2016 State of the City address

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Birmingham Mayor William Bell's 2016 State of the City address was delivered on Tuesday January 12, 2016, at the end of his 6th year in office. Bell addressed the the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham at luncheon in the Harbert Center.

During the address, Bell called for renewal and expansion of the Alabama Historic Preservation Tax Credit, which had provided crucial stimulus for redevelopment of vacant buildings in downtown Birmingham. He also expressed pleasure at the decision by Kamtek to expand its facility and bring 350+ more jobs to Birmingham's Valley East Industrial Park.

He spoke about redevelopment taking place outside of the downtown area, as well, with Avondale as a shining example. Other commercial districts in East Lake, Ensley and Pratt City are also seeing new investment.

Bell reported that the recent December 2015 Birmingham Bowl had brought a $30 million economic impact and that much more was expected from the upcoming 2017 National Senior Games and 2021 World Games events. He hinted at a forthcoming announcement about a new downtown football stadium near the BJCC.

He also discussed the city's efforts to encourage redevelopment of two former hospital campuses; Carraway Hospital on Carraway Boulevard and Trinity Medical Center on Montclair Road.

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