TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A $60,000 grant from the Alabama-Tombigbee Rural Conservation and Development Council to The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development is paying dividends for the southwestern part of the state.
“This small project promises to pay huge dividends for this rural region,” said Nisa Miranda, UCED director. “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.”
The purposes of the July 2009-April 2010 project were to enhance regional, county and city planning efforts; to establish or improve economic development mechanisms; and to augment workforce development and preparedness activities.
The UCED team partnered with The Montgomery Institute, a private, nonprofit committed to assisting those in the west Alabama and east Mississippi region. TMI established an Alabama office that created new partnerships with the Coastal Gateway Regional EDA, Alabama Technology Network, Alabama Southern Community College and the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission. The 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 met with Gov. Bob Riley, Alabama Southern Community College nursing faculty and public school officials to organize KidCheck health screening services to all K-6 students in the Thomasville City Schools. A commitment was made 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.
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 for Linden. This collaboration is serving as a model for other cities within the project region. Also, 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. First National Bank of Atmore committed to provide a building. The Monroe County Commission and the Monroeville City Council provided formal approval and $75,000 each in funds.
The UCED team and the TMI 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 New Era Rural Technology Program encourages national collaboration among rural communities for global competitiveness.
For more information, contact the UA Center for Economic Development at 205/348-7058.
Contact
Erica Lovell, UA Center for Economic Development, 205/348-7058, Erica.Lovell@ua.edu