Author Archives: André Natta

A new sense of community, shown through XOs

The first part of a series of posts about solutions outside of The Magic City shows that Mayor Langford’s vision for a wireless Birmingham is not that far off base. The main issue may be the fact that few are really looking at just how much of that solution may already exist.

There are approximately 83 free wireless hotspots in Birmingham, AL proper according to AnchorFree, a website that maintains lists for cities across the country. There are 58 hotspots listed in Washington, DC on the website. Take a closer look in the metro area, and the number jumps significantly, courtesy of this list maintained by IPSA and TechBirmingham. As we prepare to introduce 15,000 laptops into the daily local lives of Birmingham’s youth, we made need to reexamine just what we really need to be doing to embrace wireless technology.

Perhaps the main issue involves expanding where the hotspots are, as well as providing more information about what it actually means to have that access. It will do no good to claim that the access points are not where they’re needed. We simply need to find more ways to provide that service there. Providing access in area churches is a start, perhaps with the hope that it will encourage families in our community to take advantage of the service at home if possible. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. If we are going to provide that edge to our youth that this program is supposed to provide in terms of the digital divide, we will have to drastically expand just what it means to be wireless.

We don’t have to go as far as Philadelphia did with their attempt at a citywide wireless cloud, but we need to at least be leaning in that general direction. We need to not be ashamed to provide the service in areas that may not think it’s that cool to do so. As many of us have said before, maybe changing how we think about us can change how others view us. Let’s expand Internet access in several area parks and encouraging more access in some of our restaurants that may not currently see it as something that they need to offer. Encouraging students to frequent their libraries, where access is already available, may also be quite useful in this instance.

Something I discovered during the trip (and on other trips around the country in the last year) was just how much a WiFi hotspot encourages community (at least among those that need their access). It is still too early in the history of this site to rely on a built in mobile broadband card, though if we keep it up, it will become necessary. Even if that’s the case, it still means something to work in a space with others, allowing you to learn more about wherever you are. One of the biggest concerns surrounding our continuing reliance on the Internet is how much we may not talk with others. It’s becoming less and less of a realistic argument. WiFi access can, many times, open those lines of communication.

We all look towards creating a greater sense of community and opportunity in The Magic City. It may be time to also stop looking to tired excuses as to why we don’t move forward. That said, we must also always take a look at all sides of an issue before jumping in with both feet. The long term benefit to the city in terms of how productive we are and what it means to companies looking to move here is too important to not look at a holistic approach to the divide.

Editorial: Birmingham votes to withdraw from SWMA

Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted to by Nelson Brooke, Riverkeeeper and executive director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper. It was originally published on their website. Click here to view it there. – ACN.

On Tuesday the Birmingham City Council voted to withdraw from the Storm Water Management Authority (SWMA) http://www.swma.com/.  The council has until October to decide whether or not to rejoin SWMA.  It will cost the city more to go it alone than through participation in SWMA’s regional program.  Mayor Kincaid’s administration considered withdrawing, but concluded such a move wasn’t in the city’s best interest.   Jefferson County withdrew only to rejoin after realizing they made a bad decision.

The city council is currently considering a Malcolm Pirnie proposal to do the work for the city.  Going it alone means more comprehensive and stringent permit requirements for the city, which includes having to test many more sites.  I encourage you to contact the city council and Mayor Langford [at] http://www.birminghamal.gov/ to let them know you do not support their withdrawal.  SWMA is doing a good job and there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

At the council meeting on Tuesday both Councilman Joel Montgomery and Mayor Langford said SWMA was not out there monitoring streams for pollution.  What do they think SWMA does?  I can personally attest to the fact that SWMA inspectors are very active in monitoring Birmingham’s streams.  The two local authorities in charge of enforcing pollution found by SWMA and Black Warrior Riverkeeper are Birmingham’s own engineering department and the state Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).  They are not doing their job of keeping pollution from entering area streams.  Why would one think a consulting firm hired by the city would do a better job than an already established county agency?

