Montgomery development news

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by neilson

You all know my opinions on AL.com and they've been well documented.

All I'll say this time is that I respect TheNextSelma and feel that he's a straight shooter. He's no racist like KennesawKlaw or her clones. Yes there are a lot of black on black crimes in Montgomery and if you're white or not involved with drugs, your chances of being involved are far less. But it's the less dangerous crimes like car break-ins and shoplifting that bother ppl. We just want the young ppl of Montgomery's Public Schools to have as good an education as those in the "Academies"(which I think are purely existant for whites to keep their kids away from blacks) and for a stronger police presence. As for the whole Dixie Mafia angle, this is the South. There's a Boss Hogg in every single city, county, and state. We should be so lucky we're not in Louisiana where politics like that are far more entrenched.

Dude, what you're talking about you'll find in all cities across the US of similar size and greater. People like you who don't really know the people in the school system talk about the wrong ones. Don't worry about "the young ppl of Montgomery's Public Schools", worry about the ones who don't go to Public Schools.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by bystander1

Dude, what you're talking about you'll find in all cities across the US of similar size and greater. People like you who don't really know the people in the school system talk about the wrong ones. Don't worry about "the young ppl of Montgomery's Public Schools", worry about the ones who don't go to Public Schools.

Montgomery, Alabama reminds me a lot of Macon, GA which I have a lot of experience visiting. Take that for what you will.

[EXbubba]

Originally Posted by neilson

Montgomery, Alabama reminds me a lot of Macon, GA which I have a lot of experience visiting. Take that for what you will.

MGM may have similarities to several southern towns, but that would not be unusual. The main issue is that there are people in the town that are now trying to make it better. One of the greatest difficulties I see is that half the population seems to feel totally powerless to do anything except complain and, while they may be good citizens... just as most of the other half are, they feel compelled to whine, but not do something. Usually a city deserves the leaders it votes for, just as MGM rightly, or wrongly deserved its decades of stagnation for voting for go along get along types with no vision. Bringing in outside blood has been MGMs only saving grace as it generates new vision among the natives and synergizes that vision with the new ideas brought forward by oursiders. MGM must keeping plugging and they will get what they deserve by their own hard work and innovative ideas. Remember, all those other southern towns are, at least indirectly competing with MGM for every dollar earned by business and tourism. If we competed in business the way we do in football, most people would complain about too much change to fast.

[rbp]

I see a sign has gone up for the Alabama Children's Musuem on lower Commerce Street. Anyone have more details?

[kevinlpugh]

An artists rendering of the 1800 seat performing arts center at the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center. The artwork is shown on display at the Renaissance sales and marketing showroom in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007.


A full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007. The room has two queen beds.


The tea and coffee station in the full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007.


The light fixtures in the bathroom in the full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007.


The bathroom in the full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007. The bathroom has a seperate bathtub and shower.


The bathroom in the full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007. The bathroom has a seperate bathtub and shower.


A large flat screen television in the full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007. Guests will be able to plug their computer in and use the flat screen television as their computer monitor.


A full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007. The room has two queen beds and a large work area.


A full scale hotel room in the showroom of the The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday March 29, 2007. The room has two queen beds.

[kevinlpugh]

By Paul W. Sullivan
Montgomery Advertiser


Convincing meeting planners to associate Montgomery with conventions like they would Coke and soft drinks is the daunting challenge facing Ray Ezelle, sales and marketing director for the city's new hotel and convention center.

"We are trying to brand Montgomery as a convention destination," Ezelle said. "We are trying to change the perception of Montgomery."

At stake are millions of dollars in tax revenue and income for hotels, restaurants and businesses small and large. And Ezelle, the veteran of many a convention booking calendar, believes he and his new team will win the word association game and the city will reap the benefits for generations to come.

Director of sales Carolyn Dwyer and Ezelle have more than 27 years of hotel reservation sales experience. Former WAKA-TV anchor Monica Allen joins them today as part of the sales team.

Ezelle has faith in what his team is selling. He believes Montgomery's history as the birthplace of the Civil War and the civil rights movement is unequalled. That appeal, coupled with the ornate offerings of the new Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, which is set to open in February, make Montgomery unique.

"This will be the convention city in the South -- especially for second- and third-tier Southern cities," Ezelle says. "This is not going to be the typical downtown convention hotel. This is going to be the impetus that changes downtown Montgomery."

Ezelle views himself and his team as not just filling beds and meeting rooms, but as altering the future of Montgomery for decades to come. He believes the new hotel and conference center will "create demand for Montgomery that has never existed before."

