Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by neilson

It would be very interesting to see if a Light Rail Line could be constructed in Huntsville, reaching from Alabama A&M in the North to Ditto Landing in the South.

I know that a lot of the old L&N track has been dismantled and pulled up from the area north of Max Luther Drive but What sort of costs would be incurred to lay track back down again and actually build a new, fresh from scratch path that would go right to A&M?

I would like to see a west extension/station at Bridge Street/Research Park then UAH. Downtown station at Constellation/VBC and Medical District link.
Extend the existing Huntsville Hospital Tram west along Governors Dr.
Then a stop at Parkway Place. The idea being that a visitor could stay downtown and visit all the main shopping venues without getting in a car.
Further enhancing the dream would be to get it to Huntsville International.
This idea has been around for a long time but the time is rapidly approaching
wwhere it would work. Huntsville could be the state leader in light rail technology.
To see and hear a developer talk about it is a positive sign.

[HSVTiger]

Belks ready to begin remodel at Madison Square.

They already are adding a two story 20,000 sq ft extension and remodel at the Parisian store at Parkway Place. Now the Parisian at Madison Square
will see new alterations and putting in the new layout that Belk uses.
Should be done by August 17.The stores will be renamed Belks later this year
Belks has two stores at Madison Sq,so what will happen to the other remains to be seen. If they close it, Macy's would be a great replacement.

[HSVTiger]

Verizon ready to fill 1300 jobs,

From staff reportsHuntsville Times
Verizon Wireless has selected the first group of employees to join its team at the Huntsville Call Center, hiring several human resources professionals who will be recruiting hundreds of employees to fill the new state headquarters.

Connie Howell has been named the center's manager of human resources, field operations.

She previously held the same position at the company's Columbia, S.C., call center.

Joining Howell's team are seven HR professionals: Justin Jesser of Madison, Valerie Villarreal of Athens, and Huntsville residents, Felicia Colley, Karen King, Debra Dunbar, Patricia Moore and Nacole Seldon. Jesser, Villarreal and Colley have taken positions as HR analysts. King, Dunbar and Moore have joined the team as HR consultants.

The company broke ground on the center, at Thornton Research Park, in February. The building is expected to be completed in September.

When fully staffed, 1,300 employees will be housed in the facility, including customer service representatives and supervisors, tech support, government customer service teams and corporate sales employees.

The company is recruiting for the Huntsville center. Those interested in career opportunities should submit their resumes online at www.verizonwireless.com/careers.

The first class of new employees will begin orientation and training in July.

[Art-HSV]

Has anyone heard about a new mall in Madison on HWY 72 near Kohls?

[neilson]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

I would like to see a west extension/station at Bridge Street/Research Park then UAH. Downtown station at Constellation/VBC and Medical District link.
Extend the existing Huntsville Hospital Tram west along Governors Dr.
Then a stop at Parkway Place. The idea being that a visitor could stay downtown and visit all the main shopping venues without getting in a car.
Further enhancing the dream would be to get it to Huntsville International.
This idea has been around for a long time but the time is rapidly approaching
wwhere it would work. Huntsville could be the state leader in light rail technology.
To see and hear a developer talk about it is a positive sign.

A Western Spur would be ideal, but perhaps something could be worked out with Norfolk Southern to use ROW on their East-West line. It would hit all the main points and in my mind that stretch of track between Decatur and Huntsville would be better served as a Commuter Rail Line, like what we're beginning to see in Nashville.

Again, it all comes down to adding a track with Norfolk Southern because the current track is highly lucrative for freight and coal transport.

Take the old L&N track for Light Rail, twin the NS track to be commuter rail and the point where both can meet up at is around the existing depot on Church Street. It's also right near where the bus depot is at too.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Art-HSV

Has anyone heard about a new mall in Madison on HWY 72 near Kohls?

You may be thinking of the planned new SuperWalmart, and 14 screen theater
shopping center in that area (Balch Rd area). It would be in the HSV city limits as is Kohl's and
Home Depot is now. I think construction is to begin next year sometime.

article from last December

Friday, December 22, 2006
By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
Discounter part of $90M deal OK'd by City Council

Chalk up another Wal-Mart for Huntsville.

A giant Supercenter, a multiscreen movie theater and apartment complex are part of a $90 million-plus commercial development deal approved Thursday night by the City Council.

The project is being developed by Colonial Properties Trust of Birmingham. It is proposed for an 80-acre tract of land on the north side of U.S. 72 just west of the CVS Pharmacy on Balch Road - roughly across the highway from the Madison Bowling Center.

