East Alabama innovation and training hub to rise from old mill site
The closed, historic Avondale Mills in Sylacauga burned down following a lightning strike in 2011. But a coalition of organizations and individuals are working to bring new life to the site. (contributed)
From rubble will rise EARTH.
The East Alabama Rural Innovation & Training Hub (EARTH), which is to be constructed on the historic Avondale Mills site in Sylacauga, will offer the same promises as its predecessor, which was an economic engine for the region.
“The site years ago is where people originally found opportunity, hope, work and learning. Today’s world still begs for the same things. EARTH will answer those needs,” said Jeff Lynn, president of Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City.
EARTH’s mission is deeply rooted in east Alabama. It is seeking to increase economic and social growth within its communities through a multidisciplinary, integrated and whole-life workforce development program.
“EARTH is a regional economic development solution, and it’s unique in that it is a bottom-up, top-down approach to addressing resiliency across the age span,” said Margaret Morton, CEO of the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, or SAFE, and president of the EARTH Foundation board.
“When we define workforce development, it’s defined as building human capacity, and that is the heart of our vision, goals and mission,” Morton said.
A conceptual site plan for the proposed EARTH campus where Avondale Mills once stood. (EARTH)
EARTH’s diverse investment team of educators, local leaders, business and industry leaders are bound by their devotion to their rural communities and their vision to increase regional prosperity. As plans developed, EARTH’s leaders first looked to the past and examined east Alabama’s strong entrepreneurial legacy and rural heritage. The history of EARTH’s location plays a primary role in shaping its future.
The Avondale Mills site has been a fixture in the community for more than 100 years, since its founding in 1897 as a textile manufacturing facility. The plant produced fabrics, yarns and ropes from the cotton grown in the fertile fields nearby. At its peak, the mill employed 3,000 workers.
But Avondale Mills was more than a manufacturing plant: Its campus was an epicenter of jobs, housing and everyday life for the employees and their families. The community-minded village bustled with shops, a school, a church and more until it closed in 2006.
During summer 2011, a lightning strike ignited a fire that ravaged the campus and left the site beyond repair.
The devastating fire at the Avondale Mills site. (EARTH)
What’s left may physically be nothing more than piles of bricks and cement, but east Alabama’s soil remains fertile and its residents’ desire for economic development forges on.
“From birth to maturity, the whole campus itself and programming can benefit everyone in the community,” said Melva Tate with Birmingham-based Tate & Associates, a human resources and executive recruiting firm.
EARTH plans to pick up where its predecessor left off: by constructing an innovation campus with programs that are dedicated to building up the workforce for current and potential future industries to support rural economies, and addressing barriers to workforce development by providing transportation and childcare. Alabama Power is among the partners in the project.
State Rep. Ben Robbins of Sylacauga added, “EARTH is taking what was once the heart of the economy, revitalizing it and pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps to make east Alabama that beating heart again.”
East Alabama’s industrial plight isn’t unique to the region: It is only one of many rural communities across the country that has been impacted by a significant industry shutting down.
“Comparable tales can be discovered as you journey through the rural landscapes of America,” says EARTH lead architect Ryan Coleman, who envisions EARTH becoming a model for those areas.
“EARTH aims to establish a blueprint illustrating how rural communities and regions can achieve sustainability through adaptable and resilient infrastructure centered around workforce development,” Coleman said.
Learn more about EARTH at earthruralhub.com.
This story originally appeared on the SoulGrown website.
