Huntsville updates

[TimCity2000]

The good news is that it looks like the owners plan to rebuild, and it will likely be in or around downtown. Too bad Constellation isn't further along... that might be the perfect new home and could even be a centerpiece of the project.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

The good news is that it looks like the owners plan to rebuild, and it will likely be in or around downtown. Too bad Constellation isn't further along... that might be the perfect new home and could even be a centerpiece of the project.

True, it could still figure in the solution

from WAFF


One day removed, Holmes Avenue still closed, and a brewery still deemed unsafe.

"The thing I'm most concerned about is that wall going in and crushing those tanks in front of the brewery. That's first and foremost in my mind," says Olde Towne Brewmaster Don Alan Hankins. "It's like a part of you dies when it burns, so it's tough. Rarely in my life have I felt so helpless because you just can't do anything."

A feeling spanning the spectrum from helpless to humbled.

"The outpouring of support we've gotten it almost brings me to tears because it's just been absolutely so overwhelming and it just tells me what a great community Huntsville is."

A community, home to the Olde Towne brewery.

Hankins plans to re-build Olde Towne at another location.

His beer tanks are burned, but most likely salvageable.

"We will 100% definitely be back for sure."

A certainty rising from the ashes to brew another day.

Hankins spent the afternoon shopping for a sight for the new Olde Towne Brewery.

While locals are snatching up the available stock of Olde Towne brew, Hankins says he hopes to back at work making more just as soon as possible.

[HSVTiger]

simply amazing, the stupidity. The Southern Bypass delayed

Will ANY project ever be completed??
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/kclines.ssf?/base/news/1183886472120040.xml&coll=1

The Alabama Department of Transportation is re-evaluating the corridor study of the bypass's proposed route because there has been no major action taken on the project for more than three years, Johnny Harris, the DOT Division 1 engineer, said last week.

Another problem is that no money has been appropriated for final design or construction of the bypass, Harris said. Construction, he said, is "still a few years away."

The Federal Highway Administration requires the state or local government to re-evaluate a corridor study for any proposed road that involves federal money if no major action has been taken on the project within three years.

The re-evaluation involves determining if there are potential environmental problems or significant archeological or historical sites in the corridor, Harris said. Though that work had been done several years ago, regulations require that it be done again because of the time lapse and to make sure nothing was missed.

Identifying possible archeological sites will involve more digging off the arsenal, Harris said.

[HSVTiger]

By BRIAN LAWSONTimes Business Writer [email protected]
Potential director has committed; researchers ready

With 75 percent of the work completed, a director choice committed, an opening date in sight and some world-class investigators signed up, the waiting may the hardest part for Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology President Jim Hudson.

The 270,000-square-foot institute is scheduled to open in November, about a month later than first projected, but within 20 months of the groundbreaking on a building that is unique in design, requires a vast array of technical and laboratory capabilities and is aimed to foster interaction between the scientists and companies it will house.

"We are really in the home stretch now. It feels good," said Hudson, the Huntsville biotechnology pioneer who has led the development of the institute, which will combine some $80 million in private investor money and $50 million in state contributions. "It's good to see it taking shape every day."

The institute in Cummings Research Park broke ground in January 2006 and now has 325 workers engaged in the building's construction.

Along with the work going on outside, Hudson is aggressively pursuing talent to work within the institute's walls, successfully recruiting two of the four principal investigators he'd like to have around the time the institute opens. Hudson also has received a commitment from the person he wants to run the institute as director. Hudson is not ready to identify the director choice, but an announcement is expected soon.

The pursuit of top scientific talent takes some creativity, Hudson said: They are being recruited to serve on the ground floor of an institute and really, a biotech community, that is in its developmental stages.

"The idea of being part of a new institute is a selling point," Hudson said. "Asking them to locate in an area where there is no previous track record is the biggest challenge. But each person we've brought here has found Huntsville amazing. We are looking for the best people in this field, and they are typically based at academic institutions. That means we are asking them to leave tenure behind.

"But we're offering them twice the lab space they have now, making a five-year commitment to their projects rather than the standard three years and allowing them to concentrate strictly on research."

