Mobile Development Thread - Page 41

BlessedMobile · #**801** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 3:03 AM**

You gotta' admire Fred Richardson....he can come up with some wild ideas sometime. This one is catchy even if just a bit odd but hey at least he is not going to shoot his gun in the air! It would be neat to have something "only Mobile" to drop on New Years. I don't think I would trust the crowd to stand back when the pies hit the ground...that is where instinct takes over and one climbs on the back of some poor littlle kid to get a 25 cent pie that you will probably give away. Let's do something novel that will get people downtown for New Years. I would go down there if they dropped a big pie from atop the RSA...oh yea.

bayou15 · #**802** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 6:10 AM**

Today(12/12/07) was the day the mayor had his annual lunching. On tap was latest economic developments and the forcast for 2008. Was invited but had to work

Anyone got the scoup?

Port-City_J · #**803** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 8:08 AM**

I like that it sounds like it would get people downtown 4 new years.

Alxx611 · #**804** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 11:25 PM**

Yea, New Orleans has the gumbo drop, New York of course has the ball drop, and Atlanta has the peach drop. I think a moonpie drop would be pretty cool. II dunno about having a lot of real moonpies flying out of it, I see people going crazy and violent, but maybe just one giant metal one or something.

CottonCity251 · #**805** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 1:25 AM**

Where will it be dropped from?

Port-City_J · #**806** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 6:14 AM**

I agree with Alxx611 . I think I would look better if they drop one huge aluminum moon pie. They should light it up 2.

BamaGrad04 · #**807** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 3:29 PM**

Mobile has been named Carnival Cruise Line's "Port of the Year"

Friday, December 14, 2007By KAIJA WILKINSONBusiness Reporter

Mobile's cruise port has received the top national customer service award -- Port of the Year -- from Carnival Cruise Lines, based on feedback from customer comment cards.

The award recognizes, at least in part, the work of Cruise Services USA Inc., a shore services company with 35 to 50 employees in Mobile, who serve at the Alabama Cruise Terminal downtown.

The Charleston, S.C.-based company has been under contract with Miami-based Carnival for almost two years, Walter Thorn, president of Cruise Services, said Thursday. Thorn said he's proud of reaching the top during the company's first full year in Mobile.

The Holiday, though one of Carnival's oldest and smallest ships, has been popular since making Mobile its home port in 2004.

The ship's capacity, based on double-occupancy of cabins, is 1,452 passengers, but it left Mobile on Thursday with 1,625 passengers, a typical load, said Sheila Gurganus, general manager at Alabama Cruise Terminal.

Gurganus said that on cruise days, about 100 people work the terminal.

Snagging the top award among Carnival's 11 year-round home ports is a team effort, involving everyone from terminal staff to the longshoremen who load and unload luggage, Thorn said.

"It only takes one person to tick off a guest, and they remember that all the way through their cruise," he said. "Cruisers expect a good time from the time they get out of their car at the terminal to the time they leave."

Vance Gulliksen, Carnival spokesman, said Mobile's embarkation team "gives new meaning to the term 'Southern hospitality.'"

The Holiday has since Oct. 18 sailed from Mobile without a contract between the cruise line and the city.

Al St. Clair, director of the Alabama Cruise Terminal, along with city leaders, has been negotiating a new agreement with Carnival. That deal, which would be back-dated to Oct. 18, will go before the City Council on Tuesday.

The new agreement includes three one-year contracts, with the first running through the end of 2008.

Both the old and proposed contracts give Carnival the right of first refusal should another cruise line want to set up shop in Mobile. City and terminal leaders have been courting a second or larger cruise ship for at least a year and have said that strong demand for Holiday cruises bodes well for making that happen.

The customer service award can only help, Gurganus said. "It lets (cruise lines) know we can take care of guests," she said. "We want a bigger ship, and this is one more thing that shows that we can do it."

This is great news and a step in the right direction to hopefully snag an additional ship.

CottonCity251 · #**808** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 3:46 PM**

Hopefully we'll get another ship or a larger one now.

