Montgomery development news

[bystander1]

SaZa's open at the Alley!

Check out these pics from the Montgomery Advertiser.

[tsully76]

Thats great news i look forward to eating there this week. One more piece of the Montgomery puzzle that was needed. The piece on WSFA tonight was very well done. Cant wait until the next pub crawl on November 20th having SaZa's and Wintzell's including along with the other venues should be a totally awesome time.

[OldCloverdale]

October 28, 2009

Square Feet

Alabama Pension Fund Plows Millions Into Property in Its Own Backyard

By DAN LUZADDER


David Bronner in front of two buildings in Montgomery that were built by the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

MOBILE, Ala. — When David Bronner, the chief executive of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the pension fund for public employees in the state, first discussed making a major investment in this city, he had an ultimatum for local leaders: show that you’re willing to rebuild the city’s education system, and the money will flow.

Mr. Bronner, 64, who has steered the fortunes of the retirement system for 36 years, already had what he thought was a good idea. He would help Mobile rebuild its deteriorated downtown and its self-image — starting with the renovation of the Battle House hotel, which had once been the heart of the city’s downtown.

But, first, he wanted a commitment from Mobilians that they were willing to invest in themselves by raising taxes to pay for better education. “Without education, how can we attract business and industry?” Mr. Bronner said.

A bond issue for public school reform was approved in 2003, and two years later it began to rain money in Mobile — an investment by the retirement system of some $650 million so far.

Today, the Battle House hotel, which had been closed for more than three decades, has been restored to its antebellum elegance. Its rooms and suites are as well appointed as any luxury hotel in the region, and its spa has become a draw for tourists.

The hotel lobby connects to the 35-story RSA Battle House Tower, a sparkling 470,000-square-foot high-rise that is the first truly Class A office space in Mobile, offering tenants the highest-quality space and most advanced technology available in the city. At 745 feet, the tower is also the tallest building on the Gulf Coast east of Houston.

The Battle House Tower, which opened in 2007, is just one of a number of investments that Mr. Bronner has shepherded within Mobile.

His agency also built a new cruise port for $16.1 million: the Alabama Cruise Terminal, a 302,000-square-foot docking area that has attracted cruise ships to the city, including some that used New Orleans as a port before Hurricane Katrina. It spent $97.3 million to buy and restore the 534,000-square-foot Grand Hotel across the water on the eastern arm of the Bay of Mobile, after it was damaged by the wind from Katrina. And the fund most recently spent $6.7 million to buy the 300,000-square-foot, 34-story former AmSouth Bank Building, built in 1965. It is under reconstruction for conversion into the city’s second Class A office tower.

Donald Epley, a professor of real estate and the director of the Mitchell College of Business Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, said the retirement system’s investments here — and its even larger investments upstate in Alabama’s state capital, Montgomery — reflected a bet not just on the individual projects but also on the state’s economy.

“If you are going to talk about office space, you have to talk about employment, because that is what drives office space,” Mr. Epley said. “So the story is one also of economic development success here.”

The pension fund’s initiatives have inspired small local banks and other lenders to back business development here, Mr. Epley said.

While the fund’s investments have unquestionably helped the city weather the recession a bit better than some metropolitan areas, there have certainly been casualties. A review compiled by the Center for Real Estate Studies in September showed vacancy rates of about 18 percent in the first and second quarter of this year, based on availability in 191 commercial properties of all classes. By contrast, the rate in the first quarter of 2008 was 12.7 percent.

Mr. Bronner’s vision of investing in Alabama reflects an unusual approach for a state pension fund. Most, he said, are content to turn their money over to an investment manager, and most operate from a single goal of enhancing the value of the retirement funds by wise investments.

But Mr. Bronner has a reputation for taking a longer view, and has invested in real estate as a way to create cultural changes in the state. The approach has on occasion made him controversial, with critics suggesting that spending on economic development by building, owning and operating major hotels and office buildings isn’t the purpose of a state pension fund.

Mr. Bronner credits the fund’s investment in hotels and resorts associated with the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama for creating a multibillion-dollar tourist economy in the state. The agency spent more than $23 million building 11 luxury golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, and hundreds of millions more to build hotels and residential developments that the agency owns and operates at the courses. That move is credited with helping to attract business, like the immense new ThyssenKrupp Steel USA plant being constructed on the banks of the Mobile River, 30 miles north of the port city.

The Retirement Systems of Alabama has a story of revival of its own. Badly underfunded in the 1970s, with only $500 million in the kitty, it was limping along in the shadows of the State Capitol building in Montgomery when some civic leaders recruited Mr. Bronner, then a young financial visionary from Minnesota, to become its chief executive.

At the time, state office workers were housed in dozens of places around Montgomery. One of his first steps, he said, was to devise a plan to consolidate the workers into several large office buildings — largely built by the retirement system.