"My job is to increase the tax base in Montgomery," Ezelle said. "The convention center and hotel will be the economic engine that will help make Montgomery stronger. It's exciting."

With a lead time of less than a year in the convention sales business, Ezelle and his staff have been operating out of a temporary office on Bell Street. They have been busy working the phones, shaking hands and giving prospects hard-hat tours of the convention center site as well as a sneak peek at a mockup of an actual hotel room.

The standard suite produces a "Wow!" reaction from convention prospects, according to Dwyer. She says the rooms are more spacious than most and sport a flat-screen TV, a workstation for a plug-in laptop, and a separate bathtub and shower.

The city's competitors for the millions of dollars that come with filling those rooms, baseball game seats and booths at restaurants are Nashville and Chattanoga, Tenn., Little Rock, Ark., Tallahassee, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Jackson, Miss., and other "second and third tier" Southern cities.

Ezelle said the question he faces is "Why Montgomery?" He said his comeback is easy. "Montgomery has a rich history. And the strength of the facility is that we have the hotel, the convention center, the performing arts center and the garage all under one roof."

The convention center and hotel, which was projected to cost $157 million, will boast more than 103,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and a 14,000-square-foot ballroom on the main level. A performing arts theater in the center will seat 1,800 and an upscale restaurant will face Commerce Street.

There will be 347 rooms on 10 levels of the 12-story building. Six levels of parking will provide 600 spaces. At the top, the deck will include a 9,000 square-foot European style spa, a fitness center, a pool and fountains. Circling the top deck will be a running track.

The complex is inspired by the Plaza Hotel in New York and has as its theme "Montgomery's New Front Porch." The massive structure inspires confidence in Ezelle and elicits amazement from those seeing what the finished facility will look like.

"People are extremely surprised we are going to have this quality of hotel in Montgomery," Ezelle said. "The entire Southeast can be proud of this type of property in a second- or third-tier city."

Ezelle says the response from those meeting planners searching for the perfect site has been good.

"We have some good business on the books, and we have got a tremendous amount of business in the funnel we are attempting to close," he said. "February and March look pretty good based on the business we are looking to close."

He and Dwyer said they had a good mix of in-state and out-of-state reservations and were working on bookings for 2009 and 2010.

Among the first groups to say "yes" to Ezelle was the National Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund. About 350 members of the council will be the first to hold a convention in the center, according to Dawn Hathcock of the Chamber of Commerce. The gathering is set for Feb. 11-14, Hathcock said.

While some have worried that the new rooms downtown will hurt other hotels, Hathcock said the opposite is true. She said Montgomery is competing for groups that are so large that the overflow from the Renaissance will help fill other nearby hotels.

She said the chamber has identified agencies and other large groups who may be interested in Montgomery. The chamber then contacts those groups and later provides the contact information on those interested in the city to Ezelle's staff, as well as other hotels, depending on the size of the group.

"The interest in the new convention center is definitely there and the word is out that we are going to have a world-class facility and great hotel here," Hathcock said. "The meetings we are going after that we have not been able to pursue before are large enough that they will use more than just the new hotel, they will overflow to some of the other downtown hotels -- the Embassy Suites and the Hampton Inn. It's like dropping a pebble in the water and the ripple effect."

Dwyer said the exposure Montomgery and Alabama will receive from the new visitors could help promote more economic development.

"Once we get groups here and they see the beauty of the state, friendliness of the people and the hotel, we feel we will be able to rebook many of our groups," he said. "People also may see this area as a great place to retire or a corporate executive may say 'we need to invest in Montgomery.' "

[kevinlpugh]

The E.D. Nixon Foundation is presenting an ordinance to the Montgomery City Council today to rename Goode Street as E.D. Nixon Avenue in honor of the late civil rights activist.

Residents will be allowed to voice their opinion on the proposal at the City Council meeting at 9:45 a.m. at the City Council chambers in City Hall, 103 N. Perry St. After the public hearing, the council will vote on the ordinance.

City Council Chairman Charles Jinright said he supports the proposal, if the community supports it.

Jinright said E.D. Nixon was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement, and he thinks it's very appropriate that a street be named after him.

Nixon's son agrees.

"I think my father deserves the honor. He did a lot of things ... in Montgomery and in the state of Alabama," said E.D. Nixon Jr., who now goes by the name Nick LaTour.

"We are trying to keep his memory alive and make people aware of the contributions he made to the city," said LaTour, chairman and founder of the foundation.

By changing the name of Goode Street, Nixon will be honored for his many achievements, and people will be educated about his contributions, LaTour said.

"In honoring him we're going to be able to make a lot of people aware of the history of that period," LaTour said.

Nixon was local and state president of the NAACP, a prominent coordinator of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and a key figure in establishing the Montgomery Improvement Association. He also bailed Rosa Parks out of jail when she was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a bus.

Nixon knew many prominent people in his lifetime, including Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy, whom he worked with to create civil change. His most controversial relationship was with Gov. George Wallace, who attended Nixon's 80th birthday party.

Nixon died in 1987 at the age of 87.

Nixon's many accomplishments came despite his limited education.

"This man with a third-grade education ended up being friends with some of the most powerful people in Alabama," LaTour said.

If the name change is passed by the council, the post office then has to be notified and maps have to be changed.

"If there's anybody that opposes it, then we'll hear that tomorrow," Jinright said.

Goode Street, on the west side of Montgomery, runs from West Jeff Davis Avenue to Canna Drive.

The street was named after early settlers in Montgomery who were connected to railroad production, said Mary Ann Neeley, a local historian.

"The family was very prominent here in the early and late 19th century," Neeley said. The family also included a doctor and lawyer.

[thoraudio]

Neilson, big ups on trying to get the cross forum bashing going on.

Guys, Neilson has posted a link to this thread over the AL forums. If somebody from there comes here and starts posting bile, I'd recommend either ignoring, or responding civilly... And I'd also recommend avoiding posting over there to defend this SSP thread, you'll just get dirty, and the pig likes it.

[Capt. Barbossa voice]But I am but a humble poster in these parts, and these are naught but suggestions[/Capt. Barbossa voice].

[neilson]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

Neilson, big ups on trying to get the cross forum bashing going on.

Guys, Neilson has posted a link to this thread over the AL forums. If somebody from there comes here and starts posting bile, I'd recommend either ignoring, or responding civilly... And I'd also recommend avoiding posting over there to defend this SSP thread, you'll just get dirty, and the pig likes it.

[Capt. Barbossa voice]But I am but a humble poster in these parts, and these are naught but suggestions[/Capt. Barbossa voice].

thoraudio, it's only FAIR that both sides have a dialogue with both sides instead of 1 side saying 1 thing and the other saying the other.

You guys have got to talk to each other and reach some compromises. Otherwise, you guys are both wrong.

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by neilson

thoraudio, it's only FAIR that both sides ...

Fair. FAIR? give me a break. the Fair comes once a year ... Six Flags Over Chisholm.

[kevinlpugh]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

Fair. FAIR? give me a break. the Fair comes once a year ... Six Flags Over Chisholm.

WOW!

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by neilson

You guys have got to talk to each other and reach some compromises. Otherwise, you guys are both wrong.

People who have different outlooks on things before even stepping into the debate don't compromise, sorry. Those people over there are against Montgomery, and we here are for Montgomery. Those people let the crime rate, school system, and whatever else they can find wrong [in their own opinions] with this city paint the picture of Montgomery. Little do they know there are things going on all over the Montgomery metro that are helping paint a better picture.... and that's the truth, whether some hater/Montgomery basher wants to realize it or not. I'd like to ask whoever is moderating this section to ban every single person who comes over here trying to start something & a big thumbs down for posting the link to this thread over there...... there is a reason this site gets a lot of activity from Montgomery residents, it's because they don't want to be over at AL.com. We would rather not have them come over here and ruin this great thread and discussion on Montgomery development.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

Fair. FAIR? give me a break. the Fair comes once a year ... Six Flags Over Chisholm.

Hmmm, your 9th post...... I don't think one has been worth reading.

[Brown Duckz]

[deleted post]...

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Hmmm, your 9th post...... I don't think one has been worth reading.

whatever, bammer... quality over quantity.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

whatever, bammer... quality over quantity.

Don't contradict yourself with the quality part now.......

[kevinlpugh]

By Crystal Bonvillian


The Montgomery County Board of Education will decide today if the school system should spend $300,000 on portable classrooms to accommodate students at its overcrowded east Montgomery elementary schools.

A special meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Montgomery Public Schools' Central Office at 307 S. Decatur St.

Tom Salter, a Montgomery Public Schools spokesman, said the system needs about 12 portables to meet class size requirements. This is the second time the board will vote on the issue.

"We had bid the job out and accepted the lowest bidder, but that bidder came back and said they could not meet our deadline," Salter said. "We're having to go to the second-lowest bidder because they can meet the deadline."

Last year, nine portable classrooms set up at Blount and Wares Ferry elementary schools were not ready for students on the first day of class.

