Tag Archives: closure

Signs of progress at and around Regions Field

01092013 RegionsFieldconstructionThere are some who drive along 14th Street daily to check on the progress of the new home for the Birmingham Barons, Regions Field. Many of them watch to see just how they’ll finish it in time for Opening Day in April.

Well, for the time being, those cars will need to be driving along 1st and 3rd Avenues South instead in order to check on progress as detour signs greet cars as they approach those intersections.

This is the way it is expected to be for approximately the next month as construction continues on the sporting venue located across the street from Railroad Park. One thing to note – Good People Brewing Company‘s taproom will maintain its current operating hours. It just means that you’ve got to park alongside Railroad Park or on 2nd Ave. S. between 14th and 15th Streets and walk to it. It also means the 2nd Annual Birmingham Brewnanza Brewery Collectible Show being hosted by the local chapter of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America is still on too, and that’s a good thing.

There’s some other stuff happening nearby as recapped on the Birmingham Business Journal‘s website earlier today as a result of another pending deal to build housing along the park.

U.S. Pipe plant to close in North Birmingham

U.S. Pipe logoThis morning’s started with the announcement from parent company Mueller Water Products that U.S. Pipe will be closing its ductile iron pipe manufacturing plant in Birmingham’s North Birmingham community. The construction of a new facility in Bessemer which uses a new process that increased output and reduced production costs helped lead to this decision.

According to the press release, 260 positions will be eliminated by March 31 of this year helping the company see $6-8 million in savings during fiscal 2010. The production handled by the North Birmingham plant will be shifted to the company’s Bessemer plant as well as a plant in Union City, CA.

A range of emotions for City Stages

We’re still finding more conversations and blog posts to add to our list involving the demise of Birmingham’s 21-year old music festival, City Stages:

Dennis Pillion followed up his initial post on his blog about what the festival meant to him with what can best be described as an investigative piece about how the festival ended up where it did.

Secret History Productions shared this post on MySpace that seemed to bring out opinions as well both for and against the idea of music festivals in general.

Mary Jean Baker LaMay was a long time volunteer for the festival (and continues to be a friend to this website) who decided to share her thoughts about what the festival meant to her via yesterday’s editorial pages of The Birmingham News.

For some more nostalgia, why not check out BhamWiki’s gallery of City Stages posters (and submit photos of the others to them if you can).

Yeah, Century Plaza is closed

The Birmingham News recently shared the news that Century Plaza had officially closed (save for the Sears location which will still be open through June 14) effective Sunday evening.

NBC 13 provided visitors to their website the chance to read the press release from the mall’s owner, General Growth Properties, distributed yesterday morning while Fox 6 garnered comments from city councilmember Carol Duncan and others, leading us to today’s Magic City Question,

What should happen with Century Plaza?