22 minute read
By Marie Johnson
Destination Huntsville: Rocket City Attractions
By Marie Johnson / Photos courtesy of The Huntsville CVB
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The Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau has compiled the 2022-2023 Huntsville Destination Guide. The pamphlet details many of the particular attractions that visitors to the city really should come and see.
It’s no surprise that the first stop on the tour is the Space and Rocket Center. The Saturn V Rocket does tend to draw the eye, after all. At the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, Visitors can view Space Age artifacts, such as a moon rock from the Apollo 12 mission, or the Command Module off of Apollo 16. Flight simulators and g-force equipment give visitors an astronaut experience that they can’t get anywhere else.
Contrasting with the futuristic Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville’s history is on full display at attractions such as the H.C. Blake Art and History Center or Burritt on the Mountain. At 167 acres of lovingly-preserved 19th-century architecture, Burritt on the Mountain uses living history interpreters to showcase life in pre-industrial Alabama.
Those looking for expert insight can join guided tours, like the autumnal Huntsville Ghost Walk, or the Huntsville Civil Rights Landmarks Tour. The Digital Huntsville History Tour allows visitors to take in the city’s history at their leisure.
The natural beauty of North Alabama can hold an allure all its own. Monte Sano State Park offers 2,140 acres of lush green woodlands, with twenty miles of hiking trails and dozens of campsite facilities. To the south of the city is Ditto Landing, a marina and watersport hub for those looking to enjoy boating and waterskiing on the Tennessee River. The guide includes a scannable link to an extensive guide for the numerous waterways around the city, where one can enjoy kayaking, inner tubing, or fishing.
One of the more clever trends that Huntsville has embraced has been the repurposing of its old, disused facilities, keeping their distinctive architecture while putting them to fresh new use. Lowe Mill is one of the earliest examples of this, with its numerous local shops, art galleries, and restaurants built into what was once a textile mill. Others followed suit, such as Stovehouse, which was once the Martin Stove Factory, and Campus No. 805, which was built in a former middle school.
As Huntsville has been growing and developing as a true city, it has been to pick up some of the finer arts that naturally arise in such a hub. Opera Huntsville and the Huntsville Ballet are newer additions to the city, while the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra has been performing for over fifty years. For those looking to leave the black ties at home, Huntsville boasts a number of music venues. The Mark C. Smith Concert Hall at the Von Braun Center has hosted concerts for many years, but the newly-completed Orion Amphitheatre at Apollo Park is a great outdoor venue, as is Big Spring International Park, with its Concerts in the Park and Jazz in the Park events.
Bridge Street Town Centre and Parkway Place Mall accommodate those in need of a little retail therapy. Bridge Street Town Centre has a lovely atmosphere, with its broad, cobbled walkways, street lanterns, and elaborate landscaping. Those looking for something more unique can check the many antique stores in town, such as the Railroad Station Antique Mall, Firehouse Antiques, and the Alabama Antique Store.
Huntsville has quite a few restaurants, ranging from rustic Southern comfort food at G’s Country Kitchen to fine Italian wining and dining at Mazzare’s Vinoteca. Steakhouses like Char Restaurant serve superior cuts grilled to perfection, while Chef Will the Palate at Lowe Mill caters to the more herbivorous among us with a fresh and crisp vegetarian menu.
The Huntsville Destination Guide not only contains all that visitors and tourists may wish to see in the city, but it has suggestions that even longterm residents might want to check out. The Destination Guide is free for download, to receive by mail, or to pick up physically at the Huntsville Visitor Center downtown and at the Huntsville Airport. w
41% of Households in Alabama Can’t Afford Utility Bills Amid Inflation
In a recent study done by LendingTree, the statistics firm found that 41.4% of households in Alabama say they have reduced or skipped necessities like food or medicine in order to afford their energy bill.
While gas prices have made headlines with high inflation and more and more commuters getting back on the road, consumers are not the only ones cutting costs, so they can pay at the pump. In fact, according to LendingTree, more than one-third (33.9%) of U.S. households say they reduced or skipped necessities like medicine or food to pay an energy bill within the past 12 months.