Mr. Bronner cites other deals that he is proud of, like investing in US Airways when it was in bankruptcy earlier this decade, and buying the 3.8-million-square-foot 55 Water Street, the largest building by floor area in New York City, according to Emporis.com, a Web site with an extensive database on buildings.

From a $500 million start, he has guided the agency into a $28 billion financial juggernaut. Mr. Bronner is fond of dragging reporters to the balcony of the fund’s well-appointed new office complex in Montgomery to gaze out at his symbolic signature — the green-trimmed rooftops of all the buildings that the fund has helped to build.

The fund’s most recent annual report carries an aerial photograph of the city with all of the buildings it has financed taken out of the picture. “It makes a point,” Mr. Bronner said with a grin. “This is what the city would look like without us.”

The retirement system has had an even greater impact in Montgomery than in Mobile — 2.5 million square feet of commercial and state office space — where local commercial real estate developers like Jerry Keyser say investors are now eager to put money into new restaurants, offices and retailing in the city’s downtown, including its new Alleyway project down the block from the retirement system’s recently completed 395,000-square-foot Renaissance Hotel, which includes a 1,800-seat performing arts center and convention hall.

Back in Mobile, pedestrian traffic has returned to downtown day and night, said David Rasp, owner of Heroes, a longtime downtown watering hole, and of the new Royal Scam restaurant near the Battle House. New investors, he noted, are opening restaurants, pubs, boutiques and other ventures despite the current recession.

The Battle House, built in 1852 on the headquarters site for Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, was a cultural icon for more than a century before it succumbed to age and neglect in the late 1970s. Now it has once again become the cultural heart of Mobile, a place for posh Mardi Gras parties.

It has all been, Mr. Rasp said, a “very, very good idea” for Mobile.


The Battle House Tower is at the center of a renewal effort in Mobile.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

It is truly amazing what he has done for this state. All of these buildings are top notch and do a great deal for attracting new business and residents. I've been in many of the buildings and they are amazing.

I just hope he keeps up all of this work. I imagine that he'll start some Birmingham investments once the economy picks back up and the Railroad Park gets finished.

[Brown Duckz]

That view of Montgomery has such a D.C. feel.....

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

That view of Montgomery has such a D.C. feel.....

I agree. It has a very cosmopolitan look to it!

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by tsully76

Thats great news i look forward to eating there this week. One more piece of the Montgomery puzzle that was needed. The piece on WSFA tonight was very well done. Cant wait until the next pub crawl on November 20th having SaZa's and Wintzell's including along with the other venues should be a totally awesome time.

It was fantastic! A friend and I ate there on Tuesday evening and really enjoyed it. The servings are rather large, so no one should leave there hungry. According to the menu, they have several options that are just available at lunch, so a return trip during the day is in order.

[Revive Montgomery]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

October 28, 2009

Square Feet

Alabama Pension Fund Plows Millions Into Property in Its Own Backyard

By DAN LUZADDER


David Bronner in front of two buildings in Montgomery that were built by the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

MOBILE, Ala. — When David Bronner, the chief executive of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the pension fund for public employees in the state, first discussed making a major investment in this city, he had an ultimatum for local leaders: show that you’re willing to rebuild the city’s education system, and the money will flow.

Mr. Bronner, 64, who has steered the fortunes of the retirement system for 36 years, already had what he thought was a good idea. He would help Mobile rebuild its deteriorated downtown and its self-image — starting with the renovation of the Battle House hotel, which had once been the heart of the city’s downtown.

But, first, he wanted a commitment from Mobilians that they were willing to invest in themselves by raising taxes to pay for better education. “Without education, how can we attract business and industry?” Mr. Bronner said.

A bond issue for public school reform was approved in 2003, and two years later it began to rain money in Mobile — an investment by the retirement system of some $650 million so far.

Today, the Battle House hotel, which had been closed for more than three decades, has been restored to its antebellum elegance. Its rooms and suites are as well appointed as any luxury hotel in the region, and its spa has become a draw for tourists.

The hotel lobby connects to the 35-story RSA Battle House Tower, a sparkling 470,000-square-foot high-rise that is the first truly Class A office space in Mobile, offering tenants the highest-quality space and most advanced technology available in the city. At 745 feet, the tower is also the tallest building on the Gulf Coast east of Houston.

The Battle House Tower, which opened in 2007, is just one of a number of investments that Mr. Bronner has shepherded within Mobile.

His agency also built a new cruise port for $16.1 million: the Alabama Cruise Terminal, a 302,000-square-foot docking area that has attracted cruise ships to the city, including some that used New Orleans as a port before Hurricane Katrina. It spent $97.3 million to buy and restore the 534,000-square-foot Grand Hotel across the water on the eastern arm of the Bay of Mobile, after it was damaged by the wind from Katrina. And the fund most recently spent $6.7 million to buy the 300,000-square-foot, 34-story former AmSouth Bank Building, built in 1965. It is under reconstruction for conversion into the city’s second Class A office tower.

