The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Bessemer Development and Bessemer Beauty (and Beyond)

Thanks to Carole for this tip.

The Birmingham Business Journal lists the top business deals of the year and U. S. Pipe's expansion in Bessemer is number two. From Bessemer Opinions May 9, 2007, "Building permits and fees alone will generate $450,000 for the city on the $45 million project. Ray Torok, company president, says, “This is a statement of commitment by U. S. Pipe to the Bessemer Community. No one is going to wake up one morning and worry that U. S. Pipe is leaving Bessemer, and in this day and age, that is no small gift.” Neither is the $116 million total annual economic impact that U. S. Pipe, with its current plant and the new one will generate for the city once it opens."

I am still waiting for more information, but there is supposed to be some degree of green in this development, not the $$$ kind, but rather the environmentally friendly kind. That was my main interest in this story from the beginning. Environmentally friendly economic development of this sort will really help Bessemer in the eyes of the yuppies and guppies that are helping to Bring Bessemer Back.

Number three on the list is Colonial's Tannehill Promenade development. Publix, Target, Ross, J. C. Penney, Premiere 14 Cinema, and probably Logan's, Chik-fil-A and Habenero's are among the businesses soon to open, some as early as this summer.

This development will bring more of the $$$ green to the city. Of course, the city "invested" $14.5 million to the development, including a much debated gift of a cool million to secure the theater, so it will take a while before we recoup our investment.

Another Bessemer development on the list (number 8)is Equity Development Corporation's construction of a 127,500 square foot spec building at its Parkwest Corporate Center. This was phase three of their project.

To have 3 of the top 12 deals of 2007 speaks well of Bessemer. Where it's happenin:











Bessemer also has some of the most colorful gardens in the county. Without fail, Lady Banks Rose is the earliest to bloom. Ours is yellow, but there is a white form available also.




Tulips are still blooming, this white one has a bright yellow center, and must have been planted by Dr. McElroy years ago. Some tulips seem to be pretty good about coming back year after year, other do not.



Orange and pink don't always go together, but tell this monarch butterfly who couldn't resist this azalea blossom.



The following pictures are from the farm in Morgan County. These are peach blossoms.



Sometimes the tiniest flowers are the most beautiful. Simple, common, and walked over by almost everyone who has a yard, are the tiny bluets. Bluets are also called Quaker Ladies. One of my favorite "weeds" since childhood.



Speaking of weeds, even the lawn pesk dandelion is realy beautiful, and in a pasture at sunset, the seed head looks like this.





This is a little pond as sunset approaches. Part of the poperty is in the wetlands program to preserve habitat.


The farm pictures were taken Easter weekend, the others this week in our yard in Bessemer.

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