The development deal approved by the City Council commits up to $900,000 in city money for turn lanes and traffic signals on U.S. 72 at the entrance. Colonial has a purchase option on the land and will now move forward on closing the deal.

Mayor Loretta Spencer said the project will be good for Huntsville because it will mean yet another retail opportunity for shoppers with their sales taxes. Sales taxes make up more than half of the city's $201 million operating budget: $119 million is projected in city sales taxes this budget year.

Spencer said city annexations along the U.S. 72 corridor into Limestone County are beginning to pay for themselves with developments that generate more sales and property taxes.

"There are a lot of people that come in that route to their jobs," she said. A city study in 2000 said 8,878 Limestone County residents work in Madison County.

Bryan Ratliff, senior vice president of Colonial Properties Trust in Birmingham, said groundbreaking on the shopping/apartment/movie theater complex is slated for fall 2007. Developers hope to ramp up completion of the theater for a possible opening in spring 2008, he said.

AmStar Cinemas, a medium-sized theater chain based in Birmingham, is planning a 14-screen complex. Ratliff said Wal-Mart and the other yet-to-be-named retail stores could open by late 2008 or early 2009.

"It's a great investment for the City of Huntsville," Spencer said in justifying the city's agreement to build the turning lanes and signals.

Ratliff said the older Wal-Mart on U.S. 72 about five miles east of the planned new one will remain open. Ratliff said Huntsville's rapid growth, strong business climate and projections for huge population gains with the thousands of jobs that will be transferred here from BRAC make the project an attractive investment. The location seems ideal, he said.

"The population growth has been very prolific in the Harvest-Monrovia area and, of course, the city of Madison and east Limestone County along County Line Road," Ratliff said.

He believes more growth will fill in, lessening the chance for the development to "bleed off or transfer too many sales."

Spencer also doesn't believe the retail giant will siphon sales from established retail venues on U.S. 72. The new location follows Wal-Mart's strategy of building on major highways on the fringes of cities to capture commuters from the suburbs as they drive in. The new Wal-Mart would be the seventh in Madison County. There is even another one planned for the Chase area.

The retail component will be a $59 million investment and the apartments a $34 million investment. Colonial Properties Trust is publicly traded and is the largest real estate company in Alabama with total market assets valued at over $5 billion, Ratliff said.

[HSV79]

There is indeed a new little strip mall that may be coming to the Nance and Hwy 72 area across from Rainbow Elementary. The developer has said that it is still some ways off though. There weren't many details about the project so it's anyones guess. But it is indeed a completely different project from the Wally World one down the road.

[HSVTiger]

Bio Diesel

By BRIAN LAWSON
Times Business Writer [email protected]
UAH students say production to start in fall at EnerSight

Justin Anthony, who graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Saturday, and fellow UAH student Drew Gentry decided about a year ago to go into the energy business, making biodiesel fuel.

The two are partners in Huntsville-based EnerSight and say they believe the biodiesel they expect to start producing in October at a Madison plant can aid the environment, reduce fuel prices and lower carbon dioxide emissions.

The plant will use waste oil, collected from North Alabama restaurants and other sources, as feedstock for the biodiesel. It will be locally sourced, and the market for diesel fuel in the region is considerable. Gentry said in the three-county area around Huntsville, 73 million gallons of diesel fuel were consumed in 2006.

Biodiesel is made from renewable sources, ranging from soybeans to oils to fats and contains no petroleum. It can be blended with regular diesel fuel in any concentration and can run in any diesel engine made after 1993. For engines built prior to that, Anthony said the engine hoses and a fuel pump filter simply need to be changed for the biodiesel to be usable.

Anthony majored in chemical engineering, and Gentry is studying business with a concentration on marketing. The alignment of skills, their friendship and a growing fascination with biodiesel convinced Anthony this was the path to starting his first company.

Gentry said the pair spent months doing research about biodiesel, potential markets, costs for development and related issues. From there, they developed a business plan and were accepted by BizTech, Huntsville's business incubator program in January.
EnerSight decided to partner with Orlando, Fla.-based Xenerga, which for a percentage of gross profits will build the plant - set for Putnam Industrial Park in Madison, provide the equipment, train the staff, locate and sell to EnerSight the necessary fuel stock and help them locate customers.

