Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

County Line Publix

"The Village Shoppes at Madison" is currently under construction on the west side of County Line Road. A 55,000-foot Publix Supermarket will anchor the shopping center, and is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2008. Other businesses will include a bank, a 7,000 square foot home d/cor store and nail, hair and tanning salons. Restaurants will include Mexican, Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisines. The retail center will have a total square footage of approximately 142,000 square feet, including Publix.

"This shopping center is in the city limits of Madison, and Madison will receive the city sales tax. The county portion of the sales tax will be paid to Limestone County. This property had been reserved for commercial development since it was initially subdivided years ago," Mayor Kirkindall said. "The Publix shopping center will serve as a major addition to the shopping venues in the County Line Road area, and will make shopping much more convenient for nearby residents."

This will be Madison's third Publix store and the 10th I think in the Huntsville Decatur Athens area

[HSVTiger]

a beehive of activity, Bridge Street, ahh fresh pour of concrete

[HSVTiger]

a photo from the Apollo 25th anniversary celebration a few weeks back



Progress continues on the new building to house the real Saturn V. Of the three remaining this one was never flight ready, it was used for ground testing.

[HSVTiger]

new UAH Intermodal Center set to begin construction





work on the new Applied Science Building is nearing completion as well as the extensive landscaping and new ponds at the new campus main
entrance on Sparkman Dr.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

That toll road in Tuscaloosa is the dumbest road in history

Explain?

[neilson]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

better access

By KEITH CLINES
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
Road extension into Cummings Park avoids school

The Farrow Road extension into Cummings Research Park has been open to traffic for several weeks, but at the official opening Thursday, Mayor Loretta Spencer noted the importance of opening the road before the city schools year starts.

The $2.87 million road project provides another convenient route for Research Park and Columbia and New Century high schools.

"The timing is great," Spencer said.

The four-lane extension to Explorer Boulevard completes the widening and extension of Farrow Road from Slaughter Road into Research Park.

"It's a great connection to Research Park from the west side," Spencer said before cutting a ribbon with Councilman Glenn Watson, whose district includes the road and park.

At least it's an alternative to Old Madison Pike.

Once the new light is put up at Slaughter Road and Eastview Drive in a few weeks, I'll be making sure my travels are primarily on that stretch of road vs. OMP.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

but Atlanta metro has almost 5 million people so you really can't compare the two.

Thanks for clearing that up for us.

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by neilson

Explain?

Because the road goes nowhere. It starts in Fosters whose population is probably no more than a few hundred and goes to the extreme western edge of the city and right outside of northport where it meets 82. No one travels this road ever, maybe one day it will have a purpose if they plan on making some kind of loop expressway out of it but not right now

[dfwtiger]

Originally Posted by Shawn35816

It might not be right now. I think it's just a matter of time before it is though. The job growth, environment, and people of this area are like a magnet.

Why is this important? What does it mean? What is the relevance of being tied to Atlanta? How is it...or will it be tied?

What I think is interesting is the reliance of Huntsville on the military-industrial complex. Their growth is booming at the same time we are spending hundreds of millions on the war machine.

Perhaps the city that Huntsville is tied to is Washington, D.C. not Atlanta. As for Birmingham....outside of a great rivalry in high school soccer...I do not see much of a connection at all.

[HSVTiger]

Furniture Row now open in Madison/ I-565. This is a large building with a
furniture mall type concept..
"Furniture Row Companies® is a group of specialty home furnishings, mattress stores, carrying a variety of brand names, all available at one convenient location. We focus on providing a shopping experience that is tailored to your needs. This is just one of the many reasons we're among America's fastest-growing furniture retailers."



http://www.furniturerow.com/index.php

[HSVTiger]

Legacy Elementary ready to open in Monrovia, a fast growing
HSV suburb in Northwest Madison County.

"Nearly 700 students from kindergarten through fifth grade will stream into the $11.1 million facility when classes begin Thursday, said Legacy's principal, Dr. Claudia Styles.

When classes begin, there will be 31 certified teachers on hand, but Styles said she hopes to get more teachers because the enrollment is continuing to grow.

