economy Archive

0

Things to do in Downtown Albany this week!

Tuesday, July 12th – 6pm

Downtown Merchant Association Monthly Meeting

Location: Subway- 122 N. Jackson Street

Wednesday, July 13th- 5pm

Wine Down Wednesdays! Location: Chill Bar & Lounge every Wednesday. Mix. Mingle. Sip. Unwind. Hangout with friends, listening to music & mingle with other professionals. Sponsored by Downtown Merchants, Global Essence, and Living Legends Salon.

Thursday, July 14th “Earth, Moon, & Sun” Planetarium Show Premier

Wetherbee Planetarium at Thronateeska Heritage Center

Earth, Moon, & Sun will be playing in the Wetherbee Planetarium all day July 14. Show times are at 10:30, 11:30, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00. Beginning on July 15, Earth, Moon, & Sun will be shown at 2:00 every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Admission to the Wetherbee Planetarium is $3.50+tax per person, age 3 and up. Groups of 20 or more, please contact us for reservations and to inquire about group discounts. Annual memberships are available. For more information contact: Allison Young. Phone: 229.432.6955

E-mail: museum@heritagecenter.org

Thursday, July 14th – 6:30pm

Twilight Paddle — 6:30 pm (trip lasts approximately 45 minutes)

Enjoy a leisurely canoe trip on a pretty section of the river from the Georgia Power dam to downtown Albany followed by hors d’oeuvres at the Flint RiverQuarium. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. Participants meet at the Flint RiverQuarium. Minimum age is 21. Fee: $35 per canoe (paddles & flotation devices provided) For reservations: Call 229.639.2650 Ext. 221

Saturday, July 16th – 8am-1pm

The Downtown Albany Market. Open every Saturday through November 12 from 8AM-1PM at the parking deck on the corner of Jackson St. and Broad Ave.

Saturday, July 16th Youth League Championship Games

Location: Albany Civic Center

Time: Doors open at 9:00 am; First game at 10:00 am

Tickets: FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

——————-

Upcoming Events for July

July 21 – RECESSIONISTA – VERGE Fashion Show 5:30-7:30. $10 per guest RSVP Chamber of Commerce at 434-8700

July 22 – LETS GET WIGGY WIT IT! – Flock of Gulls Event. State Theatr

e 7pm – $20 in advance and $25 at the door. 21 and up

July 29 – NIGHTS@DTOWN 8pm – Live Music, Live Art, Food, & Drinks. Top of the Parking Deck. 21 and up.

0

Bishop Tackles Federal Budget Deficit with Albany Residents

Nearly 100 Albany residents tried their hand at balancing the federal budget tonight during a deficit reduction workshop held by Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02). The bi-partisan Concord Coalition helped organize the event at Albany Technical College, which put people into groups of five to ten and asked them to work together and act as their own budget committee.

“We cannot continue financing the government on a credit card, and after the town hall meeting tonight it is clear to me that the American people want those days to come to an end,” said Rep. Bishop. “The current federal debt and budget deficit is simply unsustainable, and after years of uncontrolled borrowing and spending, we need to find solutions and stop kicking the can down the road.”

The Concord Coalition is a nationwide, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits. During similar town hall events across the country, participants used their “Principles and Priorities Workbook” to examine a variety of spending and revenue options and decide which options are the fairest and most effective way to balance the federal budget.

Rep. Bishop is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally responsible Democrats who are working to find a responsible framework to reduce spending, pay down the debt and balance the budget. With the nation focused on the huge fiscal challenges facing the United States, Rep. Bishop wanted to hear directly from local residents about their concerns and listen to their potential solutions.

“Getting our fiscal house in order is a huge task that will require making hard decisions about our nation’s priorities,” said Rep. Bishop. “We are at a moment of truth. We must not place the burden of our fiscal irresponsibility on the backs of our children and grandchildren. I am going to take the solutions I heard tonight back to Washington, share them with my colleagues, and start working immediately to solve this crisis.

