

The Chamber of Commerce has been marketing the city's two chief historical claims -- it was the first capital of the Confederate States of America and the birth­place of the modern civil rights movement -- for as long as Cham­ber officials can remember.

The city's official slogan was just "Cradle of the Confederacy" until the late City Councilman Willie Cook sponsored an ordi­nance that added "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement" in 2002.

There was a time in Montgom­ery when putting those two con­cepts in the same sentence was daring and revolutionary. But that time has passed, Said Buckalew. The branding campaign, which will launch in late fall, intends to present a new Montgomery that honors its heritage while celebrat­ing the future, officials say.

That is not to say that the cam­paign will attempt to present the city as something it's not, accord­ing to Michael Briddell, director of public information and external affairs.

"I really think that branding is about perception, and perception can become reality as long as that brand is based in reality," Briddell said. "You don't want to tell people Montgomery is Manhattan, N.Y., or Las Vegas, but we have a lot of great things going on that outsid­ers need to know about as well as residents."

[Capital Heights]

I am very disappointed to learn that Troy State Montgomery is going to tear down the 8-story historic structure on Montgomery Street just across from the Rosa Parks library. This is an historic structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places that cannot be replicated and should be saved and reused rather than be torn down for another parking lot.

[thoraudio]

Seriously? Where's this info... this is something that needs to be fought....

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by Capital Heights

I am very disappointed to learn that Troy State Montgomery is going to tear down the 8-story historic structure on Montgomery Street just across from the Rosa Parks library. This is an historic structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places that cannot be replicated and should be saved and reused rather than be torn down for another parking lot.

First I have heard of this. Give us some more details... source?

[bystander1]

That shouldn't be allowed to happen. If TUM wants to be a true urban university, you don't tear down the very 'urban fabric' that surrounds you.

[Thedarkone1977]

New health center to relieve pressure on ERs
Montgomery Advertiser • By Cosby Woodruff • September 1, 2010





A $15 million health center should take pressure off area emergency rooms and improve health care for uninsured patients, according to officials who spoke at a groundbreaking Tuesday.

The River Region Health Center, near Jackson Hospital, will open in about 14 months and will offer sick care as well as preventative care. It will not offer emergency services, but will provide a place for patients who now turn to emergency rooms to get that care, according to Bernell Mapp, CEO of Heath Services Inc., which will operate the center.

Most of the money to build the center came from an $11.2 million federal grant. The city of Montgomery contributed $1.5 million and Montgomery County chipped in $1 million.

Once the facility is completed, Health Services will request annual operating grants. Those, along with insurance, other government programs and some self-pay will cover the operating expenses.

Mapp, and others, said the clinic will more than pay for itself by keeping people from going to the area's much-more-expensive emergency rooms for non-emergency care.

"We are designed to take that load off the emergency rooms," he said.

Health Services Inc. is a 42-year-old nonprofit that operates 11 federally qualified health centers in Alabama. While they are known in public health circles, they weren't known that much outside them.

"We have been doing our work below the radar," Mapp said.

"Heath-care reform is taking place in Montgomery."

While local and federal money is paying for the construction of the clinic, Jackson Hospital donated the site at the corner of Cherry and Putnam streets, about a block from the main hospital campus.

Jim Ridling, chairman of the Jackson Hospital Board of Directors, said the new clinic would help Jackson and both Montgomery campuses of Baptist Health.

"This is a big deal," he said.

Don Henderson, president of Jackson, said the clinic is another tool to improve health care.

He said a good foundation already is here. Henderson then pointed out nearby imaging and outpatient buildings that Jackson built in the last few years.

Mapp said the clinic will employ at least 75 people when it opens in October 2011. It will replace an outdated clinic located on Adams Avenue.

"This will be better and allow us to do more," he said.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said the cooperation of the hospitals, Health Services Inc. and local and federal governments made the project come together.

"We can do more together than we can ever think about doing ourselves," he said.

The River Region Health Center, near Jackson Hospital, will open in about 14 months and will offer sick care as well as preventative care. It will not offer emergency services, but will provide a place for patients who now turn to emergency rooms to get that care, according to Bernell Mapp, CEO of Heath Services Inc., which will operate the center.

Most of the money to build the center came from an $11.2 million federal grant. The city of Montgomery contributed $1.5 million and Montgomery County chipped in $1 million.

Once the facility is completed, Health Services will request annual operating grants. Those, along with insurance, other government programs and some self-pay will cover the operating expenses.

Mapp, and others, said the clinic will more than pay for itself by keeping people from going to the area's much-more-expensive emergency rooms for non-emergency care.

"We are designed to take that load off the emergency rooms," he said.

Health Services Inc. is a 42-year-old nonprofit that operates 11 federally qualified health centers in Alabama. While they are known in public health circles, they weren't known that much outside them.

"We have been doing our work below the radar," Mapp said.

"Heath-care reform is taking place in Montgomery."

While local and federal money is paying for the construction of the clinic, Jackson Hospital donated the site at the corner of Cherry and Putnam streets, about a block from the main hospital campus.

Jim Ridling, chairman of the Jackson Hospital Board of Directors, said the new clinic would help Jackson and both Montgomery campuses of Baptist Health.

"This is a big deal," he said.

Don Henderson, president of Jackson, said the clinic is another tool to improve health care.

He said a good foundation already is here. Henderson then pointed out nearby imaging and outpatient buildings that Jackson built in the last few years.

Mapp said the clinic will employ at least 75 people when it opens in October 2011. It will replace an outdated clinic located on Adams Avenue.

"This will be better and allow us to do more," he said.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said the cooperation of the hospitals, Health Services Inc. and local and federal governments made the project come together.

"We can do more together than we can ever think about doing ourselves," he said.




Pictures from the River Region Health Center Ground Breaking

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/...8310807&Ref=PH