Mobile Development Thread - Page 262

thecapitalbama · #**5221** Posted **Jan 21, 2011, 1:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elb401

Also, the previous mayors of P-cola and Biloxi mentioned possibly wanting an extension of the ferry routes to their downtowns and entertainment areas. I believe New Orleans might have looked at the system also. I do know that Fairhope couldn't decide on a site a few years ago. They don't want to "mess up" their water front. Maybe that’s why they are looking at Point Clear. It will be neat if the ferries are actually built.

It would be neat if the ferries were built by Austal. That would pretty cool.

elb401 · #**5222** Posted **Jan 21, 2011, 5:01 PM**

Yeah, it would be. The report says they should use an aluminum tri-hull maybe they should ask Austal to bid, since that is their specialty. I just hope people would support an increase in the lodging taxes of Mobile and Baldwin County to help make up for the projected $500,000 deficit in the ferry budget. After all, the tourist would be paying for it and the increase of .5% would hardly be noticeable. Also our lodging taxes are lower than most tourist places.

Muskavon · #**5223** Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 7:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlessedMobile

This is great to hear. I remember that the lead time on the earlier container cranes was several years. Have they been ordered yet?

First, wow. Ever since a couple of us bemoaned the fact no one posts anymore, I sure didn't expect to come back a couple weeks later and read 6-8pages of new Mobile stuff. Awesome and keep it going!

About the cranes: my memory stinks, so this may all be crud...but I remember them planning to put in these new 2 in the near future back before the others arrived (2 also, right?). SouthSky mentioned it as another phase. I was under the impression that the other two were already a forgone conclusion when that original stuff I read a couple years ago was out there. So maybe they are already close to ready to show up? Is the waterfront already built for them?

Hard to imagine the economy having too much an effect on that original plan. It's not like we are depending on imports less in this country as a percentage of our conspumtion (probably to our demise as a whole, but that's another topic). And Mobile offers a great port for the emerging S.American markets (exploding Brazil) and all that silly stuff on the other side of the Atlantic.

Mobile's port should be growing in tonnage regardless of what else is slow here, I would tend to think.

Unless the need was based on the idea the thyssenkrupp steel plant would be bringing in massive amounts of materials from Brazil. That might not be needed for a while in this country. That might have been the hold up. SouthSky probably knows. Give it up SSky!

Port_of_Bama · #**5224** Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 12:35 AM**

I was at Serda last night(great crowd by the way) and Bank Trust tower stood out like a sore thumb.And this havn`t happend sincce the RSA Tower was birth.They have done a great job with illuminating the building.The building looked like black light last night lol but it was cool seeing the ole Amsouth looking modern.

Port_of_Bama · #**5225** Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 3:31 AM**

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/01/audi-might-produce-in-america-sooner/

Port_of_Bama · #**5226** Posted **Jan 25, 2011, 5:26 PM**

Quote:

The Mobile City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on pitching in $2.5 million as well, according to its agenda.

The money will be used to pay for construction of a 30,000-square-foot office building to house Navy personnel.

The County Commission on Monday also agreed to give Austal up to 5.7 acres to expand its shipyard. The land was owned by the state, which gave it to the county to give, in turn, to Austal.

In return, Austal has agreed to create at least 1,500 new jobs, in addition to the 1,900 employees that the Australian-based company already has here. If Austal does not hire that many workers in five years, it would have to repay the county and the city $1,667 apiece per employee not hired, according to the agreement.

Austal has said it plans to hire at least 2,000.

This is great news for employment in the area all together Austal will hire around 4,000.

SouthSky · #**5227** Posted **Jan 27, 2011, 7:10 PM**

I was doing some exploring last night and I believe I found a gem.

The TIGER application for GulfQuest has some interesting elements of which I have not heard. Apparently, the media is intentionally leaving out details or the project has significantly changed since this application went out in 2009.

Along with the ferry terminal, museum, and Water Street pedestrian bridge, the grant application has three other elements that have been left out of the news for some reason. Included in the complex is apparently a parking garage and an intermodal complex that will allow ferry passengers to transit to trains directly and vice versa. Also, the pedestrian bridge will originate at the site of the proposed Mardi Gras park.

Link to the TIGER application: Click Here

Seems as if the schedule is a tad behind. I haven't read the entire report I linked above but it certainly is interesting nevertheless.

Here is where the intermodal complex is introduced in the application:

Quote:

Originally Posted by TIGER Application

The Passenger Terminal will provide for the re-establishment of passenger ferry service from
a modem hub terminal located immediately adjacent to the City of Mobile's government,
business and entertainment district to the many communities on the Eastern Shore of Mobile
Bay, such as the City of Fairhope, as well as other communities along the Alabama Gulf Coast,
such as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Additionally, with the loss of the former rail terminal,
this Project element will also provide for passenger rail terminal operations.

Designed as a municipal re-development project to enhance access and use of the city's
downtown core through a new vision of waterfront public transportation, access and use, this
90,000 square foot facility will serve as the hub terminal for a high speed passenger ferry service
that will operate between Mobile and communities around the Mobile Bay and Gulf Beach area
of southern Alabama. The facility is designed to provide for terminal operations for up to 1,500
passengers per hour, as project planning studies projected that commuter ridership of the future
ferry will initially run at 600-800 trips per day - and further projected that if tourism and local
excursion trips are included, ridership may well triple that number during start-up operations and
grow well beyond that in the first five years of operations. In addition to providing for enhanced
workforce mobility between an available, underemployed non-skilled job pool in Mobile and the
service job opportunities in lower Baldwin county, this project has been recognized by Governor
Bob Riley as one of the most significant projects to enhance tourism in southern Alabama. Most
recently, the potential resumption ofpassenger rail service has been incorporated into the
program of functions for this facility.