1

ASU’s economic impact measured at $138 million

During the 2010 fiscal year, Albany State University’s overall economic impact on the regional economy was measured at $137,707,545, according to a report recently released by the University System of Georgia.

The report also measured ASU’s employment impact at 1,757 jobs in fiscal year 2010. Of that total, 580 jobs were on-campus and 1,177 jobs were off-campus and existed because of institution-related spending.

Also in fiscal year 2010, the economic impact of ASU’s capital outlays reached $73,900,181 with an employment impact of 654 jobs.

The region ASU covers for the report includes the counties of Dougherty, Lee, Worth, Mitchell, Terrell, Colquitt, Baker, Sumter, Calhoun and Tift.

Overall, the University System of Georgia’s economic impact on the state was measured at $12.6 billion with an employment impact of 130,738 jobs.

Conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, the report was based on a needs assessment study commissioned by Georgia’s Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP).

To view the report, visit http://www.icapp.org/pubs/usg_impact_fy2010.pdf.

0

Bo Henry, Stewart Campbell purchase Merry Acres

(News Release)
Bo Henry and Stewart Campbell are proud to announce that they have purchased the Merry Acres Event Center/Restaurant and Office complex along with the Merry Acres Motel from the Dozier Family who has owned and operated the business since the 1950′s.

The Dozier and Stanfill families have had a very successful real estate and lodging business.  The motel was one of Albany’s first lodging establishments with a reputation of fine southern hospitality.

The Merry Acres complex has a proud history behind it and Campbell and Henry are excited to have the opportunity to carry on the legacy of the family tradition.

The Main house that currently houses Registration of guests, was once an old farm house that was remodeled back in the 1920′s and served later as the Dozier family home.  The motel and main house will undergo major renovations over the next several months.

Henry & Campbell realized that during this tough economy it was important to do what they could to keep as many existing employees as possible.  Cathy Odell has been the general manager for 15 years and Rhonda Tedder has been the Director of Operations for 17 years and they both will be a part of the Stewbo’s current management team.  They plan on keeping the 30 existing employees and adding more associates after the renovation takes place.

Grant Orndorff and Billy Mann have been a part of the Stewbo’s management team  and will be heading up the Merry Acres Event Center/Restaurant concentrating on Special Occasions, Weddings, Receptions, Corporate Meetings, Reunions, etc.

0

Hooters Being Evicted (UPDATED!)

By Kevin Hogencamp

Hooters Being Evicted (UPDATED)

Hooters’ landlord has served eviction papers on the Albany restaurant for its failure to pay rent.

Property owner Joe Watkins says he hopes the business at 2817 Old Dawson Road remains open, but that he exhausted every opportunity work with Hooters before serving the business with a seven-day dispossessory notice.

“They’ve lied to me and now they have written a bad check are avoiding my phone calls,” Watkins said.

On Wednesday, Watkins had a huge banner erected on the Hooters storefront offering the building for sale or lease.

The restaurant’s manager, Chris Gilbert, referred questions to the company’s corporate headquarters in Claremont, N.C., but he said, “We’re not being evicted yet. We’re open through the weekend.”

Indeed, the restaurant is promoting a big Super Bowl party on Sunday.

Eddie Baldwin, the corporate officer responsible for the Albany location, did not return The Albany Journal’s telephone calls. In response to the Journal’s telephone messages, a man who identified himself as a spokesman for Albany Wings LLC provided this statement to the Journal:

“The lease has come up for renewal and both sides are obviously not in agreement on where that lease should be … and it is in the attorneys’ hands now. Obviously, as you can tell with the Harley dealership going out of business right here, it’s kind of telling you what we are dealing with. It’s an unfortunate situation.”

The spokesman refused to identify himself or answer any questions.

Watkins said Hooters’ lease 10-year lease expired Jan. 31, but there are no lease negotiations under way.

“They owe for December and January … ,” he said. “It’s us trying to collect money they owe.”