Many households make many efforts to reduce their household energy use to make ends meet, even if it meant risking their health. In fact, just over 1 in 5 (20.8%) households reported keeping their homes at temperatures they felt unsafe or unhealthy. Regardless of what they have done to keep costs down, though, 28.9% of households in Alabama were unable to pay at least part of one energy bill in the past 12 months.
Within the past 12 months, electricity prices have increased by 16.0% per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
“In the same period natural gas prices rose 33.6%. Unexpected gas shortages are largely to blame here, mainly due to international conflicts,” LendingTree shared
“According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), natural gas exports from Russia to Europe reached their lowest level in 40 years, prompting the U.S. to export large amounts of its already limited inventory to help fill in the gaps,” says LendingTree’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data.
Despite rising prices, energy demand has remained high within the U.S. In fact, the EIA estimates that U.S. households consumed 1.7% more electricity this summer than last year’s. That’s because this year brought a particularly sweltering summer — the third hottest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While this is a widespread problem, LendingTree took the initiative to take an even closer look at Southern states to find that Southerners are most likely to reduce or skip basic expenses to afford their energy bills, according to the analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data.
The study reports that households in these states endured an especially hot summer. Texas saw the secondwarmest summer on record for the state, while Mississippi boasted one of the top-10 warmest Junes on record. 2021 was no breeze, either. In fact, July 2021 was Earth’s warmest month on record, which certainly contributed to rises in energy expenses. West Virginia had its 11th warmest summer in 2021.
Texas tops the list, with 44.8% of households forgoing necessities for energy, to be closely followed by Mississippi (42.9%), West Virginia (41.7%), Oklahoma (41.6%), and Alabama (41.4%)
While the heat makes a big difference, LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz says it’s certainly
By Ashlyn Grey
not the only factor.
“There’s no question that income plays a big role, too,” he says. “Mississippi and West Virginia are among the lowest-income states in the country, which means less financial margin for error for people who live there. Inflation has shrunk that already-razor-thin margin for error to zero for many people. When that happens, payments get missed and expenses get slashed.”
On the other end of the list, LendingTree shared that 20.3% of households in the District of Columbia say they reduced or skipped expenses to pay their energy bill — the lowest of any state. D.C. is followed by Vermont (24.4%) and Delaware (24.6%).
Households in the District of Columbia and Delaware have income levels above the U.S. median, while the median in Vermont is just below.
The three states have moderate summer temperatures. In D.C., normal summer temperatures are 78.9 degrees Fahrenheit, on average, and the last two summers were only slightly warmer. Vermont and Delaware are similarly temperate. Although both had a few days of extreme heat over the past two summers, Vermont only broke high temperatures twice.
LendingTree also took the initiative to examine the racial differences nationwide among households that were struggling to pay parts of their bills and revealed that 40% of Black households report they couldn’t pay at least part of their energy bill in the past 12 months. They’re followed by
Latino households at 35.9%. Meanwhile, 17.7% of white households and 12.1% of Asian households say similarly.
According to Schulz, income disparity plays the largest role here. “It’s no secret that Black and Latino households typically have lower incomes than white or Asian households, and that creates major financial difficulties even in the best of times,” he says. “When inflation is rising, however, it makes things far worse and requires additional sacrifices to make ends meet.”
Data from the Federal Reserve reveals that on average, Black and Latino households earn about half as much as white households. Families of other ethnic and racial backgrounds — which include Asian families — have lower wealth than white families but higher wealth than Black and Latino families.
That income gap indirectly affects one’s likelihood of experiencing extreme heat, too. Densely packed cities experience a “surface urban heat island” effect. A 2021 study published in Nature Communications journal found that Black and Latino residents are far more likely to experience these higher temperatures than white families — which can also impact their energy costs.
So, this begs the question of what families of all backgrounds can do to combat the high energy costs. After a brutal summer, the fall brings some relief for many families looking to cut back on their energy bills. But that relief won’t last long. In fact, the EIA predicts energy prices will remain historically high through 2023, including oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity.
