Preparing for growth

Within a span of just five years, announcements have been made that 4,200 new jobs have been created in the Shoals.

While local leaders and residents continue to revel in the good news — particularly the most recent addition of 1,800 jobs coming with National Alabama Corp. — the sobering reality is beginning to sink in that the community must prepare to meet the demands of growth.

That is a daunting challenge in a climate where federal, state and local governments are struggling to find enough money to meet needs.

“You can’t have the kinds of investments made in all areas of our community in recent years — industrial and retail — without it changing your community,” said Forrest Wright, executive director of the Shoals Industrial Development Authority. “Either we manage that change or that change will manage us.”

There are numerous examples of cities and counties ill prepared for unexpected growth. Some of those examples are in Shelby County, which has seen an explosion of growth. Madison, near Huntsville, had severe growing pains initially. Collierville, Tenn., a suburb of Memphis, is just now getting a handle on things after a huge growth period in the 1990s.

“We’ve already been dealing with this for a number of years, with the Patton Island bridge corridor and other things, but you can never do enough planning,” said Muscle Shoals Mayor David Bradford.

There are signs, beyond the 4,200 announced jobs, that more growth is on the horizon.

The industrial incentive program will make the area a major player in many future projects, according to economic development officials in Montgomery. Wright said the area continues to receive a steady flow of inquiries from companies looking for a new home. He did not mention any by name, but it’s well known that suppliers for Toyota have been looking at this area.

A huge manufacturing operation is almost a lock for Marion County, which is just south of Franklin County.

In Muscle Shoals, nine new subdivisions are being developed and the middle school had to bring in trailers to accommodate increased enrollment this year.

Other subdivisions are springing up in Florence and just outside the city limits. Tuscumbia also is seeing subdivision growth along U.S. 72.

Local officials are confident Colbert and Lauderdale counties, at least the eastern areas, will receive fallout from the Base Realignment and Closure project that is bringing thousands of military and support jobs to north Alabama.

The University of North Alabama will almost certainly break another enrollment record this fall.

Lodging tax receipts continue to soar, indicating more people are visiting the area.

The area’s unemployment rate has dropped from 8.4 percent in June 2002 to 3.4 percent two months ago.

“Changes have been occurring over the past 15 years, but it may speed up twice as fast over the next five years,” Wright said. “There are going to be a lot of opportunities for us over the next few years.”

That is sweet music to longtime Shoals residents who saw the unemployment rate top 20 percent briefly in the early 1980s.

“This is a good time for the Shoals, maybe the best time for the Shoals in many years,” said Steve Holt, president of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce.

Florence Mayor Bobby Irons said the incentive plan being developed through a half-cent sales tax will continue to be a dramatic advantage for the area in industrial recruiting.

“We’ve been told that the Shoals will be the number one site when economic development prospects come to our state,” Irons said. “Doors are opening that we’ve never had opened to us before. With our unemployment rate where it is today, it tells me there will be opportunities for people to move back to this area and opportunities for us to keep our people here.”

Most elected officials in the Shoals are confident the area is prepared to handle growth. Holt agrees with them, even though he respects the challenges ahead.

“We’re well positioned to not only absorb growth, but to embrace it,” Holt said.

The good news is that some of the needed services were already in place before the economy faded in the 1980s and 1990s. Infrastructure has been improved along the way as well, but it’s a consensus among local leaders that more will be needed.

“The key is to stay ahead of the growth,” Holt said. “The key to moving to another level is that, from this point on, we take some really broad-based planning looks to where we will be five, 10, 20 years down the road, and how we want to get there. Some of the community leaders are already talking about that.”

Most governments in the Shoals have long-range strategic plans. Florence, for instance, recently revamped its 20-year strategic plan. Muscle Shoals has been involved in numerous activities, including land-use planning along Wilson Dam Road, road projects, revamping subdivision specifications and zoning requirements, and future infrastructure needs such as storm water improvements.

Muscle Shoals had a heads-up that growth was coming from a record number of building permits being issued in the past two years and an increase in the number of electricity meters.

“We want to see good, steady growth instead of uncontrollable growth that others have experienced,” Bradford said. “We have a good handle on things right now, but we’ve got to have vision and be able to prioritize.”

City planners speak in unison when they say infrastructure is the key ingredient in keeping up with growth. Infrastructure covers roads, sewers, electricity, transportation, schools, water, gas and housing.

With population growth comes the need for more services, too. More police officers, firefighters, recreational activities, senior services, better educational offerings and better health care will be required, city planners say.

The Shoals also will have to provide places for industries to build. Irons is among those already advocating the need to find and develop a 1,500-2,000 acre industrial park in the Shoals.

“Our area has already been working on some of these issues, which is a huge positive,” said Keith Jones, executive director of the Northwest Council of Local Governments. “The Metropolitan Planning Organization has already held a public hearing on a long-range plan for roads, and several cities have long-range plans in place.

“We do have some challenges ahead, though. One of those has to be education. We’ve got to do something about the dropout rate and we need to look at teaching more entrepreneurial courses at a younger age. We have to prepare the workforce.”

Dothan City Manager Mike West agrees education needs must be addressed and are just as important as meeting infrastructure needs.

“It’s a community issue,” he said. “Everyone in the community has a vested interest, whether you have a child or not, because they must have the skills to compete and thrive in jobs, and they’re also our future leaders.”

