Commission driving I-22 development
News Editor
Tuesday, Sep 02, 2008
Walker County — one of eight counties participating in a commission formed to take advantage of economic development opportunities expected to stem from the formation of a future interstate highway — was the site of a meeting of the board last week.
Grady Batchelor, co-chairman of the Corridor I-22 Development Commission, said these counties — which also includes Marion, Franklin, Winston, Fayette, Lamar, Pickens and Jefferson counties — will benefit from the organization’s collaborative effort to “provide a voice for the region.”
Batchelor said this collective voice is one that will be easier to hear by officials determining how to best use state funds.
“They’ve learned that working together is a lot better than trying to work individually, said Alabama Sen. Charles Bishop, the other co-chairman on the committee.
Batchelor, who spoke on the matter at the commission’s second meeting held at the Bevill State Community College Jasper Campus, said, “Our basic purpose in this area is to share information, primarily economic development/workforce development needs, and basically find a resolution to these needs in our eight county region.”
The organization, formed through the Alabama Rural ACTION Commission, is also geared toward improving the quality of life of residents in the Corridor X I-22 buffer counties through the cooperative effort.
Batchelor said the 213 mile highway that will connect Birmingham to Memphis, Tenn., presents a “window of opportunity” that will last for three to five years.
“You have to capture that window,” Batchelor said. “Otherwise you wind up losing out on opportunities and I-22 becomes a bypass through all of the counties as opposed to something that changes the economics in the region.”
Bishop said he hopes other state leaders representing the region will become involved with the committee.
“I want to get together the delegations in each of these counties — the senators and House members — so they can each become a stronger part of this,” Bishop said. He said he plans to approach some of these leaders soon, perhaps during an anticipated special session on Birmingham’s sewer project.
Bishop said Friday one state politician who has taken a strong interest in the initiative is Gov. Bob Riley. “I met with the governor today and he’s committed. He wants an industry as quick as he can get it along this interstate,” Bishop said.
Although the highway is not expected to be completed until 2010, Bishop said the Commission needs to step up its pace.
“We need to be a little bit more aggressive,” Bishop said. “As far as getting industry in here, we really need to get busy.”
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