Success Story in the Making: Revitalizing Fountain Heights
Residents and visitors traveling through the busy 1-65/1-20-59 interchange on the northwest side of downtown Birmingham have for months been greeted by the sight of enormous cranes working to construct a large multi-storied office building. The new, privately developed Social Security Administration Building, now nearing completion, represents a major new office development for downtown and a source of increased tax revenue for the City. For Fountain Heights Neighborhood President Doris Powell, the impressive structure is symbolic of a new era for her neighborhood. The building and the 2,000 employees expected to occupy it could serve as a catalyst for economic development in the neighborhood in which it lies. more>>>
Grants Available
Time for Tree Grants!!
Time to apply for Alabama Power Foundation tree grants.
The Alabama Power Foundation, in partnership with the Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA), is accepting applications for the 2007 Community Forestry Program. Over the past eight years, more than $400,000 has been distributed in tree grants to nearly 400 cities, counties, schools and community groups. Grants have been used to buy thousands of trees for planting in community parks, along roadways and on school grounds, among other sites.
The Community Forestry Project is open to local governments; nonprofit groups; and public and private schools, colleges and universities. Grants of up to $2,000 are awarded. Applications must be postmarked by Aug. 31, 2007. Winners will be notified no later than Nov. 15, 2007. "Over the last several years, this program has not only brought together hundreds of citizens in communities throughout Alabama, but has had a positive impact on our environment by facilitating the planting of thousands of trees," said Bill Johnson, president of the Alabama Power Foundation. For more information about AUFA, log on to www.aufa.com. Go to one of the following web pages for tree grant requirements and application form: www.AlabamaPowerFoundation.com or www.aufa.com.
RC&D Grants
Need a grant for educational activities? Now is the time to draft proposals and work with you local Resource Conservation & Development Council for ideas that have educational components. October 1 starts a new fiscal year. Many of the nine RC&D Councils that cover all 67 counties in Alabama are gathering proposals for consideration in the coming fiscal year. For more information check out our "Resources" tab at www.yourtownalabama.org or look into www.al.nrcs.usda.gov/Programs/rcd/index.html to see which RC&D Council serves your area.
more grants>>>
Signage and Your Community...A Guest Editorial from Lisa Harris of Scenic Alabama
“You never have a second chance to make a first impression.”
What’s the first thing someone sees when they come into your town? It is a lovely welcome sign, or a huge cartoon character saying “I Pooted”? Do visitors notice your charming historic downtown, or do they see a looming billboard advertising the next place down the road? If you want your community to appeal to visitors and residents alike, then controlling sign clutter and billboards should be a top priority.
Billboards. I’ve never heard anyone say “This place sure looks better since all those billboards went up.” They turn your roadways into a “drive through the Yellow Pages,” distracting people from their surroundings and worse, what they’re advertising almost never helps the community where they’re located. When I drive toward Jasper on Highway 78, the billboards encourage me to skip that city and go on to Tupelo. When I drive to the beach (avoiding the billboard-infested Foley Beach Express), the billboards in towns along the way are advertising restaurants in Orange Beach. Interestingly, many of those Gulf Coast communities either prohibit or severely restrict billboards.
Another important aspect of billboards, and one that any City Council should consider very seriously before they allow billboards, is that you cannot control what goes on a billboard. Once you allow these signs, it is entirely up to the billboard company who they sell the space to. It could be something that enhances your community, or it could be the anti-circumcision ad with a picture of a screaming baby. That would really encourage a family to stop in your town, wouldn’t it? more>>>
In Brief & News from Alabama Communities
Resources You Can Use. America’s private forests are changing. Many are located at the edges of growing towns and cities, or in prime recreation areas popular for second-home development. As more housing is built in private forests, their values and uses can be altered. Increases in housing density and associated development (such as power lines, septic and sewer systems, and shopping centers) can be linked to decreases in native fish and wildlife and their habitats, changes in forest health, reduced opportunities for outdoor recreation and more. Read the 16 page booklet from the U.S. Forest Service: www.fs.fed.us/projects/fote/reports/fote-6-9-05.pdf and visit www.interfacesouth.usda.gov to learn more as well about the Urban Wildland Interface.