"Hopefully, that will change over the next few days," she said. "We are going to have approximately 680 students, and we thought it was going to be 612.

"We are growing by the day."

[HSVTiger]

this will have a major impact on Northeast Huntsville. This also will tie in with the double overpass construction at Moores Mill and Shields Rd. Hopefully that will begin next year
It also prep work for some major retail developments in the area;

Moores Mill extension

The Huntsville City Council Thursday night approved a contract to build a short extension of Moores Mill Road and a service road that will connect Old Gurley Road and High Mountain Road.

Reed Contracting Services Inc. was awarded a contract for more than $4.55 million to build the roads and related drainage and underground utilities. The work will include extending Moores Mill about 700 feet on the south side of U.S. 72.
The end of the extension will tie into a new service road of about a mile that will run along the south side of U.S. 72 from Old Gurley Road to High Mountain Road on top of Chapman Mountain.

The service road will be three and five lanes.

The company will have 11/2 years to complete the project.

The company will not be allowed to close any lanes on U.S. 72 for construction between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. and between 4 and 6 p.m.

The road work is among the public improvements included in a tax-increment financing district approved last fall. Harris Hill Development LLC, which plans residential and commercial development on the south side of U.S. 72, paid for the design of the road project and will pay any construction costs that exceed the city's $5 million commitment.

[HSVTiger]

Metro jail fiasco, ouch

By JOHN PECK Times Staff Writer
[email protected]
The cost to complete the Madison County jail is going up - way up.

Barely a year after approving a $6.6 million budget increase for the still unfinished 1,300-inmate city-county lockup, a reluctant Huntsville City Council authorized a whopping $32 million increase Thursday night.

The adjustment brings to $70 million the total revised budget for the problem-plagued metro detention center. That's far above the initial $29.2 million budget approved in 2002 and higher still than the $25 million that was originally estimated.
Councilwoman Sandra Moon expressed similar frustrations. Moon pressed City Attorney Peter Joffrion about the prospects of recouping some of the money in court.

Joffrion said the terminated jail contractor, Dawson Construction of Gadsden, posted a performance bond of $24 million guaranteeing completion. The terminated architectural firm, 2WR Holmes Wilkins LLC of Montgomery, also had coverage for professional services.

Together, some $30 million may be recoverable but only in the event a jury awards that amount. A court victory is no guarantee, Joffrion warned.

Moon then asked what many citizens and some public officials have asked throughout the on-again, off-again jail project: "Wouldn't it be cheaper to tear the thing down and start over?"

Taylor said the project team, along with its consultants, looked into that and concluded that wouldn't be feasible when demolition and delay costs are factored in. The joint jail is expected to save city and county taxpayers $120 million over 30 years once it goes into service.

"All the consultants we've worked with have all said the building is safe and they told us the problems we found can be fixed," Taylor said.

Councilman Richard Showers admonished council members for being critical of Taylor, saying he alone could not have foreseen the problems.

The city's Public Building Authority terminated Dawson and 2WR Holmes Wilkins last year after structural problems were found while modules were being set. The dismissal followed two work stoppages and safety concerns raised by outside construction consultants.

Dawson sued PBA for breach of contract. The authority sued Dawson alleging inadequate work. Dawson's bonding company has also filed legal action to avoid paying the insurance coverage. The architectural firm is also named in lawsuits over the jail's designs and engineering calculations.

Taylor said the jail, which is about a year and a half behind schedule, could now be completed by late next year or early 2009.

[daveyp]

christ, i'm so tired of looking at that thing every day. it looks so ridiculous right now, just sitting there with nobody ever working on it. almost feels like we're in a developing country or something. it's nice to hear it will be continued, even with the huge loss of funds.

[DruidCity]

That toll road in Tuscaloosa is the dumbest road in history ...

No one travels this road ever, maybe one day it will have a purpose if they plan on making some kind of loop expressway out of it but not right now

I don't know anyone who actually uses it, either

There is now a nice county road connecting the airport industrial park up to Tuscaloosa County High, but I doubt many people going to/from the school are using the toll bridge.

Anyway, back to the subject ...