Dave Jarrett, chief communications officer for Xenerga, said the company has graduated from providing products that purify waste oils for other uses, to the biodiesel plant business. He said the company expects its first turn-key plant to open in the Kissimmee, Fla., area in the next few months. He said the company has established 136 biodiesel plants around the world through a subsidiary. The U.S. effort for operations like EnerSight's includes nine contracts for plants and 16 more letters of intent for plant construction, Jarrett said.

The growing push for alternative fuels helps the market conditions for companies like EnerSight. The federal government offers a 50 cent per gallon tax break on waste oil derived fuels and a $1 a gallon for "virgin products" like grains or fats, Jarrett said.

The Alabama Legislature is currently considering a bill supported by Gov. Bob Riley and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks that would provide tax incentives for biofuels producers, support for infrastructure to make it available to consumers, a nickel a gallon incentive for school bus use of biodiesel and incentives for consumers to buy alternative-fuel-powered cars, such as hybrids or ethanol-powered E85 vehicles, said Mark Bentley, executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.

EnerSight's partners said the company has verbal commitments from customers for all the fuel it plans to produce in its first year. Diesel fuel distributors are expected to make up the bulk of their customer base, but Gentry said the company is also hoping to do business with the City of Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal at some future point.

EnerSight plans to run its plant 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a production goal of 5 million gallons of certified biodiesel per year. One of the challenges the product faces, Gentry said, is the perception that biodiesel is substandard. He said that is the result of "home brew" biodiesel that is never properly tested or purified before it is put in someone's engine. Their product, he said, will meet national standards before it is sold.

[daveyp]

i'd love to see light rail in the next 5 years. that would be amazing. but i wouldn't hold my breath.

i would expect something less spectacular, like a paved busway.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville International continues expansion

The Huntsville International Airport is getting a cash infusion of $3.1 million for its expansion and improvement efforts, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer announced today.

The $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be used to support the airport's plan to expand its terminal, recondition its taxiway and apron, make security enhancements and buy snow removal equipment, said Cramer, D-Huntsville, in a news release.

"The Huntsville International Airport is a major factor in North Alabama's economic development," Cramer said. "This funding will further enhance our airport as we aggressively recruit quality jobs to the region."

[HSVTiger]

Westin Huntsville progress
looks like they are around the 10th floor.

[HSVTiger]

Monaco 14 screen theater at Bridge Street progress.

This is in Cummings Research Park in the background can be seen part of
Adtran's(telecommunication) campus and SAIC, (Army, defense, space contractor)

[HSVTiger]

These were posted earlier, but bids are being taken for 3 more Publix
groceries. One at County Line and Browns Ferry Rd,(54,000 sq ft) One on Jordan Ln by Harvest, and another in Athens at East Side Junction/US 72, Lindsay Lane area(46,000 sq ft)
After construction starts it takes about 10 months to finish the store.

[HSVTiger]

Applied Science Building at UAH nearing completion. Also you can see part
of the new expanded lake and park area in front.

[HSVTiger]

John Stallworth Golf Tournament.
http://www.johnstallworth.com/golf/
Coming up June 15th
this will be a great event held at Robert Trent Jones Hampton Cove course in Huntsville. Stallworth the Pittsburgh Steeler great lives in Huntsville and is a very successful business man.
Then
John Stallworth played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 14 seasons from 1974 through 1987. The 6-2, 191-pound speedster teamed first with Lynn Swann and later with Louis Lipps to give the Steelers unusually potent pass-receiving tandems. Stallworth caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all Steelers team records.
Now
Mr. Stallworth provides overall leadership, directs strategic planning, and establishes goals and objectives for Madison Research Corporation (MRC). An insightful and astute businessman, he started MRC in 1986, prior to his 1988 retirement from professional football. He formulates marketing objectives, develops growth strategies, assesses trends in customer requirements, and interfaces with the executive staff and functional team leaders toward maintaining customer satisfaction and stimulating new business.

here is a confirmed list of attendees:
Howard Ballard
John Banaszak
Bob Baumhower
Mel Blount
Preston Brown
Jennifer Chandler
Harvey Clayton
John Clayton
Joe Cribbs
Sylvester Croom
Chris Doleman
Jeffrey Faulkner
L.C. Greenwood
Bobby Lee Harden
Anthony Jones
Joey Kent
Frank Lewis
Greg Lloyd
Woody McCorby
Nathaniel Moore
Brian Nash
Edmund Nelson
Gary Otten
Benny Perrin
James Pruitt
Gary Redus
Donnie Shell
Dwight Stephenson
Cliff Stoudt
Tim Stowers
Lynn Swann
Calvin Sweeny
Pat Upton
James Willis

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

More Power! Crank it up


TVA ready to start Browns Ferry Unit 1 near Athens
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given final approval for the Tennessee Valley Authority to restart its oldest nuclear reactor after a 22-year shutdown.