Let’s not be fooled here.  Mayor Langford and some of the city council are paving the way for relaxed restrictions on and regulation of those who make money by putting their pollution burden on the public.  A lot of powerful interests ( i.e. those who support BARD – see article below for more info) externalize their costs on the greater public by refusing to pay for necessary pollution controls.  The result for us is polluted water resources.  The result for them is fatter pockets.  Without SWMA, the fox will be guarding the hen house in Jefferson County and pollution will continue unabated just like it always has.  Rest assured, ADEM is a toothless fox.

A taste of our plans for next year

I was sorting through my emails when I re-read the one that my former boss wrote to announce my resignation earlier this year. Here’s part of it:

I wanted to let you all know that Andre has decided to start a new entrepreneurial venture and will be leaving us. He is developing a website for Birmingham that will be designed to encourage comments and reactions to the news. It is a conversation-oriented news source.”

There’s some other stuff in there, but it was those last two sentences that began to ring in my head. Looking back, I think that he’s probably done the best job ever when explaining what this site is truly about. When I started this site in April, I assumed that with all of the conversations and all of the opinions out here in the Magic City that folks would want to share them and figure out ways to link some of them together and have some meaningful discussions about what’s been done and what needs to be done, and act on the results of those virtual talks. We’ve made some headway so far, but I’m still not sure if we’re encouraging enough of that conversation to take place. So what do you do?

In my case, I take a moment to realize that I’ve strayed from my intended mission – I deviated from the work plan (to use lingo from my old job). I’d let some folks point me in a direction that didn’t encourage dialogue. I’d hoped that I’d be able to get some of those folks considered lurkers, (folks that read the site but that don’t necessarily make a comment about what’s posted though they definitely want to say something), more involved in the conversation. That’s the main reason why when someone asks if I’m competing with folks, I normally say “not if you get it.

If I wanted to worry about being primarily a news site, we’d be optimizing headlines much in the same way that The Birmingham News has started recently. What I want is for this site to be part of an ever changing dialogue that will help move our region forward. I want it to reflect this renewed energy that seems to be bubbling up to the surface.

Now we’ll still get information up on this site to make sure that folks to know about what’s going on, but now we’re going to encourage that dialogue to take place in those coffeehouses and living rooms and on those street corners like I talked about early on.

In this week’s newsletter I hinted at what would become our signature, but unconventional, speakers’ series. Well, it’s our intention to announce our first topic and location in the near future. Many of the early topics will be based on the results of this year’s YP issues survey done with YP NOW.

There will be limits on the amount of folks that can attend in person based on where we hold them, but we’ll make sure that there are ways that we can get folks involved in the conversation. The folks subscribed to our newsletter (the express) will have first crack at attending our talks. If you need to subscribe, visit our front page and fill out the form in the middle column. The simple version is… well, we’ll wait to describe it once we’ve secured information about the first topic.

So what do we need from you? We need you to spread the word, encourage more folks to visit and comment in our various sections and encourage like-minded businesses and organizations to consider taking a look at our rate card. We need you to lend your voice to this dialogue as well, as it cannot just be my opinions filling these pages. In return, we’ll serve as a hub for conversation, that conversation-oriented news source that it looks like people really want.

If you’ve got any ideas for stuff to do next year, put it in the comments section. Happy Holidays!

… and enjoy the ride!

André Natta is the publisher and managing editor of The Terminal. To submit letters in response to this commentary or to contact for general information, use any of the methods listed on our contact page.

Transit's getting necessary

Most people (including myself) are married to their automobiles here in Birmingham. We are a city that loves their cars, even though a major reason for the growth of the city during its boom period was the development of communities along our extensive streetcar system.

If our mayor gets his way (and based on yesterday’s public meetings he may) you’ll soon be wondering if your love of your car is as important as your love for balancing that checkbook.

There are many that believe that no one ever rides the bus. Well, if you get in your car at 7:30 a.m. and you drive 30-45 minutes to work in traffic to come into the city center then that would be the case, because by that time most of the folks that use what’s currently available to them have already passed through our downtown or they’re waiting at the station on Morris Avenue to continue their trip. For those that wonder how I know this to be true – the first place that I lived in Birmingham was at the corner of 1st Avenue & 22nd Street North, a location that sees many of the buses that constitute the current MAX fleet.