West, who has held similar jobs in Columbia, S.C., and Johnson City, Tenn., said many cities fall behind in terms of providing needed infrastructure to handle growth. He said that happened initially in Dothan, which is the fourth-fastest growing metro area in Alabama. Population in Dothan has increased by 5,000 in the past six years and is now more than 62,000. In 1990, Dothan’s population was in the mid-40,000s.

Irons said traffic is already a concern in parts of Florence and that could become a greater concern in the future. To combat that issue, he said expanding the number of lanes on U.S. 72, Cox Creek Parkway and other areas are needed.

In addition, the city’s 20-year plan includes construction of a northern loop around the city, connecting an area just west of Shoal Creek Bridge to Savannah Highway. Irons also wants to add a West College expansion that would open west Florence for redevelopment, while also providing easier access to the city’s new sports complex on Savannah Highway.

Irons and other local officials also say four-laning U.S. 43 from Killen to the Alabama-Tennessee state line is essential.

Completing the Patton Island bridge corridor is also on everyone’s list as a key need as growth continues.

West and others agree that planning is essential in meeting growth-related needs.

He said that is particularly important with infrastructure.

“If you fail to provide infrastructure, you are not going to get that industrial project and you’re not going to be able to provide the services your residents need,” West said. “You can’t decide to build a road or a sewer today and have it built tomorrow. That takes three to five years to accomplish these days.”

West said there are areas of Dothan that show the city was not initially prepared for huge growth. He said there are areas of the city plagued by traffic bottlenecks and “areas that are not as attractive as we would want them to be.”

Dothan has numerous projects on the board now, from sewer systems to roads, to a major transmission line project. It also is looking at adding more police, firefighters and a senior center.

“The message we are trying to send is to prepare 20 to 25 years down the road,” said Joey Hester, state president of the Alabama Chapter of American Planning Association. “Look at what needs are now available and what will be needed to accommodate growth. You want to do a comprehensive look at all the infrastructure. You want to make sure everything is adequate for potential growth.

“You’re always going to have typical growth, but it’s that unexpected growth that you have to plan for.”

Hester cautions that maintaining long-term growth should be the goal of any community.

“Growth is wonderful, but there is a wrong way and a right way to grow. You want to balance your growth. You don’t want too much residential growth and not enough commercial growth. It’s a balancing act.”

Bill Matthews, a former government planner and former director of continuing education at UNA, agrees that the area needs a complete assessment of its infrastructure. He said it appears the area is ready to grow but keeping up with the needs could be an issue if the growth comes faster than anticipated.

“The potential for growth in this area is a chance to open a lot of doors to cooperation,” Matthews said. “The anticipated growth may force the four cities and two counties to coordinate services a little more.”

Expanding the capacity of a sewer system, building a new road and constructing a water treatment plant are all expensive ventures. The fact is few government entities have that kind of money available in their capital budgets.

That is particularly true in western Colbert County, for example, which is bracing for significant growth as National Alabama railcar company begins construction and later production at Barton Riverfront Industrial Park. Western Colbert and western sections of Tuscumbia along U.S. 72 are already seeing pockets of growth.

Tuscumbia Mayor Bill Shoemaker said patterns indicate an annual 7 percent to 8 percent traffic growth along U.S. 72 in his city. He estimates that at least half of the National Alabama workers will use that route to and from work when production begins in spring 2009.

“The highway has to keep up with the pace,” Shoemaker said. “The planning is there, but the money isn’t.”

Colbert County Commissioner Howard Keeton, who represents west Colbert, said major infrastructure will be needed in the area to accommodate fallout from the expansion of SCA Tissue at Barton as well as National Alabama.

“When you get into sewer and those things, you’re into some kind of money,” he said. “This end of the county is going to have a lot of growing pains.”

Major projects, such as road and sewer expansions, take a combined effort, Irons said because federal, state and local money is needed. He said it will be essential for local leaders to get the ear of those who make the decisions about where money will be spent.

West said growth in Dothan, both in population and retail, has increased revenue for the city. He said the same can be expected in the Shoals as growth occurs.

Dothan officials have put the additional funds back into handling infrastructure upgrades and other needs but that alone has not been enough.

“How you pay for all these things is an issue,” Irons said. “We’re all excited about the growth, but there are challenges that come with it, and paying for those needs is part of the growing pains. We’ll have to be creative and work to bring everyone together.”

Bradford said the best approach is to take care of one project at a time instead of trying to do everything at once.

“You have to determine priorities and where the growth will likely occur,” he said.

Bradford said planned growth is critical as his city and the entire area looks to maintain the quality of life that residents expect.

Growth has been a negative in some communities, with an increase in crime and a lack of direction.

“We need steady, controlled and planned growth, but we want to continue our personalities of being a safe, friendly, family-oriented community. We want to keep that wholesome feel about our area.”

Matthews said maintaining a strong quality of life, which includes affordable housing, low taxes, low crime and needed services, will likely bring a lot of people back home.

“People who grew up here feel so strongly about their definition of quality of life they will come back if there are jobs,” he said. “That will produce growth as well as others moving in.”

Hester also sounds a warning about unplanned growth.

“Too much growth, especially unplanned growth, can change those quality-of-life issues that make a community unique,” he said. “If you destroy what attracted the people there in the first place, then you’re defeating your entire purpose.”

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com

Staff writers Kenda Williams. Lisa Rickman and Russ Corey contributed to this report.