1

USDA says: Randolph County area businesses threatened with closing saved with federal funds

Curt Wiley, Chief of Staff of USDA Rural Development Business and Cooperative Services in Washington, D.C., will be in Randolph County to visit with three business owners who have benefitted from recent funding to create jobs.

The celebration and facility tour will be at RockWater (also known as Peerless Manufacturing) on U.S. Highway 82 in Shellman at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday.

RockWater is among three businesses in the area that recently received funding through USDA Rural Development’s Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program – two through Recovery Act and one through regular funding.

The businesses are:

RockWater – $3,400,000 in Recovery Act Funding. Saves 33 jobs.

Piggly Wiggly (Southside Plaza Developers, Inc.) – $1,675,000 in Recovery Act funding. Expected to create 10 new jobs and save 26.

A.G. Daniel Company, LLC – $3,700,000 in regular funds. Expected to create 20 new jobs and save 75.

0

Attractions not what they seem

It was opened with much fanfare. City officials crooned on about how it was going to revitalize downtown and be a beacon of prosperity, summoning people from all across Southwest Georgia to the Good Life City. With these folks would come millions of dollars that would stimulate our economy as a whole and create jobs for all.

You may ask what city attraction I’m talking about. Is it the Civic Center, the Flint RiverQuarium, what? The truth is, I’m talking about all of them and none of them.

Read the rest of this entry »

0

Balancing budgets can be much simpler

They say it every January under the Gold Dome: This legislative session is going to be unlike any other. Jobs are going to be lost. Programs are going to be cut. Sacrifices are going to have to be made. For the budget to balance, taxes may have to be raised.

Yada, yada, yada.

Seriously, before you pull the rug from under us landowners once again, Governor Perdue, et al, show us what you’ve done to make state government as efficient as possible for the past year. Show us that lobbyists’ money doesn’t influence the decisions that are made by the General Assembly.

Show us that everything the General Assembly does is in the sunshine, rather than relegating critical discussions to back rooms, where the true costs of government are revealed. Show us that you’re collecting taxes equitably. Show us that you have taken a cut in pay and benefits. Show us that government is as good as it can be under your watch.

For most Americans, it’s just hard to take government at any level seriously, anymore. Thus, the talk of what a tough budget year this is going doesn’t cut it with us. The same thing happens each year at the local level.

In Albany, Georgia for example, the poor-old, electric utility-subsidized city added to its workforce and further taxed electric customers this fiscal year rather than cutting back, as most municipalities have done. Indeed, in the past year and a half, nearly 2,000 municipal employees in Georgia have lost their jobs due to funding cutbacks, and many others have taken furloughs, the city opted not to do either.

So, with the legislative session and the local budget season looming, where do we go from here?

How can equity and frugality be pursued in state and local government?

We have three suggestions.

ONE:

A start would be for all of the public’s business to be conducted in the sunshine. Georgia’s open-government laws pale in comparison to Florida’s, for example. If every discussion at the local and state level of government were conducted with the public an earshot away, spending would be significantly reduced. Politicians just aren’t capable of looking voters in the eyes when they build bridges to nowhere or unplanned riverside archways. An open government, it has been appropriately stated, is a more efficiently run government.

TWO:

Another way that government can ensure that its budget is balanced is to vigorously pursue tax collections. This, too, would necessitate government being conducted in the sunshine. If local and state governments worked together transparently, for example, by comparing lists of retailers paying sales taxes with lists of retailers paying occupational taxes, they could significantly increase local and state revenue.

In some cases, doing so could directly prevent property tax increases.

THREE:

Meanwhile, rather than keeping sales tax collection information secret as it currently does, the state could publish business-by-business sales tax data on the Web. This would give whistleblowers and others the opportunity to identify scofflaws. And locally, the City of Albany and Dougherty County could hire a firm to ensure that businesses remit their collected sales tax to the state – or public employees could do the work themselves.

A recent series by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution brought focus to one of the primary reasons people disdain property taxes in the first place: Indeed, the government’s stated value of real estate often does not reflect market reality. That brings us to our final suggestion: Ensure that assessed land values are accurate.

