A long overdue project in Montgomery, Ala., is beginning to take shape. Work has begun on a $325 million effort that will provide state lawmakers with a new space that better suits their needs.
“We’ve been making the best of this time-worn building for 40 years,” said Patrick Harris, secretary of the Alabama Senate. “The original plan was for this former State Highway Department building to be a temporary home to the legislature. The new facility will, by design, allow the
citizens of Alabama better access to their elected officials and increase transparency in the state’s legislative process.”
Lawmakers moved out of the Capitol in 1984. The redesignated structure was modified enough to be functional; however, in 2020, the Legislative Council, through the Department of Finance, commissioned a facility assessment. Overall, the building was found to be below average and was in the poorest condition of any structure in the capitol complex.
According to Harris, the 10-year facility renewal costs
were estimated at nearly $51 million, and by 2023, that number had exceeded $70 million. These costs did not include any cosmetic or functional improvements. In addition, the assessment noted possible asbestos and biological concerns.
“Separate from the condition of the building, there are small committee rooms that do not accommodate large groups for public hearings and a number of access issues for persons with disabilities,” said Harris.
Birmingham Water Works Plans $85M in Repairs to Lake Purdy
A dam that supports one of metro Birmingham, Ala.’s major drinking water sources will undergo an $85 million overhaul after years of leaking millions of gallons of water each day.
The Birmingham Water Works Board (BWW) in mid-September approved construction contracts for work on the more than 100-year-old Lake Purdy Dam in Shelby County.
The board voted 7-1 to grant a $78.7 million contract to Thalle Construction Co., located in Hillsborough, N.C., and $6.8 million in management fees for Arcadis, an engineering firm with an office in Birmingham; Schnabel Engineering in Glen Allen, Va.; and Birmingham’s A.G Gaston Construction.
“Our end goal is to always make sure we are providing safe, affordable, quality water to our customers,” Tereshia Huffman, chair of the BWW board told AL.com. “This dam is old, and it was time for us to put in an intentional effort to make sure we got the funding.”
water leaks at its foundation.
The Lake Purdy Dam was built in 1909, and its impoundment of the Little Cahaba River created the reservoir in 1923. Six years later, the dam was raised by 20 ft. to bring the lake to its current 990 acres just above the confluence of the Little Cahaba and Cahaba rivers.
and address
She added that the project will improve the dam’s structural
Whetstone
STEM-Centric Learning Center Coming to Rainbow City
After two years of due diligence and planning, the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama is ready to expand its footprint with the construction of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) center in Rainbow City, Ala.
The milestone was marked with a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 17 that attracted several hundred attendees, including business owners, educators, elected officials and enthusiastic students eager to learn about the facility’s exciting future, the Fort Payne (Ala.) Times-Journal reported.
“Alabama needs a Challenger Learning Center,” said Tony Smith, chair of the new facility’s advisory board. “This Center will not just be a field trip destination; it’s a hub for engaging, real-world learning that applies STEM concepts in exciting and challenging ways. We look forward to the impact it will have on our region.”
He added that communities in northeast Alabama have been very supportive of the initiative.
Beginning in 2026, the Challenger Learning Center will serve middle-school students with space-themed missions and hands-on STEM learning activities that complement classroom instruction within a fully immersive learning environment.
Work is set to get under way on a 5-acre site near Rainbow Middle School, across from the Mega Sports Complex, in Etowah County, according to the Times-Journal.
Trent Thrasher Construction Co., located in Rainbow Center, will design, engineer and oversee the facility’s construction in collaboration with the Challenger Center, based in Washington, D.C.
Each Challenger Learning Center simulator includes a
briefing room, transport room, mission control and space station. Additionally, the Rainbow City school will have three classrooms designed to accommodate 25-40 students, each with unique STEM learning experiences.
“This is not a field trip. Challenger Learning Center programming applies STEM concepts and actively engages the students in learning through collaboration, problem-solving,
and critical thinking. It builds self-confidence in the skills needed for 21st Century careers in Alabama and across the globe,” Smith explained.
In the aftermath of the tragic explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in January 1986, which took the lives of seven NASA-trained astronauts, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, the crew’s families came together and firmly committed to carrying on the spirit of their loved ones by continuing their education mission.
Later that spring, they created the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.
June Scobee Rodgers, one of the Challenger Learning Center’s founders and honorary chair of its continuing fundraising campaign, has always had a very personal connection to the initiative.