Port-City_J · #**809** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 7:06 PM**

That's another positive step 4 Mobile.

bayou15 · #**810** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 10:50 PM**

http://www.cityofmobile.org/news.php?view=full&news=1213

"Damn the Torpedos! ,Mobile is Full Speed Ahead!" (Bayourat15, 2007)

Port-City_J · #**811** Posted **Dec 15, 2007, 12:06 AM**

Sounds great hopefully they will bring some great new plans and ideas 4 Mobile. More positive news 4 Mobile.

nimsjus · #**812** Posted **Dec 15, 2007, 12:16 AM**

This could not come at a better time. The momentum Mobile has built allows these guys to push the envelope with suggestions for future developments. Think about how people scoffed at Mayor Dow when he said he would build the convention center, revitalize Dauphin St as an entertainment district, build a new Govt Plaza, build museums, cruise terminal, etc. People thought that was far fetched and Mobile accomplished it all. This is basically the new "String of Pearls" and think about what would have to be said to be "far fetched" now. It was tough to get things started from a stand still in the 80's, but this time around the momentum is built and Mobile should be able to move through the next New Vision for Old Mobile even faster than the String of Pearls. I can't wait to hear what they suggest. Not to mention we already have several side projects already moving (Bring Back Broad, SpringHill Village, Mardi Gras park) that probably won't even be included in this stuff because they are already underway and this report is to set future goals.

bayou15 · #**813** Posted **Dec 15, 2007, 1:42 AM**

BlessedMobile · #**814** Posted **Dec 15, 2007, 4:15 AM**

I think Dow did a good job but you give him way more credit for the good things mentioned in the posting. Arthur Outlaw put together the Convention Center and Dow ran for office promising to let the citizens vote on its construction....Dow won and we never voted. The Government Plaza is a county project not associated at all with the city other than the city is a tenant. No one is better at telling you how hard he works for Mobile than Dow himself. A lot of good things happened because Bronner came to town with government worker money and the city coffers were full due to a good economy. Dow is a good spokesperson for the Motorsports Park, that's why they hired him...he can talk.

nimsjus · #**815** Posted **Dec 15, 2007, 9:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlessedMobile

I think Dow did a good job but you give him way more credit for the good things mentioned in the posting. Arthur Outlaw put together the Convention Center and Dow ran for office promising to let the citizens vote on its construction....Dow won and we never voted. The Government Plaza is a county project not associated at all with the city other than the city is a tenant. No one is better at telling you how hard he works for Mobile than Dow himself. A lot of good things happened because Bronner came to town with government worker money and the city coffers were full due to a good economy. Dow is a good spokesperson for the Motorsports Park, that's why they hired him...he can talk.

Im not necessarily giving Dow complete credit for all of that, but his administration developed the String Of Pearls concept and completed it. Another mayor may not have been as forward thinking. His ability to "talk" parlayed alot of resources that got the momentum going in Mobile.

BlessedMobile · #**816** Posted **Dec 16, 2007, 9:52 PM**

You are right nims...Dow was an important part of the many good things that happened to Mobile in his 16 years. I am hopeful that his talking skills can be parlayed into a big track for the area. He was famous for promoting himself in public forums but now he is being payed to promote the coming track...I hope he does his job well.

bayou15 · #**817** Posted **Dec 18, 2007, 12:29 AM**

Are you ready for some Football !

http://www.cityofmobile.org/news.php?view=full&news=1214

housingdev-TParker · #**818** Posted **Dec 18, 2007, 3:15 PM**

The design has been approved for the Probate Court building:
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/index.ssf?/base/news/119797325384090.xml&coll=3

Quote:

On Monday, the review board reversed its earlier ruling on a 7-1 vote, with Tilmon Brown casting the lone dissent.

"We arrived at a structure that became acceptable because of a series of compromises," Brown said. "If we want to be a great city with great architecture, sometimes you can't compromise."

When asked if board members felt pressured to accept the changes, Brown said, "No comment."

Ever since I visited downtown Savannah, GA I had dreams that Mobile could follow in its footsteps. We are making a great step in the right direction by restoring the historic structures downtown, but we if we want Mobile to truly become a beautiful, revitalized city, things like this can't be railroaded just to save a buck.

LHG · #**819** Posted **Dec 18, 2007, 9:30 PM**

It would be great if the city would lead by example...

10101000 · #**820** Posted **Dec 18, 2007, 11:11 PM**

Well, I can understand why they want it to fit in with the style in that area. I would love to see a modern, metal and glass building, but I do not know if it will happen while certain ones are in the building commission. Mobile is still better than what it used to be and is leading by example. Mobile has the tallest building for a city its size, does Savannah? Also, Mobile is an original French town and I feel that it should stick to some of its roots. There are other buildings in Mobile that reflect 21st century design, and too bad that they were not in the downtown district. Hopefully in the next decade, with the momentum that it has now, new commissioners will see that downtown also needs modern structures. I am sure it will look fine, at least it is infill.