EVDO + Catalyst + TechBirmingham + Verizon Wireless = ?
As I prepare to start my weekend a day early, I figured I’d take a look at my friend Curtis’ Flickr account. Actually, I was checking mine to see if any comments had been made on images I’ve uploaded to my account. Don’t ask me why, I’m really not sure what made me do it. Anyway, I came across the following picture:
It’s Mr. Palmer, with Catalyst executive director Cherie Fields and board chair Elizabeth Dotts. Now, I was aware that Verizon Wireless was in town this morning to announce that they flipped the switch and now provide EVDO service in the metro Birmingham area. Click here if you don’t understand what those letters in the previous sentence mean. It’s interesting that the announcement was today since, according to Scott Allan, the “switch” got flipped on August 29th. Based on the big check they’re holding ($20,000!) and the title of the picture, it appears that Catalyst has been awarded funding from Verizon Wireless, but don’t ask me for what; I have no idea. I’m hopeful that Curtis, one of my fellow board members, or the newspaper may be able to share more about this soon. Needless to say, the presence of Verizon Wireless and TechBirmingham (Curtis) means something is about to happen in our ever growing tech scene.
UPDATE: Click here to learn exactly how the grant money will be used. It’s a great win for the community.
Another one bites the dust
Another picture stumbled upon shows the buildings standing next to the Watts Building near the intersection of 20th Street North and 3rd Avenue North in the process of being torn down. The three story structure is being torn down to provide additional parking for Watts now that some of those units are being sold. The demolition was approved by the city’s Design Review Committee last month, with plans calling for a wall to separate the lot from pedestrians. It will also allow for more secure parking, an issue that has been raised more recently due to the recent episode involving the female attorney abduction in May. The need to provide adequate parking for those that choose to live downtown is necessary. There are times where it does need to be weighed with the importance of keeping downtown’s looking and acting as urban as possible. This is the reason they’ve chosen to move downtown.
We’ll have more later on. Don’t forget to check out how the Happy Hour for a Cause went and what the name is for the baby giraffe at the Birmingham Zoo!
Cheers.