Having grown up in Alabama, she recounted her journey from student to educator while supporting her husband, Challenger Shuttle Commander Richard “Dick” Scobee. Speaking directly to the students at the groundbreaking, she encouraged them to dream big, adding, “One of you will be the age to take that step, to be the first person on Mars.”
Workforce Development Key Goal
Local Alabama leaders also were on hand for the kickoff event, including state Sen. Andrew Jones, R-10th District; House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-24th District; State Superintendent Eric Mackey; and Rainbow City Mayor Joe Taylor.
“It’s all about the kids, because today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce,” Jones said. “They need to process the skills that prepare them for high-demand jobs with good pay and a chance for career advancement.”
Mackey echoed those sentiments and expressed hope that the Challenger Learning Center will inspire future scientists and engineers to thrive within Alabama’s evolving economy. It aims to serve students from the counties of Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Marshall, Randolph, St. Clair, Talladega and Jefferson counties when it opens for students, likely in 2026.
The future Challenger Learning Center in Alabama will join a network of more than 30 such facilities across 24 states that has reached more than 6 million students worldwide. (Logo courtesy of Challenger Center.)
Governor Announces $3.1M to Fund Road, Bridge Projects
Alabama’s governor said on Sept. 30 that $3.1 million in state funding is being awarded to 11 communities for various road and bridge projects, highlighting her ongoing commitment to enhancing Alabama’s infrastructure.
Ten of the projects involve resurfacing and upgrading local streets and roadways, according to a news release from Gov. Kay Ivey’s Montgomery office.
The funding is made available under the Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT) Annual Grant Program, created by the Rebuild Alabama Act.
Rebuild Alabama, overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Ivey in 2019, requires ALDOT to establish an annual program setting aside a minimum of $10 million off the top of the state’s share of gas tax revenue for local projects. It has helped Alabama to see transformational progress in rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, and established Ivey as the “infrastructure governor.”
“From day one of the Ivey Administration, I have made clear to the people of our state that improving Alabama’s roads and bridges is a top priority, and I am proud we continue delivering on
that promise,” she said in the statement. “Our work is not done, and we will continue delivering results in all 67 of our counties.”
The latest Rebuild Alabama project grants broke down like this:
• The city of Summerdale in Baldwin County will make resurfacing and drainage Improvements on East Sanborn Avenue from SW 1st Street to SE 7th Street, SE 1st Street from East Condit Avenue to East Broadway Avenue, and NE 1st Street from East Broadway Avenue to end. The state provided almost $271,000 to the total project cost.
• A 4.3 mi. resurfacing of County Road 23 in Chilton County from U.S. Highway 31 to the Chilton-Elmore county line will be paid for, in part, by $350,000 in state funds. The effort’s total cost is $1.2 million.
• The Clay County town of Ashland was also awarded $350,000 to resurface Tyson Road from Taylor Road to Alabama Highway 9, and 5th Avenue South from Ala. 77 to Ala. 9.
• Ariton, a community in Dale County, received $250,000 to repave Creel Richardson Street, Pea River Road, and Atlantic Road. The entire distance totaled 4.85 mi.
• A half-mile-long resurfacing of Dilbeck Road, from Church Avenue NW to Ala. 75 in the Dekalb County town of Rainsville will be completed with a $225,000 state grant.
• Crews in Tallassee, in Elmore County, are working to resurface a less than 1 mi. stretch of South Anne Avenue from James Street to Herd Street with almost $258,000 from Rebuild Alabama.
• A full-depth reclamation of Kimberly Drive in Jackson County’s town of Woodville is one feature of the work paid for by the state. In addition, resurfacing will be applied to Robinson Lane, Cedar Crest Drive, Mountain View Drive, and Kimberly Circle. Alabama’s contribution totaled $300,000.
• Morris, a city in Jefferson County, has been funded $250,000 to resurface 1.23 mi. of roadway, including Stouts Road, Madiera Drive, 2nd Avenue and Oxford Drive.
• Resurfacing work also is planned for Guin, located in Marion, along less than a half-mile of Sawmill Road from the Clayton Homes entrance to Ala. 142. The state kicked in over $241,000 for the project.
• More road resurfacing is on tap in Frisco City, Monroe County, where crews will work on Mulberry Street, Snider Avenue,
Houston Street, and Oak Grove Street thanks to Alabama’s $250,000 grant. The construction is 1.26 mi. in length.
• The same type of road upgrades, along with drainage improvements, are planned for the town of Margaret in St. Clair County. The project’s footprint is on Brookhaven Drive from Sanie Road to Ryan Circle and was made possible, in part, by Rebuild Alabama’s $350,000 in funding.
