COKE OVENS CLEANUP a HUGE Success!!!!

Coke Ovens Cleanup, A Huge Success!

Truman Aldrich founded Blocton and West Blocton and organized the Cahaba Coal Mining Company on the promise of fortune from the coal and coke to be made from the Cahaba Coal Seams. These materials then fed the steel and iron industry in Birmingham, Tannehill, Brierfield, and the surrounding areas. West Blocton’s "Beehive Coke Ovens” were built in the 1880s and 90s as the rich seams of coal were discovered, turning out blocks of coal that weighed over a ton a piece. The Blocton Coke Ovens-were and remain as four batteries (banks) of 467 coke ovens that at one time produced over 600 tons of Coke a day.

On Saturday, March 10, 2007 a group of fifty plus people worked into the afternoon cleaning our Coke Ovens Park, opening up the walking trail and a large section of the ovens, and clearing brush off the hillsides, so that we can enjoy the park and spend time in it. A Big, Big Thanks to all our workers, including Mayor Jabo Reese,Water Superintendent Jerry Fondren, two city councilmen, Commissioner Al Green, two representatives from the Office of Surface Mining, a work crew from the Town of West Blocton, eight students with the Upward Bound Program at the University of Montevallo, the local Tombigbee RC&D director, the Archaeologist for Tannehill, Biologist from Cahaba River Society, Cahaba River Authority Chairman, Walter Sansing, Friends of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, the Coke Ovens Committee, two ministers, Centreville Historical Preservation Commission, Better Hometown Group, West Blocton Improvement Committee, Bibb County Citizens for Wildflowers, and the miners! Another Big, Big Thanks to our sponsors: Food Center, Food Outlet, The Country Store, Seaman’s Timber, The Cahaba River Authority and The Town of West Blocton!

The park is a heritage park, to reflect on our coal mining history. It is a community center for the Town of West Blocton and neighboring communities. It is an integral part of the Cahaba regional tourism plan, serving as the Northern gateway to the Lower Cahaba Basin and a place for tourists and sightseers to land. Starting in 2007, our Coke Ovens park will now be available for special events and will be opened for Lily Day, The Cahaba River Ramble, and the June Smithsonian exhibit’s opening- Between Fences.

Please join us for our next Coke Ovens Committee Planning Meeting, March 29th at 6:30, at the West Blocton Municipal Building/Library, as we plan what the future will hold for our park.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Salter, your OSM/Americorps/VISTA, at 205-566-2479

Coke Ovens Cleanup this Saturday!!

March 10th- 9:00



At the Ovens- Hwy 24 Just East of West Blocton

Bring your clippers/gloves/etc.

Refreshments Provided


West Blocton's "Beehive Coke Ovens" were built in the 1880's as rich seams of coal were found in the area. Truman Aldrich, the founder of Blocton and the Town of West Blocton, organized the Cahaba Coal Mining Company in 1883 and built the Blocton Coke Ovens- four batteries of 467 coke ovens that produced 600 tons of Coke a day!

On Saturday, March 10, 2007 we are cleaning up our Coke Ovens Park, to make it a place that we can enjoy, spend time in, and open up for the community and our guests.

The park will be a heritage park to reflect on our coal mining history, a cultural center for the Town of West Blocton, and a key component of the regional Cahaba tourism plan.

Please come join us on Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 9:00 as we fight privet, build signs, place signs, re-mark the walking trail, and generally clean up our Coke Ovens.

For more information, contact Elizabeth at 205-566-2479

NEMO Program Training~ an Excellent tool for educators

Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO)
April 26, 2007

Training for the Alabama NEMO Program will be held at ADEM’s offices at 1400 Coliseum Blvd, Montgomery. The training is open to anyone who would ike to receive continuing education credits for a land use/water quality workshop or training on how to put on the NEMO program in your home watershed.

Agenda items include:
· Nonpoint source pollution and the clean water act,
· How does NPS relate to other environmental programs?
· Certification programs for control of development impacts
· Water quality monitoring programs
· Economics and planning
· Low impact development
· Codes and ordinances

For more information, and to reserve your space, contact Patti Hurley at (334) 394-4350 Email: pah@adem.state.al.us

Volunteer Days- updated opportunities to help

-http://www.nps.gov/volunteer

Volunteer Days 2007:
Call or email Elizabeth to help, 566-2479 lizalt@gmail.com


What are Volunteer Days? Work days to get projects accomplished in Bibb County
Who is it for? These workdays are for anyone in Bibb County who is willing to help better our community and get things done!
Example of success: The Italian Catholic Cemetery… it took 30 people 3 days to get the cemetery looking great, again- go see it!