Hudson's vision for the institute includes housing 10 or so biotech companies on one side of the facility with the other occupied by the nonprofit biotech research institute. The building's design is aimed at a key mission for the institute: Bring together companies and researchers for the development of biotech products that eventually can be brought to market.

The state's commitment to the project was based in part on spurring the development of biotech work in Alabama and the economic impact of bringing in a number of high-paying scientific jobs to the state.

Hudson expects the research facility to open with about 45 employees, including four principal investigators, and that will expand over the next two years to 100 to 120 researchers. He expects the institute side to top out with abut 150 employees.

There are 10 companies set to move into the facility, and they will begin with about 200 employees total. Hudson said that number will increase to 450 to 500 over the next three years.

Biotechnology covers a vast array of possible areas of concentration, but Hudson said the institute will focus on sequence-based biology, which uses the DNA mapping done by the Human Genome Project, to examine how DNA and RNA sequences change. Hudson said there are consistent changes in DNA sequencing that are a "little bit unexpected," and he wants to focus on that area to see how those sequences affect areas such as disease.

"This is just going to be a killer environment," Hudson said. "Technically the space is full, though we may add a couple of one- or two-person companies. I'm feeling really good."

[neilson]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

simply amazing, the stupidity. The Southern Bypass delayed

Will ANY project ever be completed??
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/kclines.ssf?/base/news/1183886472120040.xml&coll=1

The Alabama Department of Transportation is re-evaluating the corridor study of the bypass's proposed route because there has been no major action taken on the project for more than three years, Johnny Harris, the DOT Division 1 engineer, said last week.

Another problem is that no money has been appropriated for final design or construction of the bypass, Harris said. Construction, he said, is "still a few years away."

The Federal Highway Administration requires the state or local government to re-evaluate a corridor study for any proposed road that involves federal money if no major action has been taken on the project within three years.

The re-evaluation involves determining if there are potential environmental problems or significant archeological or historical sites in the corridor, Harris said. Though that work had been done several years ago, regulations require that it be done again because of the time lapse and to make sure nothing was missed.

Identifying possible archeological sites will involve more digging off the arsenal, Harris said.

HSVTiger, I think you owe it to yourself to go to that ALDOT meeting this week at the Main Library. We need as many members from here and UrbanPlanet to show up and give ALDOT an educated piece of our collective minds.

Will you be showing?

[HSVTiger]

By NIKI DOYLE
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
New home awaits but move will be slow. Very slow.

Rolling a rocket isn't as simple as it sounds. In fact, it's a matter of rocket science.

After a year of planning, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will move its original Saturn V rocket Tuesday to its new home, a $21.2 million complex slated to open in January.

The three remaining stages will have to be slowly positioned before they can be placed in the Davidson Saturn V Center, said Al Whitaker, spokesman for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.


The stages, which have all been gutted to prevent shifting, will be moved no faster than a half a mile an hour. The process could take days, Whitaker said, so workers have already set up portable lights to work at night.

If all goes well, the entire rocket should be in its new home by Friday in time for the Apollo/Saturn reunion, CEO Larry Capps said.

[HSVTiger]

Art museum downtown expansion continues

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
Council votes on architect to draw plans for growth

Two years after the Huntsville Museum of Art began developing a master plan for an 18,457-square-foot expansion, the $8 million project has officially begun.

The City Council on Monday night authorized a $750,000 contract with Fuqua & Partners Architects to craft the official drawings and building requirements.



The project will add 6,500 square feet of gallery space, a 300-seat auditorium, a covered parking addition where the loading docks are now, a new west pedestrian entrance off the park, and an elevated sculpture garden above the covered parking wing.

Officials also announced a new feature Monday night: a permanent, 24-foot by 32-foot stage behind the museum for various outdoor events.

"It's a tremendous place for concerts in the park and other types of events that are held throughout the year," said museum President and CEO Clayton Bass. "You can easily sit about 3,000 to 4,000 people on the lawn."

The stage will be canopied by an arbor and can be configured to face the lagoon or a plaza spanning the museum and the new wing. The stage was recommended by a city department official and can be added with no extra cost, he said.

"We hope to break ground in the spring of 2008 and open by late, late 2009 or early in 2010," he said.

