Tag Archives: madison county alabama

May 11, 2013 · 10:20 am

Huntsville to host Association of the U.S. Army’s 2014 Winter Symposium

Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the United States Army‘s efforts to land a major meeting has paid off.

ausa-logo-c9e41bd90512b57aAUSA will host its 2014 AUSA Winter Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville. It’s the first time the Rocket City has hosted the meeting, which attracts thousands of military and civilian officials. The symposium is conducted on alternate years with the support from a featured command, normally Army Materiel Command or Army Training and Doctrine Command. In recent years it has been held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

AMC, based at Redstone Arsenal, will be the 2014 featured command.

In January, the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter hosted AUSA’s Senior Leadership Reception with retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, president and chief operating officer of AUSA, and retired CSM Jimmie D. Spencer, director for noncommissioned officer and soldier program of AUSA. Local AUSA officials said the event gave them the chance to demonstrate Huntsville’s capabilities in hosting a major event.

“We were trying to show the capabilities we have at places like the Von Braun Center and Davidson Center and hotels to support things like conventions,” Paul Elliott, president of the Redstone-Huntsville AUSA, said at the time.

The visit apparently paid off, as did Huntsville’s large military presence.

“Locating our 2014 symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, with its close proximity to AMC headquarters, will allow us to maximize military, civilian and industry attendance during this period of constrained budgets and limited resources. This is a superb opportunity for their professional development and remains very cost effective,” Sullivan said.

“As a well-respected professional development forum, the Association’s annual winter symposium and exposition will continue to provide an all-important platform for participants to learn about and see not only what the Army needs, but also what industry is developing in the latest and best technologies to arm, equip, sustain and protect our soldiers for the future fight.”

The Redstone-Huntsville Chapter a multiple-year winner of the AUSA Best Chapter Award – has more than 2,600 military and civilian members.

via Huntsville tapped to host Association of the U.S. Army’s 2014 Winter Symposium | al.com.

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May 2, 2013 · 7:35 am

WhistleStop Weekend

BestBBQ13

WhistleStop Information

Come have a toe-tappin, barbeque-eatin’ good time and best of all it’s all for a good cause. All proceeds benefit EarlyWorks Children’s Museum and educational programs for area children.

May 3rd & May 4th

Friday – 4pm – 11pm

Saturday – 10am – 11pm

Historic Huntsville Depot

320 Church Street

Huntsville, AL.

Parking is downtown street parking.


View Larger Map

Gateways are at the Church Street and Monroe intersections, the Church Street entrance of the Depot and on Meridian Street across from Walker Avenue.

via WhistleStop Weekend.

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May 1, 2013 · 8:11 am

Madison city/county schools named ‘Banner Schools’

Colorful Chalk at ChalkboardTwo Madison schools and a Madison County elementary have been named “Banner Schools” by the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.

Central School, Horizon Elementary and Bob Jones High were among a dozen winners announced Monday by CLAS, according to news releases from CLAS and Madison City Schools.

The CLAS Banner School awards were begun in 2001 to identify and recognize schools and programs with successful education programs that serve as models for other schools across the state, according to the council’s website. Winning principals and superintendents are honored at an annual luncheon in Montgomery and are presented with a banner to display at their schools.

Central School was honored for its efforts at making students lifelong learners. According to the news release from CLAS, the students give back to the community through several programs that include a soup kitchen donation drive, Jeans for Teens, Christmas dinner donations for needy families and a blanket drive for the homeless.

Each year, Central students also hold a school supply drive for students in Africa, with a school custodian travelling to Africa to deliver the supplies and books. Students help each other as well, through student tutoring and the Reading Buddies and Writing Partners programs.

Teachers volunteer their time each summer to give students a six-week summer reading program, the news release said.

Horizon won for its tutoring program, which takes students weak in reading or math and immerses them in intensive 25-week tutoring sessions. Certified teachers spend 90 minutes a week tutoring the students, who show marked gains in their achievement scores.

Horizon faculty members also engage in “effective best practices to meet the needs of all students,” the district news release said, and students are provided with opportunities to develop and demonstrate leadership skills. One example is Horizon’s HETV morning show, which is designed and produced by students.

Older students also serve as ambassadors at Horizon, monitoring the hallways, working in the car lines and partnering with younger students as “book buddies.”

Bob Jones was recognized for its marriage of rigorous honors and Advanced Placement courses with Alabama’s Career Tech Education clusters, a partnership that attaches students’ core academic skills to real world situations.

CLAS commended Bob Jones High for giving students a schedule that allows them to maximize their time in labs, doing project-based learning, and curriculum guided by student performance data.

The school offers 28 honors courses and 24 AP courses, the news release said. Its medical academy offers students participation in EMT, biomedical and health sciences programs and its engineering academy allows students to create blueprints, price estimates, 3D drawings and formal presentations.