From YTA Board Member Larry Watts: The cities of Demopolis, Selma, Jackson and Evergreen have kicked off their comprehensive plans. Demopolis, an ACE community and whose mayor attended Design Alabama Mayor's summit and this past Your Town workshop. Jackson is beginning phase 3 of their ACE process and hopes to be certified next spring at the League meeting. Jackson's Chamber director is a Your Town graduate. Evergreen is beginning work on a Comprehensive Plan and will be a beginning ACE community this year. They will be working on an Small Town Design Initiative later this year. In an ongoing planning process, Troy has begun its Comprehensive Plan and has initiated an appeal for assets, challenges and ideas for their 20 year plan, through the newspaper in Troy/Pike county. The mayor is a Design Alabama Mayor's Summit graduate. Amazing how all these programs (Your Town, ACE, Mayor's summit, STDI and comprehensive planning) work together!
more news from Alabama's Communities>>>
Beyond Roads: The Economics of Mass TransitThe Alabama Department of Transportation is in the midst of a statewide transportation planning process to update their 20-year transportation plan. Public hearings were held in July in Anniston, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile to get public comment on what should be included in the long-range plan. You can find out more about the plan by visiting: www.dot.state.al.us While ALDOT is mostly known for its funding of road and bridges projects, recent rankings by California-based think tank The Reason Foundation put Alabama’s urban and rural highways at 43rd worst in the country. Conversely, a recent article in Governing magazine highlights the private investment boon of light rail in Charlotte, NC. The yet-to-be-opened 10-mile South Line, costing the county and state nearly $500 million, has already incurred more than $1 billion in private investment along the corridor. That’s a 2-1 return on the investment by the county and state for a transportation system that has the added benefit of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. How much we contribute to global warming begins with how our local and state governments invest in infrastructure and transportation. Through this planning process, let ALDOT know that you want more mass transportation and alternative forms of transit – from bike lanes, to walking trails and sidewalks, to transit-oriented development – and not just roads and bridges over the next 20 years. More alternative forms of transportation is not only good for the economy, as proven in Charlotte and other areas, it is good for the environment as well. submitted by Adam R. Snyder, Conservation Alabama Foundation, a statewide, multi-issue conservation non-profit based in Birmingham. |
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Strategies in Rural DevelopmentBusiness Incubation and Clean Energy, August 19 – 21, 2007, Johnson City, Tennessee. Themes at ARC's 8th conference on business incubation include incubator sustainability and support for clean and renewable energy startups. The two main themes of this year’s conference can be fundamental elements of a growing community’s overall economic development strategy. The first track will focus on essential tools needed for the sustainable operation of your incubation facility. Session topics and pre-conference workshops will include creative revenue generation strategies, maximizing the utility of your feasibility study, and efficient design of incubation facilities. The second track will explore the topic of clean and renewable energy and how this emerging field can yield benefits for entrepreneurs, incubator managers, and community leaders. Presentations on the clean and renewable methods of energy generation, acquiring financing for startup companies, and the issues faced in attracting green generation facilities. www.arc.gov/incubation Grant Writing Seminar- EPA Brownfield Grants-2008 CycleJuly 31, 2007 9:00 AM- 1:00 PM, Homebuilders Association of Alabama, 2nd Floor Training Room, 7515 Halcyon Summit Drive, Montgomery, Alabama 36117. The Brownfield Redevelopment Task Force, EPA Region 4 and ADEM are co-hosting a grant writing seminar designed to provide training and updated information regarding the US EPA Brownfield Grant Guidelines for the 2008 cycle. 2008 guidelines will be announced in the near future. In addition to a review of technical components necessary for development of successful applications, attendees will receive helpful hints and practical lessons learned from the authors and sponsors of recently funded grant applications. The event is open to interested parties from across the State of Alabama. For additional information or to make reservations email Bob Wilkerson at RWWilkerson@bwsc.net . |
|