HSVTiger posted a nice photo entitled :

Work on the new Applied Science Building is nearing completion as well as the extensive landscaping and new ponds at the new campus main
entrance on Sparkman Dr.

When I visited Huntsville earlier this summer, I was really impressed with just how much this new building and expanded pond area enhances UAH's "curb appeal." The school stands to gain significantly from Huntsville's overall growth, but especially with adjunct faculty and other research-related connections to private industry.

[HSVTiger]

This large complex is on Redstone arsenal and not generally seen by the public. Phase 2 is now complete.
The first building of the Von Braun Complex, called Phase I, opened in January 2004. It is about 220,000 square feet and is home to the Space and Missile Defense Command. It includes a smaller central plant building attached to it.

1,000 workers will use $44 million 5 story facility on arsenal

For U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, Monday's dedication of the Missile Defense Agency's first major building on Redstone Arsenal is one more accomplishment toward achieving a missile defense shield begun almost a quarter of a century ago by then-President Reagan.

The MDA formally dedicated a $44 million building at Redstone's Von Braun Office Complex. The facility will be used by about 1,000 workers on missile defense programs that range from advanced lasers to ground-based interceptors and giant sea-going radar.
U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, said another phase of the Von Braun Office Complex will hold most of the BRAC-related MDA employees who will be transferred here by 2011.

The $223 million third phase, which is under design, will be more than 800,000 square feet.

[HSVTiger]

From the Birmingham News article Rep Cramer on road issues in Huntsville

"As the pace of BRAC moves begins to pick up, local officials are concerned about possible traffic problems it could cause.

Cramer said a top priority must be given to building the southern bypass across Redstone Arsenal from Interstate 565 to U.S. 431 in Huntsville to help relieve traffic on those two roads.

Every option must be considered between the state and federal governments to get the road built, Cramer said. The bypass would cost millions to build and building it as a toll road with public and private sector money is a possibility, he said.

The road also could be built in segments, Cramer said.

Cramer said the state needs to make this road a priority. The BRAC jobs being moved to Redstone is bigger than any single industrial announcement in the state, he said. (I bet the Governor and ALDOT Director just moved some HSV projects deeper under the pile.)

The Alabama Department of Transportation does have millions of dollars in preliminary engineering and some construction targeted for the bypass in the state's five-year plan.

When does the area need the bypass? "Yesterday," Cramer said."

[HSVTiger]

[/QUOTE]

Job Fair dates for Bridge Street

Upcoming Job Fairs
August 25th - UAH Campus
September 15th - Bridge Street Town Centre

[neilson]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

From the Birmingham News article Rep Cramer on road issues in Huntsville

"As the pace of BRAC moves begins to pick up, local officials are concerned about possible traffic problems it could cause.

Cramer said a top priority must be given to building the southern bypass across Redstone Arsenal from Interstate 565 to U.S. 431 in Huntsville to help relieve traffic on those two roads.

Every option must be considered between the state and federal governments to get the road built, Cramer said. The bypass would cost millions to build and building it as a toll road with public and private sector money is a possibility, he said.

The road also could be built in segments, Cramer said.

Cramer said the state needs to make this road a priority. The BRAC jobs being moved to Redstone is bigger than any single industrial announcement in the state, he said. (I bet the Governor and ALDOT Director just moved some HSV projects deeper under the pile.)

The Alabama Department of Transportation does have millions of dollars in preliminary engineering and some construction targeted for the bypass in the state's five-year plan.

When does the area need the bypass? "Yesterday," Cramer said."

I'm all for federal investigations into Joe McInnes and his operations of ALDOT. It can be done, and should be quite frankly.

[HSVTiger]

ALDOT positives, yeah ALDOT gets bashed for ineptness at the management level and well they should, but recently they have been upgrading and replacing signs around the Huntsville area and most I've seen look good.
Still wrong or useless in some areas(I-565/US 72 issues Chapman Mountain,
Downtown, other city signs , BHM, Nash, Chattanooga need to be added)
even added road name signs on I-565 overpasses(Jordan Ln).
Airport area need Air Cargo signs on I-565.
Thanks ALDOT.
(Of course this may have originally been scheduled in 1985)