JANUARY: DONE! Clean up at Italian Catholic Cemetery, West Blocton- Jan. 20th, 9:30 -lunch provided

FEBRUARY: DONE! Acid Mine Drainage and Cool Spots in Bibb County Presentation, WB Library, Feb. 26th, 6:00, refreshments provided (work day because you’re learning)

MARCH: DONE! Coke Ovens Work Day, T.B.A and

MARCH: C the River Canoe Trip, Refuge, March 31st,, 9:00 RSVP!, bring lunch

APRIL: Earth Day! Clean up at the Refuge, April 21st, 8:00 register, lunch provided

MAY: Lily Day 26th and River Ramble 19th (Big Cross Country Run in honor of Shane Hulsey), Need help with both events! …call Elizabeth to help

JUNE: Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, Between Fences opening last weekend in June with the Fish Fry 29th, and the Old Timers Game 30th, downtown West Blocton - runs through July- call Elizabeth to help, stay tuned for details

JULY: ?

AUGUST: ?

SEPTEMBER: Public Lands Day, Clean up with the Forest Service, Talladega National Forest, Oakmulgee Division

Bham News Article on CRS Annual Meeting

Developers honored for preservation
Projects include ways to capture, filter runoff

Thursday, January 25, 2007
DAWN KENT
News staff writer

Environmentalists and developers will come together tonight as the Cahaba River Society introduces an award for projects that have features designed to protect the river and its watershed.

At its annual meeting, the society will present the Blue-Green Design Innovation Award to businesses involved in two projects: The Shoppes at River Run in Mountain Brook and St. Vincent's One Nineteen Health and Wellness in Hoover.

"We want to show that these are practical and feasible measures," said Beth Stewart, the society's executive director. "We hope that more and more projects will begin to be built this way."

At St. Vincent's One Nineteen Health and Wellness, a technique called bioswales reduces stormwater pollution and flooding effects of parking lots. The bioswales use landscaped islands in parking lots to allow runoff to seep into the ground, filtering pollutants. The facility is near Lake Purdy.

St. Vincent's Health System and St. Vincent's One Nineteen Health and Wellness will receive the award, along with general contractors Brasfield and Gorrie and landscape architect Ross Land Design.

Bioswales also are in use at The Shoppes at River Run, on the banks of the Cahaba River. In addition, the development uses a Baysaver, a trademarked water filtration system, in the parking lot to catch and filter runoff.

Moss Properties, Stewart Perry Company Inc. and Ross Land Design will receive the award for the project.

Other awards presented at the meeting will recognize volunteer and public service efforts to protect the river and its watershed.

The meeting, which will be at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, is open to the public. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., there will be interactive displays of existing or upcoming developments with watershed-protective design. The 6:30 p.m. program will feature the awards and comments from Vestavia Hills Mayor Scotty McCallum and Trussville Mayor Gene Melton.

E-mail: dkent@bhamnews.com

Volunteer Corps~ Opportunities to serve in Bibb County

The Volunteer Corps is an idea born of the Bibb County Tourism Meetings held in Centreville at the Rock Building. Of the many different organizations that exist in Bibb County, communication and participation will be the key to making progress and cleaning up Bibb County. contact: Elizabeth Salter 205-566-2479

2007 Schedule (as it currently stands):

JANUARY- DONE This Saturday- 9:30 Italian Catholic Cemetery on Primitive Ridge Road Lunch provided

FEBRUARY- DONE Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)- Workshop on AMD, West Blocton, City Hall; field trip to ID Sites; Bibb County Canoe Trip

MARCH- DONE Coke Ovens Volunteer work- Help us ready the park for Lily Day and River Ramble!

APRIL- Earth Day! 8:00, April 21st Clean up at the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge with The Friends of the Refuge, the Cahaba River Society, Fox 6, and Alabama Power

MAY- Lily Day! (26th) and the ~Cahaba River Ramble~ more details to come...

JUNE- The Smithsonian comes to Bibb County! A Traveling Smithsonian Exhibit, Between Fences will be set up in West Blocton for the months of June and July~ Opening day: June 22nd in conjunction with Wild West Blocton Days the 29th and the 30th

JULY-

AUGUST-

SEPTEMBER- Public Lands Day~ Clean up with the US Forest Rangers from Centreville

Alabama State Council on the Arts funds Blocton Coke Ovens Restoration

------------------------------------Walter Sansing gives us a tour of the Ovens

For Immediate Release:

The Town of West Blocton Receives Grant for Blocton Coke Ovens Park

The Town of West Blocton is pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $4,500 from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA), the state arts agency. This grant will provide part of the money needed to design a conceptual plan for the Blocton Coke Ovens Park. The rest of the monies will be donated. This conceptual plan is necessary to show future grant sources (federal, state legislators, and similar agencies to ASCA) what is needed to make the park a showcase of our coal mining heritage, a cultural center for the town, as well as a key component of the regional Cahaba tourism plan with some of the most well preserved Coke Ovens in the region.

ASCA grants are awarded through a multi-faceted competitive review process. This grant signifies that The Town of West Blocton, the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, and the Americorps OSM/VISTA Program through the Cahaba River Society, Cahaba River Authority, and the Bibb County Citizens for Wildflowers are providing programs to serve the needs of the community.

This grant, awarded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts is made possible through funding from an annual appropriation from the Alabama State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. This public Support enables our project at the Blocton Coke Ovens Park to reach new audiences, foster community development, and demonstrate the importance of arts as a component for quality of life in Alabama.