Donald Epley, a professor of real estate and the director of the Mitchell College of Business Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, said the retirement system’s investments here — and its even larger investments upstate in Alabama’s state capital, Montgomery — reflected a bet not just on the individual projects but also on the state’s economy.

“If you are going to talk about office space, you have to talk about employment, because that is what drives office space,” Mr. Epley said. “So the story is one also of economic development success here.”

The pension fund’s initiatives have inspired small local banks and other lenders to back business development here, Mr. Epley said.

While the fund’s investments have unquestionably helped the city weather the recession a bit better than some metropolitan areas, there have certainly been casualties. A review compiled by the Center for Real Estate Studies in September showed vacancy rates of about 18 percent in the first and second quarter of this year, based on availability in 191 commercial properties of all classes. By contrast, the rate in the first quarter of 2008 was 12.7 percent.

Mr. Bronner’s vision of investing in Alabama reflects an unusual approach for a state pension fund. Most, he said, are content to turn their money over to an investment manager, and most operate from a single goal of enhancing the value of the retirement funds by wise investments.

But Mr. Bronner has a reputation for taking a longer view, and has invested in real estate as a way to create cultural changes in the state. The approach has on occasion made him controversial, with critics suggesting that spending on economic development by building, owning and operating major hotels and office buildings isn’t the purpose of a state pension fund.

Mr. Bronner credits the fund’s investment in hotels and resorts associated with the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama for creating a multibillion-dollar tourist economy in the state. The agency spent more than $23 million building 11 luxury golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, and hundreds of millions more to build hotels and residential developments that the agency owns and operates at the courses. That move is credited with helping to attract business, like the immense new ThyssenKrupp Steel USA plant being constructed on the banks of the Mobile River, 30 miles north of the port city.

The Retirement Systems of Alabama has a story of revival of its own. Badly underfunded in the 1970s, with only $500 million in the kitty, it was limping along in the shadows of the State Capitol building in Montgomery when some civic leaders recruited Mr. Bronner, then a young financial visionary from Minnesota, to become its chief executive.

At the time, state office workers were housed in dozens of places around Montgomery. One of his first steps, he said, was to devise a plan to consolidate the workers into several large office buildings — largely built by the retirement system.

Mr. Bronner cites other deals that he is proud of, like investing in US Airways when it was in bankruptcy earlier this decade, and buying the 3.8-million-square-foot 55 Water Street, the largest building by floor area in New York City, according to Emporis.com, a Web site with an extensive database on buildings.

From a $500 million start, he has guided the agency into a $28 billion financial juggernaut. Mr. Bronner is fond of dragging reporters to the balcony of the fund’s well-appointed new office complex in Montgomery to gaze out at his symbolic signature — the green-trimmed rooftops of all the buildings that the fund has helped to build.

The fund’s most recent annual report carries an aerial photograph of the city with all of the buildings it has financed taken out of the picture. “It makes a point,” Mr. Bronner said with a grin. “This is what the city would look like without us.”

The retirement system has had an even greater impact in Montgomery than in Mobile — 2.5 million square feet of commercial and state office space — where local commercial real estate developers like Jerry Keyser say investors are now eager to put money into new restaurants, offices and retailing in the city’s downtown, including its new Alleyway project down the block from the retirement system’s recently completed 395,000-square-foot Renaissance Hotel, which includes a 1,800-seat performing arts center and convention hall.

Back in Mobile, pedestrian traffic has returned to downtown day and night, said David Rasp, owner of Heroes, a longtime downtown watering hole, and of the new Royal Scam restaurant near the Battle House. New investors, he noted, are opening restaurants, pubs, boutiques and other ventures despite the current recession.

The Battle House, built in 1852 on the headquarters site for Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, was a cultural icon for more than a century before it succumbed to age and neglect in the late 1970s. Now it has once again become the cultural heart of Mobile, a place for posh Mardi Gras parties.

It has all been, Mr. Rasp said, a “very, very good idea” for Mobile.


The Battle House Tower is at the center of a renewal effort in Mobile.

Only problem is that Montgomery was promised half of the article. It was supposed to be written around Dr. Bronner's contribution to the the cities of Mobile and Montgomery and how the two cities have benefitted and continued their success. The reporter spent a day in Mobile and a day in Montgomery. Looks like he decided to only take a picture of Montgomery before leaving.

In the words of Al Gore, "I demand a rewrite!"

[Dyingyak]

Bronner walks a very thin line when talking about his projects in terms of revitalization. I'm glad he's investing in downtown in general but wish that he would spread that investment over several smaller properties instead of large scale office complexes.

