Calhoun County
The county is building two new community centers at Thankful Park and in the White Plains/Choccolocco area, says Mark Tyner, Calhoun County manager. Also, improvements are being made to Chief Ladiga Park, the Alexandria Community Center and Woodland Park. In April, ground was broken for a new restroom facility and plaza that will complement the existing pavilions at Ladiga Landing.
Infrastructure improvements include the Corning water tank project and several other water projects with Anniston Water and Calhoun County Water, along with several road surfacing projects and two bridge replacements at McClellan Road and Alexandria-Wellington Road, he says. The county also participated in the 911 radio system upgrade and made transfer station improvements to the county landfill.
Other improvements include updates for the Calhoun County Courthouse and two major renovations to the county jail to include a medical and psychiatric unit with observation cells, he says.
The city of Anniston in April broke ground on the Chief Ladiga Trail Extension at Michael Tucker Park, a $7.2 million investment into the state’s premier rails-to-trails system. The addition will add 6.5 miles, bringing the trail’s length to about 39.5 miles. It will then connect Anniston’s Multimodal Amtrack Station to the state of Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail, forming the longest paved pedestrian pathway in the U.S. at about 105 miles. The extension should take about 14 months to complete. The trail links the cities of Anniston, Weaver, Jacksonville and Piedmont as it traverses Calhoun and Cleburne counties.
The city is renovating the 118-year-old former federal courthouse building in Anniston as a new city hall. The project is on schedule, and a ribbon cutting could come in early 2025.
The city’s comprehensive plan, finalized in 2022, has already resulted in $112 million in total economic impact, with increased business licenses, sales tax revenue, new businesses, property improvements, infrastructure and playground upgrades, museum improvements and home repair grants.
The city has finished several projects, including the City Market, Barber Terrace, Noble Street Park, a medical clinic, playground and splash pad upgrades. More are on the way.
Also in Anniston is McClellan, once an Army base and now a 10,000-acre master-planned community offering residential, commercial, industrial, retail, education, technology and research development. It is managed by the McClellan Development Authority, a nonprofit corporation charged with economic development.
Anniston Regional Airport is state-certified as an unlimited general aviation airport and provides hangars, tie downs, flight instruction, jet fuel and more. The airport’s 7,002-by-150-foot runway can accommodate dual wheel aircraft up to 500,000 pounds. Officials are looking for more development at the airport and the accompanying acres.
The city of Oxford’s Choccolocco Park was added to the Appalachian Highlands Alabama Birding Trail this year. The city installed a new outdoor fitness court at the park, and the city now has eight new pickleball courts at Oxford Lake/Civic Center, says Stacy Booth, city spokesman.
Several new businesses have come to the city, including Jim ‘N Nicks Bar B-Q, Crumbl Cookies, Blue Fin Japanese Sushi & Steakhouse and Campers Unlimited, some of more than 20 new businesses that have opened in the city since 2022. A Culver’s restaurant is underway, and the Quintard Mall, a longtime shopping area, has been restructured with a new look and format.
New downtown businesses include two new restaurants, The Bank Oxford and Le Coin Des Artistes, along with the Pet Treat Bakery. The city’s historic railway depot is being restored as Spring Street Station, a new restaurant and event space with a small outdoor amphitheater. Council member and owner of Hubbard’s Off Main, Charlotte Young Hubbard, is working with several partners on the train depot restoration.
A new hotel, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, opened in April near the Exchange retail area, and a new Candlewood Suites is under construction with a scheduled opening date of fall 2024.
The city has made improvements to Leon Smith Parkway, a major artery in the city, adding additional lanes and traffic control upgrades to better handle increasing traffic to the Oxford Exchange retail/restaurant area and sports/recreation at Choccolocco Park, Booth says.
The 1,200-seat Oxford Performing Arts Center is in its 11th year as the “busiest stage in Alabama,” hosting more than 60 musical headliners from all genres of music and major touring Broadway shows each year. The center is host to the Rubato International Piano Competition, held every two years.
And just adjacent to the arts center, the city is planning the Alabama Children’s Museum and Discovery Center. ADECA grant funds have been used to demolish dilapidated buildings downtown to make way for the museum and mixed-use commercial space.
The city of Jacksonville is embarking on an expansion at Ladiga Landing Park, with new restrooms and an extended parking area. The city also will have a new Fairfield by Marriott Hotel.
Jacksonville City Schools named Michael Barber as the new superintendent.
Schools throughout the county continue to offer new workforce-related programs.
In August 2024, students at Oxford High School will have the opportunity to take classes in the new Choccolocco Research, Education and Technical Experience, or CREATE, a regional workforce development, technology and innovation center. Over the next few years, the programs will be open to other area students as well.
Calhoun County schools has a career academy and is working on $40 million in facilities improvements.
Anniston city schools offer several career technical programs and some dual enrollment options.
Talladega County
The city of Talladega has been awarded a $1.2 million FY23 Community Project Funding initiative for a walkway to benefit deaf and blind residents; a SMART DOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) grant for $1.1 million to enhance safety and ensure equitable accessibility in the city by employing the latest technologies through fish-eye camera systems, emergency vehicle preemption units and deaf/blind accessible pedestrian signals; and a Safe Streets for All $280,000 grant to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries, officials say.
With funding from T-Mobile ($50,000), Talladega Clay Randolph Childcare Corp. ($75,000) and others, plans are underway to construct Unity Playground, the city of Talladega’s first-ever inclusive, fully accessible ADA public playground.
In addition, with support from Alabama Power Foundation, Talladega County Commissioner Tony Haynes, Alabama Historic Preservation Commission, Rep. Steve Hurst, Sen. Lance Bell, the Education Trust Fund Grant and lodging taxes, the Talladega Tourism Commission plans to open the city’s first-ever visitor center this summer on Talladega’s Historic Courthouse Square.
The city of Sylacauga is in the planning stages of a new recreational and aquatic center.
And a collaborative effort is developing the East Alabama Rural Innovation & Training Hub (EARTH), part of the Avondale Mills Economic Development and Revitalization program. Phase one, programming and site development, is completed and includes space for the EARTH and the Talladega County Board of Education’s planned Rural Innovation Campus. The school system owns a large portion of the old Avondale Mills site. Next comes approval of the schematic design and selecting a general contractor, says Margaret Morton, CEO of Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement. Demolition continues on the primary EARTH facility, and renovations should begin in fall 2024.
The mission is to provide east Alabama with a workforce development system that is responsive to the needs of individuals and businesses, as well as future economic development. Career fields will include health care, alternative energy, hospitality, early care, transportation, agriculture, technology and manufacturing. Different programs will collaborate for certain projects, such as building affordable housing in the former Mill Village.
The city of Childersburg is creating a new judicial complex on U.S. 280, purchasing the former Medical/Surgical Building, along with two additional lots adjacent for parking.
In the growing city of Lincoln, Lincoln Landing on Logan Martin Lake is booked each week through this year with fishing events of all kinds, city officials say. The landing includes 10 boat launch pads, built for year-round use for different water levels. City officials say the fishing park has the potential to be a major tourism destination.
The city’s fire department was awarded a $183,238 FEMA grant to purchase strategic equipment, officials say. It is matched by a 5% contribution from the city. And the state recently announced about $1 million to be used to repair McCaig Road, an access road that runs along I-20.
This article appears in the July 2024 issue of Business Alabama.