I never saw a crowd on them at 7 or 8, but if I was attempting to work out on an elliptical right next to the window at 6 a.m., there would be plenty of full buses and people from all over the county trying to get from point A to point B passing by my window.

Many who currently view the buses as a problem are generally “viewing” it as a spectator and not as a participant. I’ve only used our current bus system three times – including my visits to the city since 1998. It does make more sense to drive, though as a result, we’re all looking in at the problem without necessarily understanding all of the nuances. A change in perspective, as mentioned yesterday, would possibly give us a better understanding of what it could mean to overhaul how transit is done in the city of Birmingham.

Yours truly decided to crunch some numbers on the conservative side of things to look at just how much savings we’d see if we gave up our cars for a transit filled life:

We’ll assume that gas is at $3.50 for regular for demonstration purposes and that our tank can hold 15 gallons. We’re also assuming one stop at a gas station per week. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll consider a car fully covered with monthly charges being about $85. We’ll also assume that we’re only taking the car in four times a year for an oil change (which is a lot, but we’re not considering unexpected costs which add up to be much more than what the totals will show. We’re also not considering car payments – a fact of life for many of us.

As far a transit goes, we’ll assume that the new authority created to run our transit system uses a daily rate of $1.25 for rides that include transfers. As a result, we’ll also run the numbers on the current MAX monthly pass rate of $44:

Method of transportation
Total cost for one year to driver/passenger
 
Personal auto   $3,810  
Mass transit (pay per trip – weekdays only)   $1,300  
Mass transit (monthly pass)   $528  

The cost benefit savings alone will not be enough to entice riders to trust in their bus system and few families can ever completely give up their cars here in Birmingham. Even now while I do not drive nearly as much as I did before, I am still dependent on my car for nights and weekends.

An overhaul of the way routes are run will also need to be considered. We currently operate most of our buses on what could be considered a spoke system. This means that every rider that needs to make a transfer in downtown and they need to be on a bus way earlier than is necessary for the amount of land covered by our current system.

Perhaps running a system that is based on what is found in an Atlanta, Georgia or an Ottawa, Ontario (and there’s is a mainly bus-built system) is more likely to see the results that most think of when they envision mass transit. Our current downtown bus (soon to be intermodal) station would still remain a hub, though it would now be based on actually being a crossing point for the system and not the center of its spoke-like system. It would allow for buses to service more of the community and allow those that do not necessarily need to come downtown from traveling out of the way of their final destination. Based on the mayor’s recent comments, it would also be a point where the existing system could connect with the city’s system.

There are many that would comment about on-time reliability, consistency and overall trust in the infrastructure of a system before they use it. They’d also want something flashier since they may not see bus rapid transit or other things like that as “sexy enough” for Birmingham. If it gets them to think about carpooling or something else, then we’re still accomplishing the goal. It may also get us to talk to each other more, and that could be the best thing to come out of it.

André Natta is the publisher and managing editor of The Terminal. To submit letters in response to this commentary or to contact for general information, use any of the methods listed on our contact page.

A change in perspective is in order

I started out today writing an editorial about transit and how people’s perspectives are skewed based on how they’re looking at an issue – in particular, transit. After attending this morning’s city council meeting, I’m saving that one for tomorrow; now I want to explore the issue of perspective on a different scale.

I’m a resident of Birmingham’s Central City neighborhood – been one since my arrival in Birmingham a little over three years ago. This morning I can honestly say that I’d never seen those residents any happier. They’d brought an issue before the City Council (the Screening Room). About half-way through the public comments, Mayor Langford asked to speak. He said that he was willing to send a tactical force unit out and have it sit right in front of the business until a decision had been reached. After the council unanimously approved revoking their business license, the mayor said that he’d be willing to sign the order as soon as this afternoon. He also spoke to the group assembled in the chambers, but also geared his comments to those that would be watching the meeting as it was being rebroadcast. He asked people to take note of what had just happened – that people wanted to take back their city and that once the elected officials were notified, the issue could be addressed. People from outside would have loved to say that nothing was going to happen. Those 20+ residents that appeared in chambers this morning would have a different perspective this afternoon.

