ALA-TOM RC&D Council Grant
Helps Southwest Alabama Grow
A $60,000 grant from the Alabama-Tombigbee Rural Conservation and Development Council to the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development (UCED) is paying dividends for Southwest Alabama.
The purposes of the July 2009 through April 2010 project were:
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Enhancing Regional, County, and City Planning Efforts;
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Establishing or Improving Economic Development Mechanisms; and
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Augmenting Workforce Development and Preparedness Activities.
“This small project promises to pay huge dividends for this rural region,” said UCED Director Nisa Miranda. “It has the potential to bring long lasting and far reaching positive effects in helping build more competitive and economically robust communities in southwest Alabama.”
To better serve southwest Alabama communities, the UCED team partnered with The Montgomery Institute (TMI), a private, non-profit, committed to upbuild the people, places, programs, and the region of West Alabama and East Mississippi. As a result of the partnership, TMI committed to establish an Alabama office. The TMI Alabama Office, in turn, created new partnerships with Coastal Gateway Regional EDA, the Alabama Technology Network, Alabama Southern Community College, and the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission. The TMI Alabama Office, in partnership with the Monroeville/Monroe County Economic Development Authority and the Alabama Technology Network, secured business donations of a building, furnishings, and equipment for a model economic development partnership for the region.
The TMI Alabama Office also participated in a meeting in Montgomery with Alabama Governor Bob Riley along with nursing faculty of Alabama Southern Community College, public school officials, and others concerning the work that led to organizing KidCheck health screening services to all K-6 students in the Thomasville City Schools. Additionally, there was a commitment to expand KidCheck services to all K-6 students in Clarke, Choctaw, Monroe, Marengo, and Wilcox county schools permanently over a revolving three-year cycle. This program and the leadership exhibited by Alabama Southern Community College was recognized statewide as a model for early intervention in children’s health, which will improve lifelong ability to learn and function given the ever changing workplace demands for future Alabama citizens.
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| Urban Studio Director Cheryl Morgan reviews plans with Linden citizens |
The UCED team worked with the City of Linden, the Urban Studio at Auburn University, and Alabama Southern’s WAEM Regional Initiative Coordinators to help finalize a new multi-year plan/vision charrette for the city of Linden, AL. The collaboration of these groups is the model for the provision of similar services for other cities within the project region.
The UCED team worked with the Mayor of Monroeville and the Probate Judge of Monroe County on the development of a City/County Economic Development Authority (EDA). First National Bank of Atmore commited to provide a building. The Monroe County Commission and the Monroeville City Council provided formal approval and $75,000 each in funds for fiscal year 2009-2010. The first meeting of the MMCEDA Board was held last December and an aggressive action plan was adopted.
The UCED team and The Montgomery Institute Alabama Office collaborated with the National Science Foundation National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology Training to organize a multi-state coalition of rural community colleges to develop training enhancements that would bring a new focus on energy efficiency and alternative fuels training. This coalition was made possible by a new program introduced in the 2008 Farm Bill. This new program, the New Era Rural Technology Program, encourages national collaboration among rural communities for global competitiveness. This coalition continues to impact training both in state and nationally.