What happens is that those large buildings tend of absorb a good deal of the prospective office space in a urban environment while leaving smaller buildings vacant. In terms of individual investments of companies, they are more willing to pay a little more to be in an RSA project tower then to renovate and move into an existing building.

Not to say that I don't think what Bronner is doing is bad...I just hope other property owners and investors are willing to "keep up" so to speak.

[OldCloverdale]

I just wish he made the buidlings more inviting -- with ground level shops, restaurants, bars, etc

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by Revive Montgomery

Looks like he decided to only take a picture of Montgomery before leaving.

I thought exactly the opposite when viewing the two photos:

The Montgomery shot looks totally planned, while the Mobile shot looks like an after-thought.

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

I just wish he made the buidlings more inviting -- with ground level shops, restaurants, bars, etc

Agreed. the many drawbacks of his "fortress" buildings have been much discussed on these forums!

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by Dyingyak

Bronner walks a very thin line when talking about his projects in terms of revitalization. I'm glad he's investing in downtown in general but wish that he would spread that investment over several smaller properties instead of large scale office complexes.

What happens is that those large buildings tend of absorb a good deal of the prospective office space in a urban environment while leaving smaller buildings vacant. In terms of individual investments of companies, they are more willing to pay a little more to be in an RSA project tower then to renovate and move into an existing building.

Not to say that I don't think what Bronner is doing is bad...I just hope other property owners and investors are willing to "keep up" so to speak.

Yes, thanks to those investments, other investors have been forced to "keep up" if they want people to rent their buildings. For years they were content to let their -B/C class buildings deteriorate in the city's core, while companies left those buildings for the "plaster and metal" buildings out east. RSA's investments are bringing more life back downtown than there would be had Bronner not invested.

One big beneficiary: the Alley.

[bystander1]

Speaking of the Alley...

Trolley service opens next week
By Jill Nolin • October 29, 2009
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

The city's new trolley lines, which will be called the Enter­tainment Express, will roll out one week from today.

The trolley routes, which will link Old Cloverdale and Maxwell Air Force Base to downtown Montgomery, originally were set to start last week, but that date was postponed so city offi­cials could iron out a few issues.

But city officials don't antici­pate further complications that could keep the trolleys from be­ginning their runs next Thurs­day, according to city Planning Director Ken Groves. A ceremo­nial event is being planned for the inaugural ride, which likely will include Mayor Todd Strange as a passenger.

As this trolley program be­gins, another one ends. The lunch trolley, which offered free rides to those looking to dine at a downtown restaurant, was dis­continued after running for the last time last Wednesday, ac­cording to Montgomery Area Transit System General Manag­er Kelvin Miller.

While ridership on the lunch trolley started out strong, it eventually dwindled and never improved. City officials are hopeful that ridership on the En­tertainment Express lines will fare better. They're at least will­ing to find out.
"If you don't try things, some­times you don't learn anything," Groves said Wednesday. "You don't really know until you put the routes out there and try it," he added.

The fare will be $1 per person.

The trolleys will run from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Groves said that if the demand is there, the city will consider extending the hours to accommodate early morning riders.
"That's our objective -- to pro­vide the services that people want," Groves said.

The Entertainment Express will target both those who do not have their own transportation, such as an airman who is only in the area temporarily, and those who plan to imbibe while out on the town.

Groves said that MATS and Maxwell Air Force Base current­ly are working together to estab­lish a security procedure so that the trolley actually can go on base and pick up passengers. If this does not work out, the pas­sengers would be picked up at the visitor's center at the Bell Street gate.

"If we can solve the security is­sues, it will be able to go on base. That's the desire for maximum convenience," Groves said.
Establishing the security pro­cedure is part of what has caused the delay in starting the new trolley routes. Also, more time was needed to prepare the equip­ment and get the word out to the public.

There will be a couple of desig­nated stops on both routes, meaning the trolley will not make spontaneous stops as the regular MATS buses do. The purpose of this is to keep the trolleys on schedule, with the ob­jective being a 15-minute one-way trip for riders.

The two stops in Old Clo­verdale will be Cloverdale Five Points and the Cloverdale Vil­lage, or the A&P Lofts. The stops on base have not been de­termined because the security procedure has not yet been es­tablished and approved.

[OCA REP]

From today's Montgomery Advertiser:

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20091030/NEWS01/910300350&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Harriott II in Familiar Hands
By Jill Nolin • [email protected] • October 30, 2009

No training or transition was needed for the new captain and first mate of Montgomery's riverboat, the Harriott II.



Capt. Jim Kittrell recently spent three years as the riverboat's captain in Savannah and the first mate, John Allen, cut his sailor's teeth while working for Kittrell.

