Category Archives: The City

You are still Beautiful, Birmingham

Posted on November 16, 2010 | 1 comment

You Are Beautiful, too. acnatta/FlickrOne of the newest pieces of graffiti in Birmingham, AL is located directly across the street from Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham, AL. It is the second major location of the phrase “You Are Beautiful” in the city in recent weeks; the first was placed on the Highland Avenue bridge located over the Elton B. Stephens Expressway on the city’s Southside.

When The Birmingham News first reported about the graffiti in October, it was suggested that it may be part of the Operation Beautiful movement. Other sites have pointed out that it is more likely part of the movement explained and chronicled on you-are-beautiful.com.

No matter what the reason, it’s one good reason to get together on Twitter for a #bhamchat conversation tonight. We’ll be getting started at 7 p.m. CT. There will also be an interesting take posted over on Dear Birmingham tomorrow morning.

Photo: You Are Beautiful, too. acnatta/Flickr

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UPDATE: On the agenda: Amnesty and advertising

Posted on September 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamThis morning’s Birmingham City Council meeting is already underway as I’m writing this and there are several items on the agenda of interest.

Item 27 is the first reading of a change to the city code that would alter the look of our city streets. The change would allow our transit authority, the BJCTA, “to advertise on bus stops, benches, and/or shelters” providing a new revenue stream to the agency. The item was withdrawn by Councilor Rafferty because of an addition that needed to be made to the item.

Item 30 would let Mayor Bell enter into a redevelopment agreement with the Alabama School of Fine Arts providing no more than $30,300.00 for “public streetscape and infrastructure improvements and rebate of construction fees in support of ASFA’s expansion project.”

Items 29 & 68 will make those who owe overdue taxes and parking fines respectively at least a little happier. It would allow for an amnesty period (the month of November for taxes; October and November for parking, traffic and other non-moving violations) for people to pay the amounts due without having to worry about the penalties.

Council meetings are streamed live weekly and archived on the city’s website.

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Operation New Birmingham changes food truck stance

Posted on August 20, 2010 | 1 comment

Spoonfed Grill. Courtesy of Operation New BirminghamEarlier today Operation New Birmingham sent out a tweet that referred followers to the front page of its website. There, it posted the following statement about the issue of food trucks in the city, most recently represented by the situation involving the Spoonfed Grill:

“ONB President Michael Calvert has advised Mr. Jason Parkman, the owner of the Spoonfed Grill, that ONB no longer opposes food trucks in downtown. Comments from Mr. Parkman’s customers and supporters and subsequent conversations with several downtown restaurant owners indicate that food trucks do indeed contribute to the choices available to people working downtown and add to the urban experience for visitors. Calvert has apologized to Mr. Parkman and acknowledged that he made a mistake.

Current City ordinances do not permit food trucks or other private vendors to do business in a public right of way such as the loading zone in front of the Wachovia Building. ONB has pledged to be supportive of Mr. Parkman in his efforts to have ordinances modified to allow properly licensed food trucks to operate in the public right of way.”

Photo: Spoonfed Grill. Courtesy of Operation New Birmingham

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One iPad per Councilor – the remix

Posted on August 3, 2010 | 3 comments

Yesterday NBC 13 reported that Birmingham mayor William Bell and City Councilor Johnathan Austin visited our local Apple Store to investigate purchasing iPads for the current Council. The purchase would no doubt pay for itself as it would help to reduce costs involved with producing printed review materials for council and committee meetings.

The weird thing is, the City Council (at least the last council) received netbooks, jump drives and AirCards from former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford in last year in early June to accomplish the exact same thing. It was interesting at the time because they were delivered before the start of the last budget cycle. That purchase cost the city $4,975; the now proposed one would be $4,491 before taxes and cases.

We’re wondering if the cases for the iPads will come with a message similar to the one embroidered on the laptop cases that came with the netbooks last year?

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You can’t text and drive in Birmingham

Posted on July 13, 2010 | 3 comments

Texting while at the wheel. OregonDOT/FlickrBirmingham, AL has joined Jacksonville, Vestavia Hills, Gadsden and Roanoke as the latest city to approve a ban on texting while driving.

The new ordinance was passed unanimously during this morning’s Birmingham City Council meeting. Those drivers found in violation of the the ordinance will be subject to a $100 fine.

Other cities currently considering a texting while driving ban in Alabama include Huntsville (which recently delayed their vote due to issues involving enforcement) and Decatur.

Alabama hosted the nation’s first statewide summit on distracted driving back in December (though an attempt to pass a statewide ban, while widely supported in the legislature, failed to pass in the Senate this spring). Sponsors of the bill hope to bring it up for a vote again during the upcoming legislative session.

Photo: Texting while at the wheel. OregonDOT/Flickr

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You say you have not heard from Mayor Bell recently?

Posted on June 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

Residents of Alabama’s largest city would have to be trying really hard not to hear from Birmingham’s mayor William Bell. He’s been making several appearances on local and national media outlets answering all sorts of questions.

Mayor Bell most recently appeared on WBHM for their regular “On The Line” call-in show last week. The “Ask the Mayor” edition allowed the station’s Bradley George and area residents to pepper the mayor with questions ranging from dealing with the city’s budget shortfall to the need for improved options for cyclists.

The mayor’s also been interviewed by Chuck Leishmann for Birmingham Weekly and by Mark Kelly for Second Front. Then there’s his June 12 appearance on CNN’s “Your Money”.

He will no doubt continue to be visible in the coming days as the July 1 deadline for establishing a budget for the coming fiscal year approaches. The mayor appears to be holding fast to his desire to reduce his staff; the City Council would like to avoid the mayor’s proposed 10% pay cut for city employees (among other things) if at all possible (even as his new proposals suggest a similar cut may still be on the table – only described differently).

Photo: Bob Farley/f8Photo

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New hours for Birmingham’s dog park

Posted on May 3, 2010 | 1 comment

Running. Photo Courtesy of Dog Park USAEarlier today Bark for a Park shared information about new hours for the dog park located in Birmingham’s George Ward Park beginning this week.

According to a status update on their Facebook page, the area designated as a dog park late last year will be closed weekly on Wednesday mornings from 7:30-11 a.m.

The purpose of the weekly closings is to that allow them to perform routine maintenance including “mowing, trimming around the fence and areas adjacent to the creek.”

Green Springs Dog Park is currently the only official dog park in the metro Birmingham area, though there are others being considered.

Thanks to DOGingham for the head’s up.

Photo: Running. Courtesy of Dog Park USA

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Posted in The City

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