Superintendents David Copeland and Dee Fowler and the schools’ principals will be recognized at a luncheon in Montgomery later this month.

Crystal Bonvillian can be reached at 256-532-2630 or at cbonvillian@al.com.

via Madison city, county schools named ‘Banner Schools’ by education group (updated) | al.com.

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April 16, 2013 · 8:44 am

West Huntsville sees massive growth as it expands into Limestone County

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Traffic backs up on Slaughter Road at Hwy. 72 in west Huntsville last week. West Huntsville has seen enormous growth as the city expands into Limestone County. (Crystal Bonvillian/cbonvillian@al.com)

With the city’s borders creeping into Limestone County and plenty of land up for grabs, west Huntsville is forecast to be the fastest growing area of the city for years to come.

Census figures show an 82 percent jump in population since 2000 in west Huntsville, which extends from Redstone Arsenal and Research Park Boulevard, goes around Madison on the north and south and reaches into Limestone County to the area of Mooresville Road. As of the 2010 Census, there were nearly 32,000 people living in that part of the city.

The number of homes in west Huntsville has increased even more, by 87 percent, from just under 8,000 in 2000 to more than 14,800 a decade later.

Huntsville’s newest school board member, Mike Culbreath, knows as well as anyone where the growth in the city is occurring. A former police officer, Culbreath now works as a commercial builder and spent several years in residential development.

“Personally, I think that is where most of the growth will happen,” Culbreath said of west Huntsville, which he represents on the board. “It’s where most of the available land is in Huntsville.”

In the Madison County portions of west Huntsville, the population has about doubled since 2000. The Limestone County portion of the city, however, has seen even greater gains.

The number of people living in that part of the city has gone from about 4,200 in 2000 to nearly 9,500 10 years later, the census data shows. Housing is up by about 2,000 homes.

Part of that jump is the military presence in west Huntsville, where the commute to Redstone Arsenal is easiest. Anywhere between 14 percent and 22 percent of residents are government workers.

The city’s has invested a lot in its expansion into Limestone County. Huntsville has accumulated more than 20,000 acres of land that has been annexed into the city over the past several years.

The city has also put millions of dollars into infrastructure, including its first fire station in Limestone, located on Greenbriar Road, and sewer lines needed to support the construction of homes and businesses.

With the infrastructure being put into place, the city can go forward full speed ahead, Culbreath said.

“A lot of what is needed is already in place,” Culbreath said. “It just has to be finished out.”

via West Huntsville continues massive growth as city expands into Limestone County (Outlook 2013) | al.com.

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April 11, 2013 · 7:51 am

Huntsville/Madison County residential home sales up 10% in March

Huntsville/Madison County residential sales totaled 377 units for the month of March. There were 34 more housing units sold compared to the same month a year earlier. Restated, residential sales improved by 9.9 percent in March. Year-to-date, sales are up a solid 13.4 percent.

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Huntsville/Madison County residential sales increased by 10% in March versus the same period last year. Infograph provided by ACRE. All rights reserved.

Supply: Huntsville housing inventory totaled 2,936 units, an increase of 5.0 percent from last March led by an increase in new home inventory of 20.8 percent. The inventory-to-sales ratio in March stood at 7.8 months of housing supply, reflecting an decrease of 4.4% from 8.1 months in March 2012. This figure still represents the best inventory balance between supply & demand in Alabama. March inventory in Huntsville experienced a 4.4 percent increase when compared to the prior month. This direction is consistent with historical data trends that indicates March inventory on average (’08-’12) increases from the month of February by 2.9 percent.

Demand: Existing single family home sales accounted for 74 percent (compared to 72% in March’12) of total sales, new homes sales accounted for 24 percent (down from 27% in March’12) while condos were 2 percent of sales (up from 1% in March’12).

Residential sales in March increased by .3 percent from the prior month. Historical Huntsville data reflects that March sales, on average (’08-’12), increase from the month of February by 26.5 percent.

Pricing: The Huntsville median selling price in March was $156,500, an increase of .4 percent from last March. In contrast, this figure represents a decrease of 6.4 percent when compared to the prior month. Historical data (’08-’12) indicates that the March median selling price traditionally decreases from the month of February by 1.5 percent so this month’s wider gap from recent trends is an area to keep an eye on in the near term.

What’s the latest housing and economic outlook for 2013? In a March 2013 report, analysts at Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch concluded: “We believe that the gain in home prices can persist despite subpar economic growth this year…Absent a significant weakening in the economy with negative payrolls, we think the housing recovery can continue. The combination of low inventory (referring to nationwide level), high affordability and improving expectations for home prices provide powerful momentum for the housing sector.”

View the current monthly Huntsville Residential Report

via Huntsville/Madison County residential sales up 10% in March | al.com.

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