Both have relocated to Montgomery to take the helm of the 400-passenger riverboat, which initially arrived in town one year ago tomorrow. They bring with them a familiarity with the riverboat, which was called the River Queen in Savannah, and a vast experience from working at one of the busiest ports in the country.

"I keep wanting to look down the river and see a ship coming, and it never happens," said Allen of his experience so far while working on the much more subdued Alabama River.

Allen, a licensed riverboat captain, actually earned his status as a captain through the hours worked on the River Queen.

"This boat here has a special meaning to me," Allen said while standing on the dock before embarking on a night cruise earlier this week.

The duo's experience includes working for a company, not a municipality and foundation, and doing four cruises on an average day and five to seven cruises on a busy day. The city of Montgomery, which started offering cruises in March, hopes that experience will help attract more riders here.

Savannah offers a natural advantage for industrious riverboat captains -- captains who may have to work a little harder to achieve similar results in Montgomery. That's because Savannah's tourism industry brings in most of the people who board the multiple riverboats there. It also means many of the riders may only be one-time customers.

That is not the situation in Montgomery, according to Branch Kloess, director of the city's riverfront facilities. The success of the Harriott II depends on repeat customers.

"We've got to make a good first impression. We've got to make sure customers have a great time on our boat, with everything from attention to detail to food to the quality of the ride. We have to have the total package from the get-go to the end," Kloess said.

"That's important for us to make a good impression, because when we don't make a good impression, these people don't come back," he added.

Right now, the riverboat's night cruises include a praise cruise on Tuesdays, a commerce dinner cruise on Wednesdays, a dinner cruise on Fridays and a blues cruise on Sundays.

The Friday and Sunday cruises are the most popular -- a cautionary note on the city's Web site urges people to buy tickets for these nights far in advance -- and the Wednesday cruise has had the weakest ridership.

Educational daytime cruises are offered from late February to May and September to November.

Kloess said he has already started brainstorming ideas for new cruises with Kittrell and Allen. He mentioned a singles cruise or a children's cruise as ideas for possible cruises in the future.

Changes are also being made to the boat's appearance to give it a more formal look, according to Kloess.

Kittrell is replacing former riverboat captain John Bull, who actually brought the boat from Savannah to Montgomery during a 49-day, 1,400-mile sea voyage. Bull satisfied his six-month contract with the city and then submitted a letter of resignation on Sept. 25 after new terms could not be negotiated.

Bull and the city were at odds over which party should pay withholding taxes for the employees working on the riverboat, who are contract employees. Bull wrote in his letter that he and his wife could not "assume additional financial burdens," but he indicated that he also refused to cut the pay of his employees, which was a proposed solution to covering the cost of the withholding taxes.

The city's contract with Kittrell is similar to Bull's contract with the city, according to Kloess. Less will go to the management of the Harriott since there are now two people instead of three people running the boat. Previously, Bull ran the boat with his wife and a first mate.

The contracts with Kittrell and Allen have not been signed at this point but could be signed by Friday, Kloess said. Both are currently employed as sub-contractors.

Kittrell said he was interested in the position because his 11-year-old daughter lives in Columbus, Ga., and because he wants to help Montgomery grow its new riverboat program.

"This is a new thing. We wanted to be part of getting it going," Kittrell said.
Kittrell, who has worked on several riverboats during his career, is no stranger to the Capital City. He has worked relief for Bull on the Betsy Ann, which used to operate in Montgomery, and more recently, on the Harriott II.

He also worked as a riverboat captain in Columbus for five years and in Knoxville, Tenn.

Kittrell was one of four people considered for the job, according to Kloess, who said Kittrell's previous experience on the Alabama River "obviously was attractive to us." Kloess said he was impressed with the Kittrell-Allen team and the fact Kittrell has a degree in marketing.

The Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation owns the boat and is responsible for paying back a $700,000 loan to buy and bring the riverboat here, but the city is managing the boat.

As of mid-October, more than $550,000 has been collected through the operation of the riverboat, with the city expecting to collect at least $20,000 over budget for the 2009 fiscal year. The riverboat's income has covered the monthly loan note of $8,000, and the additional $20,000-plus will go toward the debt.

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by bystander1

Speaking of the Alley...

Trolley service opens next week
By Jill Nolin • October 29, 2009
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

The city's new trolley lines, which will be called the Enter­tainment Express, will roll out one week from today.

The trolley routes, which will link Old Cloverdale and Maxwell Air Force Base to downtown Montgomery, originally were set to start last week, but that date was postponed so city offi­cials could iron out a few issues.

But city officials don't antici­pate further complications that could keep the trolleys from be­ginning their runs next Thurs­day, according to city Planning Director Ken Groves. A ceremo­nial event is being planned for the inaugural ride, which likely will include Mayor Todd Strange as a passenger.