By LendingTree’s assessment, citizens will be shelling out more for heat this winter, too. The half of U.S. households that use natural gas to heat their homes should expect to spend 28% more than last year when the cold hits, according to the EIA. Those households that use heating oil should expect a 27% increase from last winter, while homes that primarily use electricity and propane may pay up to 10% and 5% more, respectively.
While there are not always direct solutions for such issues, there are things that can be done in the name of ‘symptom management.’ Households are encouraged to revisit budgets, build an emergency fund, or ‘think small’.
“If you haven’t tweaked your budget since last summer, you should,” Schulz said. “With prices rising everywhere and energy costs being no exception, failing to account for those rising prices can lead to some really unpleasant surprises when those peak winter energy bills come due.”
“You don’t have to adjust your thermostat much at all to reduce your bill,” Schulz says, “Even just lowering it by a degree or two during the winter can have a real impact.”
LendingTree researchers analyzed U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data to estimate the percentage of American households that said they reduced or skipped basic expenses to pay an energy bill in the past 12 months.
While also estimating the rate of households that reported being unable to pay at least part of their energy bill in the past year, researchers tracked these figures at the national and state levels, and the Household Pulse Survey was fielded from July 27 – August 8, 2022.
Credit: Nearly 34% Sacrificed Basic Expenses To Pay Energy Bill | LendingTree 61% of Americans Who Paid a Bill Late Recently Couldn’t Afford It | LendingTree. w
Guest Post Sean Potter, NASA / Photos courtesy of NASA
Following a successful launch of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, the agency’s Orion spacecraft is on its way to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. Carrying an uncrewed Orion, SLS lifted off for its flight test debut at 1:47 a.m. EST Wednesday from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch is the first leg of a mission in which Orion is planned to travel approximately 40,000 miles beyond the Moon and return to Earth over the course of 25.5 days. Known as Artemis I, the mission is a critical part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which the agency explores for the benefit of humanity. It’s an important test for the agency before flying astronauts on the Artemis II mission.
“What an incredible sight to see NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft launch together for the first time. This uncrewed flight test will push Orion to the limits in the rigors of deep space, helping us prepare for human exploration on the Moon and, ultimately, Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
After reaching its initial orbit, Orion deployed its solar arrays and engineers began performing checkouts of the spacecraft’s systems. About 1.5 hours into flight, the rocket’s upper stage engine successfully fired for approximately 18 minutes to give Orion the big push needed to send it out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon.
Orion has separated from its upper stage and is on its outbound coast to the Moon powered by its service module, which is the propulsive powerhouse provided by ESA (European Space Agency) through an international collaboration.
“It’s taken a lot to get here, but Orion is now on its way to the Moon,” said Jim Free, NASA deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This successful launch means NASA and our partners are on a path to explore farther in space than ever before for the benefit of humanity.”
Over the next several hours, a series of 10 small science investigations and technology demonstrations, called CubeSats, will deploy from a ring that connected the upper stage
Guest Post Sean Potter, NASA / Photos courtesy of NASA
to the spacecraft. Each CubeSat has its own mission that has the potential to fill gaps in our knowledge of the solar system or demonstrate technologies that may benefit the design of future missions to explore the Moon and beyond.
Orion’s service module will also perform the first of a series of burns to keep Orion on course toward the Moon approximately eight hours after launch. In the coming days, mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will conduct additional checkouts and course corrections as needed. Orion is expected to fly by the Moon on Nov. 21, performing a close approach of the lunar surface on its way to a distant retrograde orbit, a highly stable orbit thousands of miles beyond the Moon.
“The Space Launch System rocket delivered the power and performance to send Orion on its way to the Moon,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. “With the accomplishment of the first major milestone of the mission, Orion will now embark on the next phase to test its systems and prepare for future missions with astronauts.”
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B on Nov. 4 where they rode out Hurricane Nicole. Following the storm, teams conducted thorough assessments of the rocket, spacecraft, and associated ground systems and confirmed there were no significant impacts from the severe weather.
Engineers previously rolled the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Sept. 26 ahead of Hurricane Ian and after waving off two previous launch attempts Aug. 29 due to a faulty temperature sensor, and Sept. 4 due to a liquid hydrogen leak at an interface between the rocket and mobile launcher. Prior to rolling back to the VAB, teams successfully repaired the leak and demonstrated updated tanking procedures. While in the VAB, teams performed standard maintenance to repair minor damage to the foam and cork on the thermal protection system and recharge or replace batteries throughout the system.
Artemis I is supported by thousands of people around the world, from contractors who built Orion and SLS, and the ground infrastructure needed to launch them, to international and university partners, to small businesses supplying subsystems and components.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for astronauts on the way to Mars. w
Mayor Finley Celebrates Madison in State of the City Address
By Dawn Suiter / Photos courtesy of Dawn Suiter / City of Madison Chamber of Commerce
On Friday, November 4, the bright lights of Toyota Field and the lively sound of the James Clemens High School Jazz Band welcomed local residents to Celebrate Madison, a celebration of Madison’s past, present and future.
Presented by Meta and organized by the Madison Chamber of Commerce and the Celebrate Madison Committee, major sponsors for the event included Huntsville Utilities, which provided the fireworks display; Redstone Federal Credit Union; Flourish; and Torch Technologies.
Silver sponsors were First Horizon, Hexagon, Huntsville Madison CVB, Industrial Properties of the South, Madison Hospital, Nola VanPeursem Architects, Polaris, The Port of Huntsville, Progress Bank, Rocket City Trash Pandas, and Toyota Manufacturing.
Bronze sponsors were Bank Independent, Investor’s Resource, Rocket City Mom Media, Rosenblum Realty, Super Duck Car Wash, Synovus Bank, and Virtuous Realty Group.
The event began with a Student and Community Showcase on the Concourse, allowing visitors to explore some of Madison’s local offerings while enjoying free hot dogs, soft drinks, and ice cream prior to the commencement of the Celebration Program.
Michelle Epling, Executive Director of the Madison Chamber, acted as emcee for the event, which was last held in 2020 under the title ‘Connect Madison.’
Following introductions, Madison Mayor Paul Finley presented his “State of the City” address, beginning with a look back at the city’s recent past.
“In 2010, the City of Madison broke ground on three $70 million projects–James Clemens High School, Madison Hospital, and the Shoppes of Madison. The neat thing for our community is all three of those opened on time in 2012, and all three continue to make a monster impact on our community,” Finley said.
Finley noted that two months after the 2020 Connect Madison celebration, Covid hit. “I’ll tell you one thing that it did for me: it solidified my belief and my realization of how important this community is, and when I talk about this community I’m talking about the Tennessee Valley, in coming together as a group to solve problems and help the community through areas of concern.”
Flnley expressed his admiration of Mayor Battle and his team for the continued awards that the City of Huntsville receives “and especially for being the #1 city in the nation to live in,” as well as Governor Ivey for her support of the area. He also recognized the efforts of the economic development team and the work of Redstone Arsenal: “We all work together to work for this community and I’m proud to be a team member with them.”
“In the City of Madison, we have a mission statement that we try to work on every day: To provide excellent services through the responsible use of public resources, enhancing the quality of life for our community,” Finley said, emphasizing the importance of the cooperative efforts of the Madison Council and his team to make that happen. “It’s a part time job that truly is not part time, it’s full time. And they work hard to make sure that the monies that are invested in our city are spent wisely.”
Finley stated that by this time next year Town Madison will have double the amount of businesses along with significantly more housing. He also noted that the city has a sizable bank balance: “As a matter of fact, currently in our checking account–your checking account–there’s $32 million. Now, in fairness there’s about $9 million of that carried over from last year that we were trying to spend or getting ready to spend, but unfortunately couldn’t,” he said.
During his address, Finley highlighted a number of planned road improvement projects, including a planned $6 million renovation of Madison Boulevard from County Line Road to Zierdt Road that will include resurfacing and safety improvements such as the addition of traffic signals.
Previously completed projects include the construction of the Gillespie and Balch Road roundabout. “What we recognized, and what many of you told us couldn’t happen, but we’ve seen it can, is Alabama can make it through a roundabout,” Finley quipped, adding that the engineering budget includes designs for two additional roundabouts including one planned for the intersection of Burgreen and Brownsferry Roads.