Property transfers show that real estate continues to sell for far less than the assessed value in many cases. That is certainly the situation in Dougherty County – even after taxpayers spent nearly $1 million on a consultant to get the assessments right.

Whether landowners are overpaying property taxes, not paying enough, selling their property for a fraction of its assessed value, or unable to sell their land because the assessment is too high, it is government’s role to prevent these scenarios from happening. We say that it’s never too late to do the right thing and we call on the Dougherty County Commission to have its staff correct assessment calculations once and for all.

Kevin By Kevin Hogencamp

1

New Law addresses credit fees

Few areas of our lives have become as expensive as fees associated with maintaining a credit card. In February, a federal law designed to ease the costly burden of credit cards will take effect.

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 will curb some of the abuses credit card companies have used to separate consumers from their money. The American consumer wins four ways with the new law:

First, your rate for existing balances will no longer be raised just because you’re a few days late with your payment.

Second, the credit card can’t jack up your interest rate if you don’t make your minimum monthly payment within 60 days of the payment due date.

Third, money you pay over the minimum payment will now be used to pay down balances with the highest interest rate.

And fourth, your payment date will always fall on the same date of each month, and it will be at least 25 days from the closing date printed on your statement.

Credit card companies have been making things tough on people who carry balances on their credit cards, and have been making it very hard to get out of debt. We all know how hard it is to pay off a credit card, and many people who have them carry balances on more than one card.

The CARD Act of 2009 is one of the good things to come out of Washington, and we applaud this step to help Americans dig themselves out of debt. Now, if only the government would do something to get itself out of debt …

0

Barney Frank’s policy on bad loans

Barney Frank. What can you say about the guy that he won’t say for himself? I mean really, when he tells the New York Times, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that the bad loans occurred. It was an effort to keep prices from falling too fast. That’s a policy.” It’s a policy? Really?

Running around town with underwear on my head and screaming “I am Boudicca, queen of the Celts” might be a policy too, but that doesn’t make it a good idea, now does it?

First, it’s only a member of Congress who can honestly look someone in the eye and say that they don’t think that it’s a bad thing that bad loans occurred. The fact that people got loans they can’t pay for seems irrelevant to him. Not only that, but to “keep prices from falling too fast” was a worthy goal for government involvement. The fact that letting prices falling could actually make housing more affordable for people who would…oh, I don’t know…maybe not default on their freaking loans? Hm? Sound like a plan?

Yes, I understand that to homeowners, prices falling to fast can hurt their investment. But I also know that this is the kind of thing that happens with investments. Investments of any kind come with some risks. Stocks, real estate, even bonds come with some risk and rarely is there any government intervention in your investments. What’s more, there shouldn’t be.

With my own personal investments, I reap all the benefits and profits which is as it should be. I also understand that I bear all the risk. Again, that’s as it should be. Why should the taxpayers bear the risk for my investment? Why should anyone but me? They shouldn’t.

And yet Barney Frank thinks that government should be fine with bad loans because they protected investments? I hate to break it to Rep. Frank, but those people who took out bad loans? They’re still going to default, and those home values are still going to go down. And he knows that, which is why he said they were trying to prevent home prices from falling to fast. What I hate to break to him is that those efforts are actually preventing recovery.

You see, when prices bottom, people will start to buy. It’s like any other bubble. It won’t recover until people are confident that prices aren’t going down any more. Then, they’ll start to buy. What will that do? Is the word we’re looking for “recover”? Why yes it is!

You see, while Barney Frank may think it’s “a policy”, I just have to point out that it’s an idiotic policy. But what more do we expect from Barney Frank and his crew?

tomknightonWritten by Tom Knighton. Read his blog at SWGA Politics.com. A lifelong political junkie, Tom started out his adult life as a journalism major at Darton College before leaving school to serve his nation as a U.S. Navy Corpsman. Through the years, he has watched government from outside and inside. A former Reagan supporter, then later a Democrat, Tom now finds himself quite comfortable as a card carrying Libertarian and all around smart-elec.

Tags: economy, money
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline