Wednesday, November 19, 2008 Home Community Calendar About Us Current Issue Reader Survey Subscribe Advertise Contact Us Login		RIVER REGION HAPPENINGS AND THE LATEST BUSINESS BUZZ NEW VILLAGE, OLD-WORLD CHARM Jimmy Lowder, chairman of The Colonial Company, and Andres Duany of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company architects held a “charrette,” an intense five-day planning session for a new Montgomery development, Hampstead, at the end of August. Hampstead will be developed on 400 acres off Taylor Road, and will mark a new direction in residential communities in the city. Lowder brought in Duany Plater- Zyberk, best known as the town planners of communities like Seaside and Rosemary Beach, to design a more old-fashioned, pedestrian-friendly community. A site plan and conceptual illustrations were unveiled for the public after the weeklong design process. Following the principles of “smart growth,” a movement working to keep unplanned urban sprawl in check, Hampstead’s design includes: different types of residences like townhomes, single- family residences, live-work units and lofts; residences that are no more than a five-minute walk from a town square; two restaurants; office space; a school; interiors using the best in modern designs; exteriors reminiscent of older neighborhoods, with few garages facing the street; a meeting hall; two churches; ball fields;, no wide or fast streets; and a lake. All of the trees on the land will also be retained. Visit www.townofhampstead. com or www.dpz.com for more information on Hampstead. STILL ROLLING ON THE RIVER Construction is quickly ramping to full-speed on the next phase of development of Montgomery Riverwalk, a key component of the multi-phase, multi-year riverfront revitalization project in downtown Montgomery. Currently under construction is a new walkway that will provide both pedestrian and vehicle access from the Coosa Street entrance to the existing Amphitheater stage located on the river. The walkway will run along the grassy edge of the Amphitheater area and connect to a paved terrace that is being built behind and on both sides of the stage. The terrace will provide additional support areas for stage events as well as a spot for enjoying river views. The new walkway construction will temporarily close the Amphitheater, Welcome Terrace and Riverwalk Splashpad to the public. A date for the reopening of these venues has not been announced but is expected sometime in late spring or early summer 2006. The Riverfront Facilities Department is currently planning and scheduling a full slate of events for the 2006 season including concerts, summer film festival series, trade shows and more. MOVING ON UP The commander of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base Lt. Gen. John F. Regni, has been nominated by President Bush to be the next superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo. General Regni, a 1973 graduate of the academy, has been the Air University commander since July 2004. General Regni is slated to take over for Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr., pending his retirement. General Rosa will become the president of The Citadel, Charleston, S.C. The change in academy superintendents and the Air University commander are subject to confirmation by the Senate. Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz has been nominated by the president for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general with the assignment to become the commander of Air University. General Lorenz is currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Headquarters United States Air Force at the Pentagon. CONSERVATION KUDOS Jim Inscoe of Montgomery was awarded the Forest Conservationist of the Year, and Ray Metzler, also of Montgomery, was awarded Hunter Safety Instructor of the Year at the 2005 Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards. The Alabama Wildlife Federation held the banquet, sponsored by the Alabama Power Company on Aug. 12, in Montgomery. The AWF Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards (GCAA) are the most prestigious conservation honor in the state of Alabama. Over the past 30 years, the AWF has presented these awards to individuals and organizations that make great contributions to the conservation of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources.

IN FINE SHAPE

Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) Physical Education faculty and students recently completed a summer project for Fitness magazine. Fitness commissions independent labs to test the validity of claims made by product manufacturers and advertisements for their biannual Product Report. A new abdominal exercise device, known as the CoreMaster, is being advertised to provide an abdominal muscle workout that is 30 percent + more effective than conventional abdominal exercise regimens. Fitness asked AUM to see if this claim holds water. AUM found that the CoreMaster provided a 50 percent greater challenge to the abdominal muscles compared to the control condition. Graduate students were in charge of the project, and they were able to learn and apply laboratory skills and get some media/magazine attention as well.