As this trolley program be­gins, another one ends. The lunch trolley, which offered free rides to those looking to dine at a downtown restaurant, was dis­continued after running for the last time last Wednesday, ac­cording to Montgomery Area Transit System General Manag­er Kelvin Miller.

While ridership on the lunch trolley started out strong, it eventually dwindled and never improved. City officials are hopeful that ridership on the En­tertainment Express lines will fare better. They're at least will­ing to find out.
"If you don't try things, some­times you don't learn anything," Groves said Wednesday. "You don't really know until you put the routes out there and try it," he added.

The fare will be $1 per person.

The trolleys will run from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Groves said that if the demand is there, the city will consider extending the hours to accommodate early morning riders.
"That's our objective -- to pro­vide the services that people want," Groves said.

The Entertainment Express will target both those who do not have their own transportation, such as an airman who is only in the area temporarily, and those who plan to imbibe while out on the town.

Groves said that MATS and Maxwell Air Force Base current­ly are working together to estab­lish a security procedure so that the trolley actually can go on base and pick up passengers. If this does not work out, the pas­sengers would be picked up at the visitor's center at the Bell Street gate.

"If we can solve the security is­sues, it will be able to go on base. That's the desire for maximum convenience," Groves said.
Establishing the security pro­cedure is part of what has caused the delay in starting the new trolley routes. Also, more time was needed to prepare the equip­ment and get the word out to the public.

There will be a couple of desig­nated stops on both routes, meaning the trolley will not make spontaneous stops as the regular MATS buses do. The purpose of this is to keep the trolleys on schedule, with the ob­jective being a 15-minute one-way trip for riders.

The two stops in Old Clo­verdale will be Cloverdale Five Points and the Cloverdale Vil­lage, or the A&P Lofts. The stops on base have not been de­termined because the security procedure has not yet been es­tablished and approved.

We (those of us in Old Cloverdale) are excited about the new nightime trolley route that will link our neighborhood to downtown and then on to Maxwell AFB. I invited Kelvin Miller, Director of MATS, to our October OCA meeting and he conducted a presentation and outlined the route and its stops.

He took questions and listened to comments from our group and one one of the adjustments that was made to the "Entertainment Express" route was the beginning and end times. Initially the route was to run from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The general concensus was that the start and end times were both too early. After that, the times were adjusted to 6:30 PM and 11:30 PM.

Old Cloverdale is home to the only independent cinema in the city, the Capri Theatre, and these new times would allow someone from Maxwell AFB (or downtown) to utilize the trolley service to make the first show on weekend nights. Similarly, during baseball season, the trolley could be used by Maxwell AFB visitors and Cloverdale residents to attend Montgomery Biscuits baseball games.

We look forward to next Thursday evening!

[OldCloverdale]

October 30, 2009

Harriott II in familiar hands

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20091030/NEWS01/910300350&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

By Jill Nolin
[email protected]

No training or transition was needed for the new captain and first mate of Montgomery's riverboat, the Harriott II.

Capt. Jim Kittrell recently spent three years as the riverboat's captain in Savannah and the first mate, John Allen, cut his sailor's teeth while working for Kittrell.

Both have relocated to Montgomery to take the helm of the 400-passenger riverboat, which initially arrived in town one year ago tomorrow. They bring with them a familiarity with the riverboat, which was called the River Queen in Savannah, and a vast experience from working at one of the busiest ports in the country.

"I keep wanting to look down the river and see a ship coming, and it never happens," said Allen of his experience so far while working on the much more subdued Alabama River.

Allen, a licensed riverboat captain, actually earned his status as a captain through the hours worked on the River Queen.

"This boat here has a special meaning to me," Allen said while standing on the dock before embarking on a night cruise earlier this week.

The duo's experience includes working for a company, not a municipality and foundation, and doing four cruises on an average day and five to seven cruises on a busy day. The city of Montgomery, which started offering cruises in March, hopes that experience will help attract more riders here.

Savannah offers a natural advantage for industrious riverboat captains -- captains who may have to work a little harder to achieve similar results in Montgomery. That's because Savannah's tourism industry brings in most of the people who board the multiple riverboats there. It also means many of the riders may only be one-time customers.

That is not the situation in Montgomery, according to Branch Kloess, director of the city's riverfront facilities. The success of the Harriott II depends on repeat customers.

"We've got to make a good first impression. We've got to make sure customers have a great time on our boat, with everything from attention to detail to food to the quality of the ride. We have to have the total package from the get-go to the end," Kloess said.

"That's important for us to make a good impression, because when we don't make a good impression, these people don't come back," he added.

Right now, the riverboat's night cruises include a praise cruise on Tuesdays, a commerce dinner cruise on Wednesdays, a dinner cruise on Fridays and a blues cruise on Sundays.