Langford loves to say that no one should be able to tell someone what they should not be able to accomplish (forgive me mayor as I did not take great notes during the session today, I was enjoying the WiFi access from council chambers). Nowhere is that more evident than with regards to the pending increase in taxes and business licenses. While I believe that we should make one more effort to work regionally, a conversation with one of my best friends reminded me of a philosophy that’s worked in the past.

There is a need to improve the perception of the city. Whether we like it or not, that change in perception is going to cost money. The state of Alabama is not known for its support of taxes, but guess what – because we play some of the lowest taxes in the country, it’s hard for us to compare ourselves to other cities since their tax base, in particular their property taxes, are in an entirely different league. We have expectations for our city that carry price tags that are quite exorbitant. It would be like wanting the amenities associated with a Ritz Carlton at a Motel 6 price. Many of our perceptions come from the driver’s or passenger seat of a car doing 60 MPH (OK, maybe a little faster) on our area’s highways. How often do you spend your time outside – truly outside? Away from a car, your home, a restaurant, etc.? I’m guessing it would probably be somewhere around 1 hour a day. Maybe if we spent our time outside and took a look at things from a different perspective, we’d see what could happen…

I’m not sure if the Chamber’s executive committee did the right or wrong thing with regards to wanting to see things happen. While potential increases would affect few of them, their motivation was pure frustration about the perception of the city from outsiders and visions of what their city could look like if all of the items identified in the mayor’s plan are implemented. They’ve wanted to see something happen for a long time. The need for change and progress is enough to take a chance – to do something.

People want to be proud of this city. The majority of folks are very proud of this city. The time may finally be here to make sure that everyone else knows how proud we are, or to convert a few more folks over for the cause.

Anyone who says they’re doing more than speculating about the effects of these increases is lying. I will say that looking at 15-20% of the costs of driving one of the cars that your two-car household and having that money available to offset the increased sale taxes may be a utopian pipe dream, but it’s giving folks some hope and optimism – maybe even a change in perspective.

André Natta is the publisher and managing editor of The Terminal. To submit letters in response to this commentary or to contact for general information, use any of the methods listed on our contact page.

A great idea leads to some questions about our future

I was standing in line and overheard a conversation between a man that was part of a group of five behind me and the woman that was positioned the entrance to the Pompeii exhibit at the Birmingham Museum of Art. I was already pleasantly surprised about 20 minutes earlier when we encountered the long line as we purchased tickets to the exhibit. I was surprised again when I heard the woman say that 1,562 people had entered the exhibit as of 3:45 p.m. that afternoon. Based on a pure guesstimate, it’d be safe to say that more than 1600 people went through the exhibit the day after Thanksgiving.

This is only a taste of what could happen if the museum were to be allowed to expand onto the property currently occupied by the Boutwell Auditorium. Our newly elected mayor has announced publicly that he would like to transfer or sell the building to museum for the purpose of allowing them to expand. There are some that would ask why the Southeast’s largest public museum needs to be enlarged. An easy answer is the fact that the current facility only allows for no more than ¼ of the museum’s collection to be on display at any one time. An expanded facility would allow for more of the collection to be on display, adding to the potential of larger traveling exhibits to be available to the people of Alabama and the surrounding region. Those types of exhibits serve as reasons for the development of additional hotel rooms, restaurants and retail businesses in our central business district (probably a better answer), adding to our economy, whether or not a tax or business license increase were to happen.

The museum’s riding high right now with two well-received exhibits as they finish an incredible year. The ability to announce this potential for expansion right now would no doubt also allow the issue of arts funding to stay in the front of many residents’ minds as our Cultural Alliance enters an unknown territory – a year without financial support from the Jefferson County Commission.

Holiday weekends aside, the fact that the museum has seen consistent crowds during the Pompeii and Folk Art exhibits speak to the importance of the arts to Jefferson County in general and Birmingham in particular.

