Welcome to Monroeville,
Alabama's "Literary Capital", and one of America's most famous
southern towns!
I write this letter on the heels of high school proms and
graduations, and the successful completion of the eighth Alabama
Writers Symposium and the fifteenth play season for the Monroe
County Heritage Museums production of "To Kill A Mockingbird". April
and May, 2005, were bustling as the towns of Beatrice, and
neighboring Camden sponsored magnificent home tours of their
communities. "Miss Minnie & Me" Antiques and Gifts opened on Main
Street in Beatrice. The Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce became
a part of the University of Alabama's Entrepreneurial Research
Network in April, 2005, joining six other rural communities in an
endeavor to assist in small business start-ups and expansions.
Monroeville graduated from the "Alabama Communities of Excellence"
program and received recognition from the Governor's office as one
of Alabama's best small towns. The Monroeville Area Chamber of
Commerce, with assistance from the Monroe County Tourism Board,
completed a new series of commercials airing on Mediacom promoting
Monroe County for tourism/relocation, entitling the campaign,
"Discover the Treasures of Monroe County."
In May, 2005, VF Intimates completed its state of the art, 90,000
square foot distribution center and hired an additional sixty
employees. Standard Furniture is completing their 193,000 square
foot addition, projected completion date December 2005, and the
hiring of another one hundred fifty jobs. The new jail, over a $ 6.
2 million dollar capital investment by Monroe County is ready for
occupancy in October, 2005.
In February, 2005, the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce moved
into new offices on downtown square, at 63 North Mount Pleasant
Street. On a sad note, on June 30th, 2005, Monroeville bid farewell
to Medline as the company closed its 225,000 square foot facility on
Vanity Fair Drive. Medline has had a presence in Monroe County since
1993. The company is shifting its manufacturing of medical and
surgical garments and supplies from Monroeville to contract
facilities in Mexico, as a further sign of the global economy.
Progress may be seen in the "El Camino East/West Corridor" signs
placed across Alabama on U. S. Highway 84. Alabama officially joins
Louisiana and Mississippi in declaring their portion of the 1,729
mile highway the "El Camino" Corridor. In 2005, the Texas
legislature passed their corresponding legislation and received
approval to erect their signage. Monroe County has formed a
partnership with neighbors Conecuh, Clarke and Butler in lobbying
for four laning this corridor across the western portion of Alabama.
In August, 2005, U. S. Senator Jeff Sessions, U. S. Congressman Jo
Bonner, and Governor Bob Riley held a joint press conference at
Monroe County Courthouse to announce $ 8.8 million in federal
funding for the project, as well as Riley's commitment to four lane
from Monroeville to the interstate.
In another exciting partnership, Monroe, Conecuh and Escambia
counties officially kicked off the Coastal Gateway Economic
Development Authority on Tuesday, June 7th, with announcement of the
hiring of Director Wiley Blankenship. The CGEDA has raised $ 2.2
million in the three counties toward future development projects,
and has established an office on fifty acres at Alabama 43 and
Interstate 65. Director Blankenship is busily seeking new jobs for
the tri-county area.
Monroe County "Leadership Now" graduated its 13th class in May,
2005, and some twenty-two participants joined the alumni list now
numbering over two hundred forty. The new class will meet for its
Opening Retreat on Thursday, October 13th, 2005.
Even though Monroe County is some one hundred miles inland from the
Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ivan devastated Monroe County with its
destructive winds in September, 2004. During the summer of 2005, the
county was in the projected paths of Tropical Storm Cindy and
Hurricane Dennis, but thankfully was spared. On August 29, 2005,
Hurricane Katrina devastated the states of Louisiana, Mississippi
and coastal areas in Alabama. Monroe County served as a point of
refuge following this destructive storm, providing a haven for many
residents of affected areas, and escaping any major damages. Many of
the evacuees of Katrina have elected to remain indefinitely in
Monroe County, and we welcome them and their families.
As we look forward to an eventful Fall/Winter, 2005, we can be
excited about the progress of our community and the growth prospects
for the future.
Please join the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce in "discovering
the treasures of Monroe County."
