Friday, August 10, 2007
DAWN KENT News staff writer
Residents of metro Birmingham have a stake in Gov. Bob Riley's new plan to address economic development and quality of life issues statewide, even though the effort is focused on rural areas, officials said Thursday.
"When you make a difference in rural Alabama, you make a difference in Alabama," said former state Sen. Gerald Dial, executive director of the newly formed Alabama Rural Action Commission. "We're all in this together."
Dial joined local educators, health care workers, economic developers and other community leaders Thursday morning at the University of Montevallo to kick off the Central Alabama Action Commission.
The group, one of eight in the state, covers Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Walker, Blount and Chilton counties. Committees comprised of volunteers will focus on economic development, work force development, health and education.
Breaking down boundaries, including city limits and county lines, is a theme of the new state effort. Even though it is split into regions, leaders are encouraged to work together when appropriate.
For example, the Alabama Rural Action Commission already has started several large-scale initiatives that could help economic development.
Those include a plan to improve broadband access in rural areas statewide, since a lack of access could be a deal-breaker for some projects, Dial said.
Other initiatives that will cross region lines include an effort to market the new Interstate 22 corridor in northwest Alabama to business prospects.
Having the state's largest metro area in the Central Alabama Action Commission will help the group's work, said region co-chair, state Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster.
"We have the opportunity to see some of the successes and hindrances of an urban area that bumps up against rural areas," he said.
The Alabama Rural Action Commission is modeled after Riley's Black Belt Action Commission, created in 2004. The Black Belt Action Commission now has more than 800 volunteers who have worked with local and state officials to expand economic growth, improve access to health care and boost education in the region.
Later Thursday, Riley helped kick off the West Alabama Action Commission during an event at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Vance.
The North Alabama Action Commission began its work in July, and the other regions are expected to follow in the coming months.
E-mail: dkent@bhamnews.com
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