The green light came today after inspectors determined that the unit met standards to go online again.

TVA said it spent $$1.8 billion over a five year period overhauling Unit One at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.

Units Two and Three were restarted in the 1990s. The restart of Unit One, which could come any day, will mark the first time the entire plant has been operating in about 27 years.

TVA said it has conducted more than 1,200 safety tests at Browns Ferry, and workers spent more than 15 million hours of work at the plant replacing, refurbishing or modifying systems.

Browns Ferry's Unit One will become the utility's sixth operating reactor, joining the two others at the plant, two at the Seqouyah station near Chattanooga and the single reactor at Watts Bar.

The switch has been flipped

The Tennessee Valley Authority restarted the third and final reactor at its Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Athens early Tuesday, ending a 22-year shutdown prompted by safety concerns at what was once America's largest nuclear plant.

TVA, the nation's largest public utility, said the restart capped an exhaustive program that brought the reactor up to modern standards. A watchdog group, however, pointed to the plant's history of problems and questioned whether the reactor should be operating at all.

The Unit 1 reactor began a self-sustaining nuclear reaction at 12:28 a.m. CST, capping a five-year, $1.8 billion renovation.

[HSVTiger]

Constellation downtown layout,
this is subject to change according to the tenants but it will probably be close to this.It will have a main street type feel with on street parking in the center.

[HSVTiger]

Jobs announcements by a diverse mix of companies, including the largest U.S. wireless provider and a small, Huntsville-based printing business, pushed Madison County to the No. 1 spot in the state in new and expanding business in 2006.

The 2006 New and Expanding Industry Report, released by the Alabama Development Office, shows Madison County with 48 announced projects providing 4,602 new jobs last year.
The top jobs announcement last year in Madison County - and in Alabama as well - came from Verizon Wireless, which is building a 152,000-square-foot state headquarters and call center in Huntsville, a $44 million investment. That project alone represents 1,300 jobs.

In Madison County, there were 1,352 announced jobs in five projects by new companies and 3,250 announced jobs in 43 projects by expanding companies.

The total investment of the Madison County announcements: Almost $238 million.
Jefferson County was second with 59 companies announcing 2,203 jobs. Mobile County followed with 31 companies announcing 1,593 jobs and Baldwin County was next with 26 companies announcing 1,502 jobs.

[HSVTiger]

After rumors and teasing for 5 years, Jason's Deli is finally opening two locations in Huntsville. One next to The Fresh Market on Whitesburg opening in June and the second to open in November behind IHOP near Enterprise Way and University Dr. Their French Onion soup is the best. Interesting that they will be close to the two McAllisters Deli's in those same areas.

[HSVTiger]

Johns Hopkins; I had no idea they did this type of stuff

By SHELBY G. SPIRES
Times Aerospace Writer [email protected]
Applied Physics unit will assist on several programs

Missile defense work slated to move to Redstone Arsenal paved the way for a prestigious university think tank to open an office in Huntsville, local leaders said Wednesday.

The Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory officially opened an office in Huntsville to support Missile Defense Agency work, much of which will be coming here because of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, or BRAC, decisions.

"This is really about BRAC and the work we plan to move here over the next two years," said Tim McKaig, the Missile Defense Agency manager who is organizing the moves to Huntsville. "We plan to rely on the Applied Physics Lab to support that work."

McKaig said the engineering and analysis work performed by the lab would bolster the agency's engineers. "The (Applied Physics Lab) will be integral to our work with missile defense across the board," he said.

The 3,200-square-foot lab is located off University Drive at the West Park research park. It will have six people working with the Missile Defense Agency at first, but that will grow to about 14, said David Olivares, the Applied Physics Lab's Huntsville site manager.

The lab has been working on government projects since World War II, said Dr. Richard T. Roca, lab director in Laurel, Md. "We have a historical connection to the Huntsville area. We have been involved with Army missile work since the 1950s, but it is good to have a permanent presence here," he said.

Roca and about 100 Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville and Madison County leaders dedicated the site Wednesday.

"This is one more decision that shows what our tech community has done," said Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer. "We are going forward and this showcases this community's ability to do that."