[daveyp]

the expansion to the museum...


you can see the master plans and stuff in a pdf file of a brochure on their website: www.hsvmuseum.org

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Construction set to begin

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
City panel reviews six-story addition set to open in '08

A new parking garage soon will pierce the skyline at Huntsville International Airport.

Plans for a six-story, 1,330-slot parking deck were unveiled Wednesday before a city planning subcommittee.

The project comes six years after the airport opened a multilevel, 1,600-slot deck. The new structure would adjoin the existing one and include covered canopies leading to the main terminal along with office space for car rental firms.

"Our objective with our capital improvements is to provide better customer service for passengers. To be able to provide additional covered parking is a great thing for the airport and our community," airport spokeswoman Barbie Peek said Wednesday.

Construction on the garage addition is scheduled to begin in January with completion in March 2008.

Officials say increasing passenger traffic has rendered the initial parking deck inadequate. "During the week, the deck can become full as early as Tuesday," Peek said.

The $18 million expansion is part of an airport improvements master plan that calls for a third baggage carousel, a larger concession area with more seating and food vendors, baggage lifts at several additional gates and a new waiting area. The new waiting area would include plenty of windows to give "meeters and greeters" a view of the airfield, Peek said.

The new food court and baggage-lift project should be completed next fall for an estimated $2 million, according to architect Mike Chapman. Peek said the expanded food concession area will feature new vendors, including McAlister's Deli and a gourmet coffee shop.

Groundbreaking for the parking deck expansion was yesterday, when complete there will be around 4000 parking spaces available at the airport.

[HSVTiger]

Other airport news, Delta is adding a nonstop flight to LaGaurdia,

Huntsville International Airport will begin non-stop service to New York’s LaGuardia, beginning Sept. 6.

Delta Air Lines will provide the flights, said the airport’s director of marketing, Barbie Peek, at a board of directors meeting Tuesday.

Flights will depart Huntsville at 6:45 a.m. and arrive in New York at 10:02. Return service will depart LaGuardia at 9:00 p.m. and arrive in Huntsville at 10:41 on weekdays.

Also at the meeting, Executive Director Rick Tucker reported June passenger traffic was up 3.5 percent over June 2006, according to preliminary numbers. The actual increase will be higher because the preliminary numbers do not include United Express passengers to Washington Dulles.

[HSVTiger]

Cargo is big in Huntsville

Huntsville International Airport was the fastest growing
airport (cargo) outside Asia among the world’s 300 largest airports,
expanding 29.2 percent on the growing industrial business
surrounding the Alabama airport.

1. Subang, Malaysia
2. Beijing, China
3. Huntsville, United States

http://www.aircargoworld.com/features/0707_1.htm

[HSVTiger]

More info on this previously announced project in nearby Athens
The area around US72 and I-65 interchange has exploded in development.

ATHENS - A new shopping center with a bank and grocery store is coming to Athens next year.

Developer Bill Ming of Ming Enterprises announced last week that a Publix Super Market and a Bank Independent are on the way for EastSide Junction, a 105,000-square-foot shopping center to be built on the northeast corner of U.S. 72 and Lindsay Lane.

Construction of the shopping center is scheduled to begin in October, Ming said.

The Publix will occupy 45,600 square feet and will include a grocery store and pharmacy. It is expected to open in October 2008.

Construction of the Bank Independent is expected to begin in August with completion in May 2008.

Ming said two outparcels are currently under negotiation with a nationally recognized restaurant chain and single-tenant retailer. Other retailers new to the area are considering the shopping center and will be announced later.

A six-acre lake is planned to include a walking and exercise trail with an additional four acres for future development, Ming said.

Ming said EastSide Junction will spur more development on the east side of Athens and serve the city's newest growth corridor from Lindsay Lane to the East Limestone community.

The project's location provides convenience for people living east of Athens and for those returning from work in Madison and Huntsville, Ming said.

Athens-area residents traveling along U.S. 72 will have great access to the shopping center from a Lindsay Lane entrance, he said.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Other airport news, Delta is adding a nonstop flight to LaGaurdia,

Huntsville International Airport will begin non-stop service to New York’s LaGuardia, beginning Sept. 6.

