Your Town Alabama: Designing Our Future

< back to the main page

News Around Alabama

Town of Guin Scrooge Election 2007
Scrooge is the central character of the beloved story, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. The message of the Christmas Carol is one of transformation. Scrooge is initially a wretched, selfish, penny-pinching, despised, angry, old man until through dreams of past, present, and future his sorry state is recognized by him. A repentance of sorts follows and his whole life and actions change which includes his dedication to the celebration of Christmas. In the annual Christmas parade in Guin, Scrooge is elected by ballot by the town “voters” and holds this position until next election. An honored position, our Scrooge will be a symbol of the transformation still possible today through the true Spirit of Christmas. He or she will be the leader of the parade in full costume and disguised to everyone. Scrooge will be unveiled following the parade at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in downtown Guin,

Community Planning Assistance Grant Program. The RPC recently announced the establishment of its Community Planning Assistance Grant Program. This program is designed to assist county and municipal governments within RPC’s planning area which includes Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker Counties with the development, adoption, and implementation of various community planning projects. Grant funds will be used to provide local governments with planning assistance for the development of comprehensive plans, area plans such as town center and neighborhood studies, and management tools such as zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations. Funds can also be used to undertake relevant studies and analyses including economic, retail/market, historic preservation, and transportation-related analyses. Each local government will be required to match the dollars requested in its grant applications. For additional information, visit RPC’s website www.rpcgb.org and look for the “What’s Hot” link. Contact Kay Argo and 205-264-8421 or KArgo@rpcgb.org. 

Monroeville recently completed a charette in October for a downtown master plan.

City of Birmingham Partners with Local Group in Move to “Green” Fleet
The City of Birmingham took another step towards operation of a “green” fleet on October 2, when the Birmingham City Council approved a funding agreement for E85 (Ethanol) infrastructure at the City’s four fleet refueling stations. The agreement will provide the City with up to $280,000, on a 20% matching basis, to install E85 dispensing equipment to fuel the City’s fleet of 160 flexible-fuel vehicles (FFV”s). This follows the City’s switch in May to the use of Biodiesel in its fleet of 600 diesel vehicles. The City will be increasing the number of FFV’s in its fleet in coming years and will allow other public agencies to purchase E85 at their facilities. The funding was made available to the City through the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition under the Alabama Partners for Clean Air Program (APCA) administered by the RPC.

City of Fultondale takes lead in right-of-way acquisition of CSX rail line
Mayor Jim Lowery of Fultondale has taken the lead to acquire the right-of-way for the CSX rail line. The CSX rail line from Fultondale west 16.47 miles to Flat Top Mine is an integral part of the Five Mile Creek Greenway system. This week the City of Fultondale was named by the Surface Transportation Board as the interim trail use proponent for a period of 180 days to negotiate an interim trail use/rail banking agreement with CSXT. This is great news for the Greenway Partnership because it is a big step forward to acquiring and then developing a 16.5 miles of inactive rail line for walking and biking across northern Jefferson County. In the original Greenway plan, the trail was located directly adjacent to Five Mile Creek. The ground-truthing of the alignment completed this year found that the terrain along the creek west of Fultondale would not readily accommodate a trail. The key to the Greenway would have to be the inactive CSX rail line. This fall the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham will complete the draft of the Trail Location Study that was commissioned by the City of Tarrant, a Greenway Partnership member. The Study maps out the best potential trails to connect the partnership cities across the watershed. It will take into consideration each Partner’s conceptual design for parks, bike trails, sidewalk connections to schools, and connections to the properties acquired by the Fresh Water Land Trust. The Fresh Water Land Trust is supporting the city rail acquisition process with their years of experience with conservation land acquisition. Partners working together with Mayor Lowery in these negotiations to reach an agreement with CSX on the purchase of the rail line are Fultondale Building Inspector Darryl Aldrich, Fresh Water Land Trust Executive Director Wendy Jackson, Jefferson County, Cawaco RC&D Council, Regional Planning Commission, and Steve Roberts with the Atlanta consulting firm of Bron Cleveland Associates. The county remains a close partner in the greenway but has allowed Fultondale to take the lead in negotiations. 
  
City of Graysville contracts with RPC for redistricting plan
The City of Graysville has contracted with the RPC to provide city council redistricting services in order to update their voting plan as required by State and Federal law. As municipal elections approach in August, 2008, the City wishes to ensure it has an updated voting plan in place. The plan must be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice six months prior to the election. Public hearings will be held once the city council has selected an appropriate voting option. For more information contact Brett Isom, bisom@rpcgb.org

City of Chelsea - Comprehensive Plan Work Session
The City of Chelsea Planning Commission and City Council recently held a joint work session with the RPC to review the final draft of their comprehensive plan. Work on the comprehensive plan will wrap up by the end of the year and a public hearing is expected to be held in January for adoption by the planning commission and city council. For more information contact Kay Argo, kargo@rpcgb.org.

Black Belt Treasures
A Black Belt Treasures gift basket is the perfect holiday gift for the special people in your life.  This basket is filled with treasures from the Black Belt – Labbe’s Cheddar Blossoms, a Williams Pecans Mini Pecan Pie, Priesters Pecan Log, Fiddlesticks, and Divinity, Gantt Peanut Brittle, BBT Christmas Blend Coffee and a Clay Cain coffee mug.  Retail price: $29.95 + shipping & handling.  Send us your gift list with addresses and we will take care of the rest!  Other gift basket ideas are available on our website: www.blackbelttreasures.com or you can customize your own gift basket by contacting us at info@blackbelttreasures.com or (334)682-9878.

Governor’s Volunteer Leadership Conference
This conference brings together leaders from both professional and volunteer organizations from around Alabama and around the South.  The conference will feature training seminars in National Service (AmeriCorps, SeniorCorps, Learn & Serve) Volunteer and Donations Management, Health and Human Service Delivery, Citizen Corps (and affiliate programs), and Executive Leadership.  There will also be plenary presentations and networking opportunities with leaders from around the Southeast.The conference will take place December 11-13, 2007, at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, Alabama.  Registration costs $175.  This registration fee includes a welcome reception on December 11, two buffet breakfasts, and two lunches.For more information, please see: http://www.servealabama.gov/conference/conference.html