Bill Steber championed Thomas Hospital as a vital part of the Eastern Shore community. Steber?s devotion to the hospital will continue to be felt in years to come, thanks to a $225,000 donation from his wife, Ann Steber, to the Thomas Hospital Foundation in memory of her husband, who died earlier this year. The money will be used to build a new cardiovascular lab at the hospital, said Kathy Baugh, executive director of the Thomas Hospital Foundation. ?I think its fair to say its one of the largest gifts we?ve ever had,? Baugh said. ?What?s important is to show Mr. Steber?s passion for this hospital. He was always doing things for other people, and he did it without any attention. He did so many things for people that no one ever knew about,? Baugh added. Source: Baldwin Register (10-31-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

The Grand Hotel in Point Clear returns in all its Southern glory when the doors open at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. All 405 guest rooms and seven restaurants and lounges will be finished and ready-after a $50 million renovation to repair damage from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The storm surge poured 6 feet of water into the main building. Last March, 200 rooms and some of the resort?s amenities reopened, but the historic lobby, most of the restaurants, the bay view guest rooms and meeting rooms were still being renovated. Source: Mobile Press Register (10-29-06) Pg 1J

November 15, 2006

Creating independent education districts in other areas of Alabama has meant more money and flexibility for local personnel, a consultant told educators and support workers from Alabama Gulf Coast schools. Potential drawbacks, however, include the possibility of political influence and less specialization among central office administrators, Connie Williams, a consultant for the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach school boards, said Wednesday. Williams, the former superintendent of the Hoover school system, met with about 75 local school employees to discuss the proposal to establish an independent school system for the area. She told the group that in the cases she is familiar with, city schools have been good for teachers and students-with more money available for salaries and programs. Source: Baldwin Register (10-27-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

Engineers have completed their design for a new $4 million, federally funded sand wall intended to reduce Gulf flooding on Dauphin Island?s fast-eroding west end beach. The design extends the wall, or berm, 7,100 feet farther east than the 14,000-foot berm built in June 2000. The plan has gone through several drafts since the project began four years ago, as several storms and two major hurricanes changed the shoreline, tearing hundreds of houses and dozens of private lots from the island. Each storm increased the size of the project and the amount of sand it would involve, Mayor Jeff Collier said. Source: Mobile Press Register (10-26-06) Pg 1B

November 15, 2006

A contentious rezoning effort for a massive development along Fly Creek in Fairhope came to an end this week when it gained approval from City Council. The zoning request passed with a 3-1-1 vote Monday evening. Council members Bob Gentle, Mike Ford and Cecil Christenberry voted in favor; Debbie Quinn voted against; and Dan Stankoski abstained. Having the 213-acre site zoned as a planned unit development allows developer Arthur Corte to proceed with construction of 835-housing units-including single-family homes, condos, town-homes and two-story retail/apartment units-scattered around smaller shops and a possible Publix grocery store. Source: Mobile Press Register (10-25-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

A contentious rezoning effort for a massive development along Fly Creek in Fairhope came to an end this week when it gained approval from City Council. The zoning request passed with a 3-1-1 vote Monday evening. Council members Bob Gentle, Mike Ford and Cecil Christenberry voted in favor; Debbie Quinn voted against; and Dan Stankoski abstained. Having the 213-acre site zoned as a planned unit development allows developer Arthur Corte to proceed with construction of 835-housing units-including single-family homes, condos, town-homes and two-story retail/apartment units-scattered around smaller shops and a possible Publix grocery store. Source: Mobile Press Register (10-25-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

Gulf Shores city officials indicated Monday that they may enact a more stringent no-smoking law than those passed earlier this year in Fairhope and Foley by banning smoking on all public property and at all businesses, including bars. The Foley City Council in August approved a law that prohibits smoking in most places open to the general public-with bars, defined as places where alcohol sales constitute 75 percent or more of total revenue, being the exception-by November 5th. A week after Foley?s move, Fairhope?s governing body approved a similar ordinance, which goes into effect Nov. 20. Officials in both Orange Beach and Gulf Shores have said they expect to follow suit and that they?d like their planned ordinances to match exactly to prevent confusion among tourists visiting the beach. Much of the debate in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores has been over whether to exempt bars or even allow restaurants to decide on their own if they wanted to become smoke-free businesses, and what effect the proposed changes would have on tourism-driven restaurants and bars. The two cities have assigned officials to a joint panel that will iron out a smoking ban for the consideration of both city councils. Source: Baldwin Register (10-25-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

Officials representing Daphne High School came before the Baldwin County Commission on Tuesday seeking funding for a portion of a nearly $3.3 million project to improve the stadium. While Commissioners said the request should go to the county finance committee and be discussed at the next joint work session between the Board of Education and the commission, they didn?t indicate whether they would support it, or how much they might be willing to contribute. Source: Baldwin Register (10-25-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

Members of the Gulf Shores Board of Education dreamed big on Monday as they discussed the prospect of having the best-funded school system in Alabama, complete with expanded facilities and additional academic offerings. At least that is the vision they see if voters in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach eventually approve a referendum to break away from the Baldwin County Public Schools and start an independent education system. Education consultants Connie Williams and Michael Weaver met with the Gulf Shores school board, along with Orange Beach Mayor Pete Blalock and Orange Beach Board of Education member Jeff Silvers, on Monday for 90 minutes. The consultants gathered input to help them prepare reports for the beach cities regarding the possibility of splitting from the county school system. Williams and Weaver agreed that the Baldwin County Public Schools do a better-than-average job when compared to the state?s other county school systems. ?Average is not good enough,? said Gulf Shores school board member George Harris, as others nodded their heads in agreement. Source: Baldwin Register (10-25-06) Pg 1

November 15, 2006

-Adams Homes purchased all 41 lots in the Copperwood subdivision on US 98 in West Foley from developers Richard Inge, Jimbo Yance, and Steven McMahon of Yance, Inge and Associates. The lots sold in the mid $30?s or for an estimated $1.45 million, according to Inge. -Local investors bought 4 acres on Alabama 59 just north of Interstate 10 in Loxley for $445,978, and plan to build an office warehouse, according to Ralph Neal of Watson Realty, who represented the buyers. Tim Herrington of Saad & Vallas Realty Group worked for the seller. Source: Mobile Register (10-22-06) Pg 1J

November 15, 2006

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