Of the awarded projects, cities and counties also contributed $1.37 million in local matching funds. All projects are required to move forward within one year of the awarding of funds.
More than $15 million in state transportation funds has been awarded through the application-based program during the 2024 fiscal year. This was the first year ALDOT funded the Annual Grant Program above the minimum $10 million required under the Rebuild Alabama Act.
Since its act’s passage, local projects in every Alabama county have been awarded state transportation funding.
Later in October, Ivey will make visits to a few of the areas awarded with the latest round of funding, including DeKalb, Chilton and Dale counties.
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Legislature’s New $325M Building to Complete By 2027
The new building will be approximately 350,000 sq. ft.
The new building will be approximately 350,000 sq. ft. The design starts with House and Senate chambers facing each other on the same floor, as was the case in the Capitol. There will be a joint committee room with seating for more than 200 persons, and each body will have two committee rooms with a capacity well beyond 100. The building also will have a total of six committee rooms that allow for 75 members of the public to attend.
The galleries for each chamber will be larger and easier to access. The plans call for numerous conference rooms throughout the building, so members can meet with constituents more comfortably.
Once the new State House is completed, the Legislative Council will enter into a lease/purchase agreement with the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA). RSA is overseeing the design and construction of the new structure, which will be sold or leased to the Alabama Legislature.
Site work began in late 2023.
“The property was previously a parking lot, so there was no demolition to speak of,” Harris said.
Work has begun on a $325 million effort that will provide state lawmakers with a new space that better suits their needs.
The first few months of work mostly involved excavation machinery and a giant drill that was used to dig and pour the more than 1,000 pilings needed for the foundation. The job site currently has two massive cranes in constant use, along with a variety of smaller machinery.
“The work is making great progress and is on schedule,” said Harris, who added the contractor and architects are well-suited for this project.
“JESCO Inc. has a long history of working with RSA and has been involved in numerous undertakings of this scale
and class. GMC is a great Alabama company with a strong history of public projects, and RAMSA has been involved in several projects around the country, working specifically with the needs of state legislatures.”
Harris said there’s a great deal of excitement surrounding the undertaking.
“The Alabama Legislative Council, which includes members of the state’s Senate and House of Representatives, conducted a detailed process to outline the specific needs, desires and appearance of the new State House. The plans proceeded in conjunction with RSA.”
The goal is to open the organizational session of the next quadrennium in the new Alabama State House in January 2027. Harris said coordinating construction has at times been difficult, but not impossible.
“The biggest challenge to date has been the loss of parking, but we have adjusted and made it through the 2024 regular session without any significant disruption. The only change to traffic was the closing of one block of Ripley Street, which will be a permanent change.”
He added, “It’s been exciting to see the blueprints over the last year or so, as new drafts transformed into finished designs. And to see the physical underpinnings rise from a blank slate has heightened our anticipation to see the finished project.” CEG
Lake Purdy Dam Repair Project May Last Up to Four Years
The structure is accessed from Lake Purdy Dam Road with gated entrances on Sicard Hollow Road and Cahaba Valley Road. Water released from the reservoir’s spillway proceeds into the Cahaba where it is taken up by BWW’s Cahaba Pumping Station.
For years, though, the water department has discussed the need for repairs at Lake Purdy Dam. In 1980, the structure leaked
about 1.5 million gal. per day, according to old BWW board meeting minutes obtained by AL.com. The discharge rapidly accelerated between 2018 and 2019, eventually reaching about 7.6 million gal. daily, the agency’s records revealed. At the time, engineers estimated it would cost between $75 million and $100 million to rebuild the entire structure. A failure of the dam would pre-
vent BWW from delivering water to the south end of the city’s system, engineers told the board in 2019.
Repair Project Likely to Last Almost Four Years
Plans call for the massive rehabilitation and repair project to begin in November and continue until April 2028. It will involve removing trees and diverting water at the dam.
Crews also are slated to make 2 mi. of road improvements from Alabama Highway 119 near the Brook Highland neighborhood to the dam’s site to support construction traffic.
Funding for the project comes via a $171 million federal loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was authorized by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), part of the Water Resources Reform and
Development Act of 2014. BWW also will use some of the money to replace lead service lines that connect homes and businesses to water mains. Doing so is a major step in reducing the risk of lead exposure to residents and businesses, the agency said.
Paired with Inland Lake in Blount County, Lake Purdy is a key drinking water source for the Birmingham area’s 600,000 customers.
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DAM from page 1
Dionne Whetstone photo
A long overdue project in Montgomery, Ala., is beginning to take shape.
