Things to watch in Birmingham in 2022: Woodfin 2nd term, World Games

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin — no longer the rookie who knocked off incumbent Mayor William Bell Sr. in 2017 — won a second term in office in 2021 and will continue to pursue his agenda for the city in 2022.

Also, Birmingham will host one of the largest events in Alabama history — The World Games — this summer.

Those are just two things facing the Magic City in 2022. Other topics of interest include:

• The Birmingham Promise — Woodfin’s signature education initiative — is searching for a new director.
• Twentieth Street North downtown is getting a facelift.
• There are new construction projects planned to help revitalize Ensley and the area around the old Southtown Court housing project.
• Birmingham is generating excitement with its growing array of sports facilities and professional teams.
• The COVID-19 pandemic continues, making it difficult to see the New Year clearly.

But Birmingham residents can at least hope the city, which celebrated its 150th birthday in 2021, will regain the momentum it had before the pandemic and perhaps finally claim its status as a major American city with its own character.

‘Woodfin machine’

Woodfin faced some challenges during his successful reelection campaign, including the pandemic’s economic fallout and a spike in violent crime.

But he won the August election by a large margin against seven challengers, including Bell, winning 64% of the vote.

The mayor “had the best campaign and best grassroots organization” and is “really well liked,” said Larry Powell, a UAB political communications expert.

Natalie Davis, a political science professor at Birmingham-Southern College, said Woodfin reminds her of Richard Arrington Jr., the first Black mayor of Birmingham, in terms of his popularity with voters.

“We used to talk about the Arrington machine,” Davis said. “I think we can now talk about a Woodfin machine.”

Citizens will now see how Woodfin spends his political capital in his second term.

When he was inaugurated Nov. 23, Woodfin said he wanted to help make Birmingham “the great city … it can and should be.”

The city “can and must continue to learn” from its civil rights history, Woodfin said.

However, he added, “Our history is not who we are.

“Birmingham is about the future,” Woodfin said.

Among other goals for his second term, he mentioned a desire to increase economic opportunity and access for all city residents.

He stressed the importance of citizen involvement, something he also mentioned during the campaign.

“Each of us is obligated to contribute in any way we can, in any way possible, to make sure Birmingham’s diverse web of talent, as well as skill and belief and aspiration, come to fruition,” he said.

The world is coming

Birmingham will host The World Games 2022 July 7-17, with 3,600 athletes from 100 countries competing in 32 sports at a dozen area venues.

There will be about 100,000 attendees and an economic boost of about $256 million, officials say.

“We have a great opportunity to show off Birmingham’s growth and vibrancy to the world,” Jay Kasten, TWG2022 vice president of operations, told Iron City Ink in July.

At press time, Nick Sellers — the event’s CEO — said he feels good about the state of preparation for the event.

“I’m confident in our overall planning and preparation,” he told Iron City Ink, citing transportation, security, marketing and promotions.

“I couldn’t be more excited about how this effort has brought together such cooperation across the region,” Sellers said.

Local, state, regional and federal officials are working together to make TWG2022 happen, he said.

Marketing efforts are picking up, with the “Road to Birmingham” promotion beginning Feb. 21, the day after the closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

At that point, “the eyes of the international sports world turn to Birmingham,” Sellers said.

Organizers will also introduce the theme song for the Games and announce the artists

performing in the opening and closing ceremonies.

Sellers said he is “relatively pleased” with ticket sales so far but believes sales will “skyrocket” in the spring.

Regarding COVID-19, Sellers said organizers will seek guidance from the Jefferson County Department of Public Health, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the infectious disease experts at UAB.

However, organizers “remain confident that TWG 2022 will be the first major international multisport event in the world with full venues again,” Sellers said.

About 2,500 volunteers are needed. To sign up, go to twg2022.com/volunteers.

A downtown facelift

In the 1970s, the city of Birmingham completed an extensive redesign of 20th Street North, including new sidewalks, landscaping and lighting.

The Birmingham Green project was a way to help beautify and revitalize downtown, which faced stiff competition from suburban malls.

Beginning in 2018, officials began studying ways to update 20th Street.