"We hope all will be in place by Aug. 13," he said. "The problem last year was the ground was so hard from lack of rain that it was very difficult to drive anchors into the ground. We have had less rain this year than last, and that could be a factor. That is why we are trying to move quickly."

It likely will take about 30 days for a vendor to move the buildings to Montgomery. Vanguard Portable Buildings of Jacksonville, Fla., was the lowest bidder on the project.

Because Vanguard could not meet the deadline, however, the second-lowest bidder, M Holdings of Douglasville, Ga., is expected to get the job.

Salter said he did not know how many portable classrooms are in use throughout the system. That number was not immediately available Wednesday.

An April 2005 Montgomery Advertiser report stated the system had 28 portable buildings in use at that time. At least another 10 were purchased for the 2006-07 school year.

Population growth in east Montgomery has led to overcrowded schools in that area of the city, Salter said. The new portable buildings likely will go to Blount, Dannelly, Garrett and Vaughn Road elementary schools.

Some more portables also could be placed at Wares Ferry Elementary.

"It's all still kind of up in the air," Salter said. "A lot will depend on registration over the next few weeks."

The portable classroom space is a temporary solution while school officials move forward with a $303 million facilities plan. The plan calls for at least one new elementary school and a new middle school to be built in east Montgomery.

The school system had 462 portables in use in 1999. Blount, McKee, Halcyon, Garrett and E.D. Nixon elementary schools have been constructed since then, and 12 other schools have built additions to eliminate the need for trailers and deal with anticipated growth.

[kevinlpugh]

Belk, which last had a Montgomery store in 1980, will return to the market in September when the Parisian store at Eastdale Mall is re-branded to Belk.

Belk purchased the Parisian line of stores last year and is changing the stores to Belk retailers.

Belk will add a home store and big-and-tall men's store to Eastdale by the end of this summer.

[kevinlpugh]

Texas Roadhouse officially opens at 7525 EastChase Parkway on Monday, but by then many in the area will already have eaten some of the new restaurant's hand-cut steaks and special ribs.

The Montgomery Texas Roadhouse, which will bring 190 new jobs to the community, has its official first day of business from 4-10 p.m. on Monday.

But this week, as the restaurant trains new cooks, meat cutters and other kitchen team members, it will already be feeding people in the community.

Texas Roadhouse is donating food to the Montgomery Police, Sheriff and Fire departments. In addition to donating meals, on Friday and Saturday night the restaurant will host pre-opening events and raise money for city youth baseball and softball leagues.

"These ball leagues are a vital part of this community," said managing partner Bryon Bush. "We are proud to support this organization, which benefits so many families and brings joy and builds confidence for hundreds of youth throughout the area. As Montgomery's first Texas Roadhouse, we plan to continually support local organizations. Raising money and donating meals is just the first of many ways we'll help."

[kevinlpugh]

By Marty Roney


PRATTVILLE -- The news has tongues wagging and mouths watering.

Olive Garden and Logan's Roadhouse plan to build restaurants in Prattville Town Center.

Collett and Associates, the Charlotte, N.C., developer of the 400,000-square-foot shopping center on Cobbs Ford Road, has posted a map on the firm's Web site that shows the restaurants occupying space on the property.

"Well, we've heard about Olive Garden for some time now, and I was hoping it would be true," said Jessica Fuller of Prattville. "I love their soup and salad lunches. I can't get enough of their breadsticks. We've eaten at Logan's in Opelika several times when we've gone to Auburn home games. I think it's great."

Michael Smith, the leasing contact for the property, didn't return phone calls or e-mail Thursday. His voice mail message said he would be out of the office until Monday.

Olive Garden offers Italian Fare, operates 603 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada and employs 70,000 people, according to information on its Web site. Steve Coe, director of media relations, said Thursday the restaurant has no plans to build in Prattville. Company policy is not to confirm a new location until deals have been signed, he said.

Logan's Roadhouse, with its headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., is known for its mesquite-grilled steaks. It operates 169 restaurants in 20 states.

"Prattville is an ideal place for us," said spokeswoman Sue Bryant. "The RTJ golf course brings a lot of visitors and there are a number of hotels in the city. You're getting a Bass Pro, and that will bring more people to town. The synergy in Prattville is great."

Bass Pro Shops is building a 130,000-square-foot Outdoor World store at High Point Center, which is part of a 900,000-square-foot development under construction across the road from Prattville Town Center.

Announced anchors for Prattville Town Center are Target and Home Depot. Other planned stores include Circuit City, Books-A-Million, Pet-
Smart and T.J. Maxx.