Two questions to consider: First – Does the building really need to come down? That is a question that is up for debate. A simple answer is no; while many may believe that the Boutwell is not an acoustically pleasing venue for concerts and events, the shell could be maintained and the interior gutted for the purposes of serving as a museum/gallery. It would be the least expensive option and it would allow the city to maintain a piece of its urban fabric. A clean slate created by demolition would provide the opportunity to create a world-class edition to a world-class museum, providing yet another reason to visit, much in the same way that Moshe Safdie‘s Jepson Center for the Arts provides an artistic work unto itself at the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia. Something to think about…

The other question that’s seems to be becoming the norm in Birmingham is “How are we going to pay for it?” As optimistic as I am for a city that I choose to live in, I am increasingly nervous about how we’re going to move forward alone. Talk of regional cooperation that emerged from this year’s BIG Trip to Denver seems to have disappeared in favor of the “this is mine, that’s yours” mentality that existed before. Our current per capita income was $15,600 (you can also take a look at the numbers listed in our profile in Money’s 2006 Best Places to Live report). We are a regional hub that can set the example of what can happen if we work together. It will take the region to support the numerous construction projects that are about to take place within our city limits as well as a revamped mass transportation network. There will be a time in the near future where folks over the mountain will end up needing to ride that bus over to the museum thanks to $4/gallon gasoline prices.

Before we set out on our own and become even more isolationist than we’ve been already been, let’s see if we can build on what appeared to be a sincere attempt to solve regional problems together. Regionalism will eventually happen; it must for the city to grow and reach its potential. It would just be a shame to not embrace it and suffer the consequences of doing stuff as a tiny kingdom before joining the party.

André Natta is the publisher and managing editor of The Terminal. To submit letters in response to this commentary or to contact for general information, use any of the methods listed on our contact page.

The First 100: Council wants to weigh public opinion; excellent!

Mayor Langford stated during his campaign that he had a reputation of being a bull in the china shop. Many would view that as his desire to move his city forward after sitting on the sidelines for so long. However it appears that the bull is about to meet his match in the form of the Birmingham City Council.

While the major story over the weekend was the fact that the Council members did not think that the mayor’s revitalization plan would be passed on his timetable, the bigger story would have been if the Council had decided that they would pass it without bringing the issue before the people that elected them into office two years ago.

The mayor can claim a mandate from his election – there is no questioning that; the issue is that this council has set a precedent of involving the public in its decision making and attempting to make the happenings in City Hall much more transparent than it has been in the past.

Council President Smitherman has prided herself on making sure that the public has input involving any plans that come before the sitting council. Despite episodes from some members that can be considered grandstanding for the cameras, the other councilors share her desire to bring things to light and engage in a dialogue.

The public must let the elected officials know what they would like to see happen as this public debate will be settled by elected officials in a public forum. Some of the comments that have appeared online have some thinking that this will make or break the city. While it’s definitely a fork in the road for the city, it will certainly set the tone for what’s to come during at least the next two years. The Perpetual Promise has been here and will remain so long as there are people that wish the best for the region.

There is one thing that is interesting to look at as this dialogue begins. There are people that will drive outside of the city limits to purchase items that could be purchased within, claiming that the lower cost is the reason for the need to drive long distances, many times 15-20 minutes. Some of these folks are willing to drive 1 – 2 hours away to “save” money. Are people willing to continue driving outside of the city for goods and services if gas prices continue to rise? Are they willing to speak with their wallets that some of these businesses need to locate closer to home so that our environment and economy in fact benefit? Some may believe that we have become too attached to the automobile to think that anything will pry us away from them and the independence that they represent. $4 may be the magic bullet that gets us to start thinking; some folks thought it would be $3 though.
The taxes already being paid in the form of gas taxes do not have residents complaining. The fact is that the easiest way for our state governments to raise the capital needed is through imposing higher sales tax that many would argue is regressive. The problem is that the best way to increase government revenues would be through doing something like raising area property taxes – something that people are not as quick to agree with. Of course the best way to fix this is by making the necessary changes to our state constitution (but that’s the topic of another post).

The crazy thing is that the success of this proposed 6-year 1¢ tax is based on a leap of faith by both the city’s citizens and the City Council in the plans of our mayor. It is also a leap of faith in ourselves, saying that we’re willing to take a hit for just a little longer in order to see a city that we constantly dream about. That may sound all pretty and idealistic, but the real question is can we afford to do it or can we afford not to? And that question is meant to be asked in all of the ways that you think it is…

André Natta is the publisher and managing editor of The Terminal. To submit letters in response to this commentary or to contact for general information, use any of the methods listed on our contact page.