Delta Air Lines will provide the flights, said the airport’s director of marketing, Barbie Peek, at a board of directors meeting Tuesday.

Flights will depart Huntsville at 6:45 a.m. and arrive in New York at 10:02. Return service will depart LaGuardia at 9:00 p.m. and arrive in Huntsville at 10:41 on weekdays.

Also at the meeting, Executive Director Rick Tucker reported June passenger traffic was up 3.5 percent over June 2006, according to preliminary numbers. The actual increase will be higher because the preliminary numbers do not include United Express passengers to Washington Dulles.

on a side note and nothing official yet but I expect Huntsville will see the addition of a new service from an airline that does not currently serve the airport before the end of the year.

[neilson]

HSVTiger, did you or anyone you know go to the ALDOT meeting at the Main Library?

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by neilson

HSVTiger, did you or anyone you know go to the ALDOT meeting at the Main Library?

kids ball practice kept me away, I know, I really don't see the purpose of these meetings other than ALDOT being able to say that have positive public input.

[HSVTiger]

moving into it's new home

After the walls of the Davidson Saturn V Center - one of which will be mostly glass - go up, a restoration team will finish $467,000 worth of work on the rocket.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

on a side note and nothing official yet but I expect Huntsville will see the addition of a new service from an airline that does not currently serve the airport before the end of the year.

I'd like to see one of the budget carriers enter the market. AirTran to ATL would be obvious, or perhaps Southwest to MDW or DAL.

Great news on non-stop flights to NYC. We haven't had that since CO ended their HSV-EWR service a while ago.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

I'd like to see one of the budget carriers enter the market. AirTran to ATL would be obvious, or perhaps Southwest to MDW or DAL.

Great news on non-stop flights to NYC. We haven't had that since CO ended their HSV-EWR service a while ago.

I've heard Southwest is a no way due to Nashville and Birmingham being well covered.

I'm thinking Airtran, jetBlue, or the new Virgin America Airlines.

[HSVTiger]

Bridge Street progress

The parking decks are moving along quickly, windows are being installed
on the Westin, extensive landscaping is ongoing. The attention to detail on this huge project, is impressive.
This view just shows the front right area, the front building will be a Barnes&Noble, around 70 stores will make up the retail portion of the project. The foundation work for the 6 story office tower appears to be nearly complete, (The area just behind the parking deck on the right side of the view.) The road on the extreme right of the view is Research Park Blvd
looking north.

[HSVTiger]

because of the fire it will be bigger and better than before

The state's only microbrewery was destroyed July 5 in a predawn blaze.

Founder Don Alan Hankins is scouting numerous sites and hopes to make a final decision next week. Possibilities include the historic Lowe Mill building in west Huntsville, downtown Madison and a lot near Washington Street and Abingdon Avenue in Huntsville.

Hankins has a meeting next week with the Big Spring Partners downtown redevelopment group about other downtown locations. Mary Jane Caylor, Big Springs Partners' executive director, said a microbrewery is one of those unique operations that can help make any downtown a diverse and attractive place to do business.

"If individuals are looking for an area downtown to locate or relocate to, we have a pretty extensive listing of properties we know are available or potentially available," she said.

Caylor offered an impromptu list of possibilities that includes the old Hale Brothers Furniture store on Jefferson Street or somewhere near the Historic Huntsville Depot roundhouse on Holmes Avenue or the historic freight depot off Church Street.

Hankins said he's been overwhelmed by expressions of sympathy and offers of free help: temporary office quarters, equipment storage, cleanup assistance and labor.

"It's been absolutely the most humbling experience to have so many people step forward giving their support," he said. "You never know how many people knew about the brewery until something like this happens. I am truly blessed in so many ways to have so many friends and so many people who care."
Hankins hopes to be back in the brewing business by December. He estimates that he's had 20 to 30 offers on property including vacant lots and parcels with a building. Not just any site will do. Any building must be high enough to accommodate the giant brewing tanks and include a dock for shipments to distributors.

Hankins said his distributor reported a run on Olde Towne beer immediately after the fire. "It's tough to come by. I hope that people are buying it because it tastes good," he said, "not that because they don't think there won't be any more out there. We will be back."

Hankins said fire investigators have traced the fire to a back office but have not determined the cause.