The Friday and Sunday cruises are the most popular -- a cautionary note on the city's Web site urges people to buy tickets for these nights far in advance -- and the Wednesday cruise has had the weakest ridership.

Educational daytime cruises are offered from late February to May and September to November.

Kloess said he has already started brainstorming ideas for new cruises with Kittrell and Allen. He mentioned a singles cruise or a children's cruise as ideas for possible cruises in the future.

Changes are also being made to the boat's appearance to give it a more formal look, according to Kloess.

Kittrell is replacing former riverboat captain John Bull, who actually brought the boat from Savannah to Montgomery during a 49-day, 1,400-mile sea voyage. Bull satisfied his six-month contract with the city and then submitted a letter of resignation on Sept. 25 after new terms could not be negotiated.

Bull and the city were at odds over which party should pay withholding taxes for the employees working on the riverboat, who are contract employees. Bull wrote in his letter that he and his wife could not "assume additional financial burdens," but he indicated that he also refused to cut the pay of his employees, which was a proposed solution to covering the cost of the withholding taxes.

The city's contract with Kittrell is similar to Bull's contract with the city, according to Kloess. Less will go to the management of the Harriott since there are now two people instead of three people running the boat. Previously, Bull ran the boat with his wife and a first mate.

The contracts with Kittrell and Allen have not been signed at this point but could be signed by Friday, Kloess said. Both are currently employed as sub-contractors.

Kittrell said he was interested in the position because his 11-year-old daughter lives in Columbus, Ga., and because he wants to help Montgomery grow its new riverboat program.

"This is a new thing. We wanted to be part of getting it going," Kittrell said.

Kittrell, who has worked on several riverboats during his career, is no stranger to the Capital City. He has worked relief for Bull on the Betsy Ann, which used to operate in Montgomery, and more recently, on the Harriott II.

He also worked as a riverboat captain in Columbus for five years and in Knoxville, Tenn.

Kittrell was one of four people considered for the job, according to Kloess, who said Kittrell's previous experience on the Alabama River "obviously was attractive to us." Kloess said he was impressed with the Kittrell-Allen team and the fact Kittrell has a degree in marketing.

The Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation owns the boat and is responsible for paying back a $700,000 loan to buy and bring the riverboat here, but the city is managing the boat.

As of mid-October, more than $550,000 has been collected through the operation of the riverboat, with the city expecting to collect at least $20,000 over budget for the 2009 fiscal year. The riverboat's income has covered the monthly loan note of $8,000, and the additional $20,000-plus will go toward the debt.

[OldCloverdale]

October 30, 2009

BB&T expects to take time on fate of Colonial headquarters


BB&T has until Jan. 31, 2010, to decide what to do with the former Colonial building off Interstate 85 in east Montgomery.

^^ MA should've gotten a current picture of the buiding, with temporary BB&T signage ^^

By Cosby Woodruff
[email protected]

BB&T still doesn't know whether it will keep the former headquarters of Colonial BancGroup, but it does know that it is the owner of Colonial's corporate jet -- whether it wants to be or not.

BB&T acquired both the jet and the headquarters of Colonial, the only business with its headquarters in Montgomery that had been listed on Standard & Poor's index, from the FDIC after the bank was seized Aug. 14.

BB&T earlier said it would make a decision on whether it will keep Colonial's former headquarters in east Montgomery in September, then delayed the decision until October.

Now, BB&T spokeswoman A.C. McGraw said the bank expects to use most of the 170 days it has been given to make the decision before making a final determination on the property.

"We are still evaluating our real estate needs in that market," she said.

The 170 days deadline began Aug. 14, the date when BB&T acquired Colonial, after the company's stock was frozen and regulators from the Alabama State Banking Department seized the bank and turned its assets over to the FDIC.

That puts the deadline for BB&T to decide on whether to keep or sell Colonial's former headquarters at Jan. 31, 2010.

It took the North Carolina-based bank almost no time to decide it didn't want Colonial's executive jet.

Officials there announced shortly after BB&T acquired many of Colonial's assets in August that they did not want the airplane, which was at Montgomery Regional Airport, as part of the deal and that they would try to avoid taking it.

But it has been determined that the plane was part of the assets that BB&T acquired from the company.

Now that it's been determined that it is BB&T's plane, McGraw said the bank will sell the aircraft as soon as it can.

In fact, pilots hired by BB&T recently flew the plane, a Bombardier Challenger 605 valued new at more than $25 million, to Winston-Salem.

BB&T has contracted with a broker to list the plane for sale, but McGraw did not know how it would be marketed or what price BB&T would seek.

The bank spent days earlier this month covering every Colonial sign it could find with temporary signs, including the former headquarters building just off Interstate 85 at the Mitylene exit. That building is perhaps the most visible sign of Montgomery's erstwhile lone public company, and it will be at least a little longer before its future is known.