Madison’s budget is based largely on sales tax revenue, which Finley stated has grown by over $12 million over the past three years, enabling numerous improvements to the city.
He also stressed the revitalization of the city’s businesses, drawing attention to the old Publix shopping center on the north side of the city. “If you’ve been by there in the last couple of days, you’ve seen something’s moving in there. As a matter of fact, it’s a place called Floor & Decor,” Finley said, attributing the entrance of this home improvement and decor store into the city as an offshoot of the booming new home construction in the area.
“Right next to it, where the old Books A Million is–a furniture store. That entire shopping center will be revitalized. That’s critical to our city and we continue to do wonderful things for you.”
Madison has grown by almost 13,000 people a decade since the 1980s, with people now moving into the city at the rate of a family per day. Finley attributed this to its high quality of life, citing Money Magazine’s ranking of Madison as the 12th best city to live in in the nation, its #1 Niche ranking as the best Alabama suburb, and especially its top-ranked schools.
“While we’re absolutely known for education in the City of Madison, the main thing for us is that we’re now also known as the home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas,” Finley said, adding that it began in 2018 with a vision of bringing minor league baseball together with a multi-use facility.
This year marked the Trash Pandas’ first full season of play, which included 69 home games and two playoff games. They led the league in attendance with over 327,000 people coming to games. In addition, they led Minor League Baseball in merchandise sales, with over $4 million in merchandise going to every state in the US and multiple countries.
“Rocket City Trash Pandas Baseball is here to stay, and it’s exciting for our community,” Finley said.
Madison Hospital recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, with 1400 births so far this year and over 53,000 ER visits. “Madison Hospital continues to make a big impact positively for the City of Madison,” Finley said.
Finley also announced four big projects in the works for the city.
The former Three Springs facility is destined to become the Madison Community Center, which will include services and programs for the city’s senior citizens, dedicated spaces for the special needs community, organizational and meeting spaces for local nonprofits, and specialty indoor and outdoor spaces available for community use including a ceramics room, a woodworking room, a game room, and a garden.
Finley revealed that the City of Madison has purchased Sunshine Oaks Farm, a 40-acre former horse farm with pastureland, located adjacent to the Bradford Creek Greenway. It will be transitioned over the next few years into a multi-use space open to the public and featuring gathering spaces, support structures, a playground, and a disc golf course.
On the Limestone County side of Madison, City Council recently approved the McKinley Homes project, a 100-acre property that will have approximately 350 units “of all kinds” for sale, as well as 33,000 square feet of commercial retail space directly on Brownsferry.
“Most exciting for Madison residents, especially on the western side, we secured 25 acres of green space that they will donate to the city,” Finley said. “Each time that Madison grows, we want to do it in a smart, controlled way and in a way that benefits our city and will give added homes of quality, retail and commercial space, and in this case, park space.”
The Town Madison area will soon benefit from the collaborative efforts of the City of Madison and Hexagon, who worked together to invest in the critical services and infrastructure necessary for its sustained growth.
“A lot of that future has to do with public safety and the need that we have for an additional fire station and a police presence here in the south side in the Town Madison area,” Finley said.
Projects planned for Town Madison in the near future include a new fire station and police substation, a parking lot that will support overflow parking at the venue, the addition of new field space for adult programs in soccer, softball, and baseball, and the construction of a pickleball complex that can be used for tournaments and daily use.
According to Mayor Finley, the biggest challenge the city has is managing its rapid growth, a task greatly helped by its focus on safety, health, and infrastructure. “Madison, Alabama continues to thrive and we continue to be proud of all that we collectively do together,” he said.
That collective effort is enhanced by the city’s dedication to taking care of its employees. For the sixth straight year the city has instituted a step raise as well as a cost of living increase for its employees.
“We’ve also analyzed what we need to do to get better, and as our city grows we must add people in key positions that make the process better,” Finley stated, noting that the city is seeking 14 different positions to support the city’s growing needs. Job listings can be viewed here. w