Construction began on the Birmingham Green Refresh in October and the project should be completed in time for The World Games, according to REV Birmingham.

The project stretches from Morris Avenue to Linn Park and includes expansion of bike and flex lanes installed in 2020.

For details, go to revbirmingham.org.

Keeping the Promise

The Birmingham Promise initiative provides up to four years of tuition assistance for Birmingham City Schools graduates who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. It also manages an internship and apprenticeship program that allows high school seniors to gain work experience.

Since 2020, the program has provided almost 800 Birmingham graduates with financial support and success coaching while in college.

It has also provided 150 apprenticeships, with an additional 100 student apprentices expected this spring and attracted major financial support.

In May, the program received $7 million in corporate gifts, including $5 million from Vulcan Value Partners and $1 million each from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and Protective Life Corporation.

In November, the program was awarded a $1.8 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

2022 will be a time of transition for the program. Executive Director Rachel Harmon will step down early this year, and the program is conducting a national search to find her successor.

For more information, go to birminghampromise.org.

Southside Progress

Two major projects will help transform a key portion of Southside between UAB and Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham near Five Points South.

Southern Research — a mainstay in the neighborhood for decades — recently announced plans for a new laboratory facility on its campus that will double its Biosafety Level 3 lab space for research on infectious diseases.

The facility will be located on the site of Quinlan Castle, a long-vacant apartment building on Ninth Avenue South constructed in the 1920s.

Southern Research also plans to hire more than 100 new scientists.

The jobs and investment from the planned expansion will allow Southern Research to double its annual economic impact in Jefferson County to about $300 million, according to a company news release.

In the same area, the 80-year-old Southtown Court housing projects near Red Mountain Expressway were approved for demolition in October, according to media reports.

In their place, Southside Development Co. — partnering with the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District — is to build new housing, offices and retail and restaurant space.

Hope for Ensley

The city announced in November that demolition had begun at the old Ensley High School to make way for a new 10-acre, 244-home mixed-used neighborhood.

The Zimmerman Development Team, which is overseeing the project, said in a city news release that construction could begin as early as late 2022.

“Neighborhood revitalization is our top priority,” Woodfin said. “This site will provide a new foundation for vibrant and livable space for our residents.”

Ensley, a historic, once-thriving neighborhood, has been hit hard by economic changes the last few decades, including the closing of a U.S. Steel plant.

The housing development will include off-street parking, green space and an early childhood learning center, and there are plans to turn the Ensley High School gymnasium into commercial space.

This is good news, said George McCall, president of the Ensley Neighborhood Association.

He told Iron City Ink last summer that the development “is going to have everything there that anybody really wants.”

“And maybe the way it comes out, may draw people back to this area,” McCall said.

In another sign of hope for Ensley, the old 10-story Ramsay-McCormack building in downtown Ensley was demolished recently and is to be replaced with a new five-story office structure.

Lots of sports

Birmingham is becoming a sports destination, giving local fans plenty to look forward to in 2022.

This is especially true after the recent renovation of Legacy Arena and the construction of the 45,000-seat Protective Stadium — both at the BJCC.

The Birmingham Squadron, a new professional basketball franchise in the NBA’s G League, played its first home game at Legacy Arena on Dec. 5.

The UAB Blazers football team — which recently joined the American Athletic Conference — now plays its home games at Protective Stadium.

The Birmingham Legion FC professional soccer team announced Dec. 7 that it will make its home at Protective beginning this year.

Protective is also the new home of the annual TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.

Not only that, but according to recent media reports, Protective Stadium may soon be the home of yet another professional football team — the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League, which is being brought back from the dead this spring by FOX-TV after 37 years.

The Stallions were also an original USFL franchise in the 1980s.

COVID-19 continues

March will mark two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s still with us. At press time, the new Omicron variant was making its way around the world.

In any case, the pandemic will likely remain a big part of our lives throughout 2022.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the UAB Division of Infectious Disease, offered the following advice.

"Be cautious,” she told FOX TV-54 recently. “Continue to get vaccinated if you haven’t been. Get your booster shot if you haven’t had it. And, for now, wear a mask if you’re going to be in a place where you’re concerned about getting infected."