SpawnOfVulcan · #**5228** Posted **Jan 27, 2011, 7:18 PM**

Maybe the press is just oblivious??? I would hope that all of this is included.

elb401 · #**5229** Posted **Jan 27, 2011, 10:57 PM**

Hey, yeah the city actually bought the land that those condos were going to go for the parking garage last September or October. so that will be built. I have just never seen the design of it. Also, the garage is going to have the new Amtrack terminal in it. I don't know if the pedestrian bridge is going to get built. I hope it will!

Electrical Porpoise · #**5230** Posted **Jan 28, 2011, 12:12 AM**

ThyssenKrupp's Calvert facility to host CNBC's 'Squawk Box,' says company

ThyssenKrupp AG’s new Calvert complex will get another turn in the spotlight Thursday, as business news channel CNBC brings its morning show “Squawk Box” to the $5 billion steel facility.

Anchor Carl Quintanilla is scheduled to broadcast live segments from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. from the front end of the carbon steel unit’s cold rolling mill, ThyssenKrupp spokesman Scott Posey said Thursday.

CNBC spokeswoman Jennifer Dauble, in an e-mail, declined to confirm the appearance. She said only that Quintanilla will be traveling across the country on a week-long “Opportunity USA” road trip, highlighting positive economic news including job growth, taxes, commodities and foreign investment.

A broadcast from the mill is a challenge because many of its visually impressive operations are very noisy. Posey said ThyssenKrupp will either run the cold rolling mill slowly or not at all during the program in an effort to avoid the locomotive-like roar it can produce at full speed.

Posey said noise also ruled out a broadcast backed by the glowing metal of the hot strip mill, which softens steel slabs in an ultra-hot oven and rolls them into coils.

CNBC crews visited the mill Wednesday to shoot footage of other operations that will likely be broadcast during the show, Posey said. Quintanilla is also scheduled to interview Bob Holt, the vice president of sales and marketing for
ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, Posey said.

The giant complex on the Mobile-Washington county line received national and international attention when leaders of Germany’s largest steelmaker gathered to dedicate it in December. Both the carbon steel and stainless steel operations are partly operating and partly still under construction. The company has hired about 1,800 employees, on its way to a goal of 2,700.

The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, which has hired public relations firms in the past with the goal of courting positive coverage by national and international media outlets, said it was “thrilled” at CNBC’s visit.

“Any time a national and international audience can be exposed to Mobile, it’s terrific for this community,” chamber spokeswoman Leigh Perry Herndon said.

“Mobile has a tremendous story to tell about how foreign direct investments are putting Americans to work.”

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/01/thyssenkrrupp_cnbc_squawk_box.html

Alxx611 · #**5231** Posted **Jan 28, 2011, 1:03 AM**

I had heard from Fred Richardson himself that they had planned to build a mixed use parking garage building at the site of the old CSX building

Port_of_Bama · #**5232** Posted **Jan 28, 2011, 1:21 AM**

I `m feeling the parking garage design !!! I wish they would turn the other parking lots into nice parking garges such as this ! Thos surface lots are ugly we need more of these to add clarity to downtown.

Also that is another great idea that the pedestrian bridge will start at the Mardi Gra park ! This could be another game changer for the Village as well.

BlessedMobile · #**5233** Posted **Jan 30, 2011, 9:48 PM**

I have it on good authority that the intersection of Old Shell Road and McGregor Avenue will soon be the home of a LARGE Texaco station with lots of gas pumps and a convenience store. The little gas station on the corner with the FULL SERVICE pump will be gone. I guess the neighborhood just won't be the same anymore! First it was the CVS drug store on one corner and now Texaco on another. Progress is coming to a neighborhood near you.

Port_of_Bama · #**5234** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 1:57 AM**

^^^ LOL,I passed by that gas station today and thought that it was old and out of place.

SouthSky · #**5235** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 3:26 AM**

Through some more treasure hunting, I've found another proposal for transit in the Mobile area. The MPO has a Bus Rapid Transit plan to combat rising traffic problems on the Airport/Government corridors. This is their preferred plan but it has not yet been implemented.

If you are unaware of what a Bus Rapid Transit system is this picture will help:

elb401 · #**5236** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 4:04 PM**

I don't know if the rapid bus would work in the midtown area. To add room for the buses you would have to expand the road and cut down the 100+ year old oak trees.

Port_of_Bama · #**5237** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 4:25 PM**

Judging by the street in the above picture I think Goverment will be wide enough.I`d like to see it as a street car line maybe ?

Port_of_Bama · #**5238** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 4:40 PM**

This is a pretty cool rendering that i think will fit in well with our area.

Port_of_Bama · #**5239** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 5:27 PM**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udtPCsL4m38

thecapitalbama · #**5240** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 6:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Port_of_Bama

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/01/report_hyundai_considering_2nd.html

If they decide to choose Alabama I wonder which metro will be the runner up for it.

I sent the idea of Hyundai choosing Mobile and they said they was confident in Mobile, AL and will have a panel review the idea of choosing Mobile for the plant.