At this time, Colonial's failure in August remains the largest bank failure of 2009.

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by OCA REP

[/indent]
We (those of us in Old Cloverdale) are excited about the new nightime trolley route that will link our neighborhood to downtown and then on to Maxwell AFB. I invited Kelvin Miller, Director of MATS, to our October OCA meeting and he conducted a presentation and outlined the route and its stops.

He took questions and listened to comments from our group and one one of the adjustments that was made to the "Entertainment Express" route was the beginning and end times. Initially the route was to run from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The general concensus was that the start and end times were both too early. After that, the times were adjusted to 6:30 PM and 11:30 PM.

Old Cloverdale is home to the only independent cinema in the city, the Capri Theatre, and these new times would allow someone from Maxwell AFB (or downtown) to utilize the trolley service to make the first show on weekend nights. Similarly, during baseball season, the trolley could be used by Maxwell AFB visitors and Cloverdale residents to attend Montgomery Biscuits baseball games.

We look forward to next Thursday evening!

That was very good on your part to invite Kelvin Miller to talk at the OCA meeting. Thanks to that input, the trolley times are much more suitable in my opinion.

[bystander1]

Isn't this about the umpteenth time this thing has been proposed?...

Carriage rides may be coming to downtown
By Jill Nolin • October 31, 2009
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

Downtown redevelopment in Montgomery has taken numer­ous steps forward during the past few years. Now, it may take a step backward -- back to the time of horse-drawn carriages.

Montgomery resident Fre­drick Thomas wants to begin of­fering horse-drawn carriage rides in downtown Montgomery by mid-November. Before that can be done the city must ap­prove it.
The city wants the service. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange hailed the concept as a fitting complement to the revi­talization already occurring downtown.

But there's a problem.
Right now, Thomas cannot be licensed as a carriage service be­cause he does not fit into a cate­gory in the city's code of ordi­nances. The city, which wants the new service, is quickly try­ing to change that.
"You can't give a license to something you don't have a cate­gory for, and we don't have a cat­egory for horse-drawn carriages. We probably did in 1930," Strange said.

Thomas, who is on the agenda for Tuesday's City Council meet­ing, plans to address the City Council during its work session Tuesday afternoon. Thomas said he has studied up on the ordi­nances addressing horse-drawn carriages in other cities and wants to help Montgomery draft its ordinance.

A similar situation occurred when a hotdog vendor wanted to sell hotdogs in downtown, but an ordinance had to be passed so that a vending district could be created downtown.

There is an unattractive issue that must be addressed in the horse-drawn carriage ordinance -- what will be done with the horse droppings? Thomas pro­poses that he be allowed to use a horse diaper, which would be emptied regularly, and treat any waste that hits the street with a deodorizing chemical.

This is how it is done in Savan­nah. But the city of Savannah also charges animal-drawn vehi­cle businesses a monthly sanita­tion fee to help cover the expense of using city crews to keep the streets clean.
It is not clear at this time how long it will take for an ordinance to be put on the books, but Strange expressed his unre­served support for the change during his Friday media brief­ing. The City Council must ap­prove the ordinance.

Once Thomas receives his li­cense, he will be ready to start of­fering an array of rides and packages. Thomas has already acquired a carriage, and his pro­spective horses are currently be­ing evaluated and readied for what can be stressful work for horses.

The downtown redevelopment that has already occurred makes Thomas optimistic that his busi­ness venture will be a success here, just as it has been cities such as Atlanta and Savannah.
"There's a demand for it," Thomas said. "I think it's going to do very well."
Thomas's business will offer historic and basic downtown tours, but a more glamorous ro­mantic tour is available and could include alcohol and roses. There might also be a package for a meal at a downtown busi­ness and a ride in the carriage.

Special packages for wed­dings, birthdays, proms and an­niversaries -- or any other spe­cial event -- will also be available. The carriage will also offer a special setting for a mar­riage proposal, Thomas said.
"If you want to ask that ques­tion in a special way, we will pro­vide an opportunity to do that in the carriage. We will make it the best way possible and something unique for you," said Thomas, who has been trained in Ocala, Fla., on how to drive a horse-drawn carriage.

Drivers will wear a uniform, with the everyday attire being a bow tie, vest, slacks and top hat. Tuxedoes will be worn for spe­cial occasions. The rides will likely cost $10 or $15 for adults and $5 for children, but the pack­ages will cost more.

The 36-year-old has been the director of the Montgomery Therapeutic Recreation Center, where he works with children and adults with disabilities, for eight years and has been with the city of Montgomery for a to­tal of 15 years. Thomas started the horse-riding classes at the center about eight years ago, and the quarter horses used for that program are his own.
Although both Thomas and the city hope the carriage serv­ice will be part of Montgomery's downtown redevelopment, the service will not be affiliated with the city of Montgomery.