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More than 170 business people, government officials, civic leaders and transportation experts assembled in Lubbock last week for the annual Summit of the Ports-To-Plains Coalition. What they heard from a parade of 17 speakers was largely encouraging, often exhorting. The PTP Corridor links commerce in four states as it snakes along existing highways, most under heavy construction to handle increasing truck and tourist traffic between the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Denver, the vacation springboard and financial hub of Colorado. “The Color of Progress," declared captions on symbolic, miniature orange traffic cones serving as table décor at the PTP Summit. Representatives from transportation agencies in Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico gave brief progress updates to PTP Summit members and guests. Mehdi Baziar, mobility analysis manager, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), described continuing construction of the state's “Super Two" highways. These two-lane roads, with very broad shoulders, incised grooves for traction on snow and ice, and passing lanes as necessary, are paved with concrete, requiring less maintenance than asphalt. Baziar explained that the thick cement is also less vulnerable to the movement of Colorado's expansive soils. The “Super Two" construction on the PTP Corridor, from Lamar, through Limon, Colorado on Interstate 70, has sufficient easement to permit expansion to four-lane divided highway, the “gold standard" of PTP development, when traffic volume or congestion demand it.
CONSTRUCTION of a new home for Mak Hima Impis Rugby Club is set to begin soon. The Makerere based club that has been holding its training sessions and home games at the University's main ground, is to move to a new home to that is to be erected at Nsibirwa Grounds. This information was relayed to Daily Monitor by Makerere University's sports tutor Penninah Kabenge.
"Impis is going to shift to a new ground that is to be constructed at Nsibirwa grounds as a way of uplifting the sport and games at the institution in general," Kabenge said.
However, she was not certain when ground-breaking work would begin at the site. The Shs350m project is to be funded by the club's long time partners Hima Cement with whom the University has already finalised the budget requirements.
BILOXI - "If you build it, they will come" could have been the theme of Hancock Bank's 40th annual Gulf Coast Economic Symposium under the "Together We Rebuild" banner Tuesday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. A panel of experts, including the state treasurer, a top business leader and a nationally renowned economic consultant, told a crowd of almost 1,000 that the successful and rapid recovery from the effects of Hurricane Katrina hinges on one issue: housing. "We need to build 80,000 housing units in five years," said panelist Anthony Topazi, president and CEO of Mississippi Power Co. The majority of these units, Topazi said, will be made up of workforce housing. He expects commercial entities to peak in that time frame with a corresponding need for employees and homes they can afford to live in.
Cool air whipped against Jerry Mitchell as he sped down a Wisconsin road, the engine of his motorcycle humming smoothly through each curve of the asphalt. A headlight appeared, traveling toward him, swaying from its place across the center line. Moments later, metal smashed into metal. Mitchell was on his way to a Harley-Davidson convention when he collided with a drunk driver. His injuries required the amputation of his left leg, hip-replacement surgery and the insertion of several steel rods in his arms. He also suffered traumatic brain injury. At the time, Mitchell had been working at Truman Veterans Hospital for 15 years and was in the process of buying a home in the country. The accident shattered that dream. Then Mitchell heard about Habitat for Humanity, which builds and sells houses for 69 percent of the appraised value, basically covering the cost of materials.
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