By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

It’s going to be OK Mobile

So this is what it’s like to get royally screwed as a community.

While it may sound like I’m talking about Juan Chastang running off with $90K for doing absolutely nothing, that’s a topic for another day. I’m talking about the federal government’s sudden decision recently to shelve the process of buying new refueling tankers for the Air Force – tankers that not so long ago looked like they’d be built right here in the Azalea City. A few months ago we were all dancing in the streets thinking about becoming one of the three places in the world where large aircraft are built and all the attendant things that would come with that – pro football, runway models having water fights in the Bienville Square fountain and Lagniappe buying the RSA Tower for an office. (OK, some of the “attendant things” might be a bit wishful. But the airplane building part was cool.)

But Boeing was able to raise enough sand – to use one of my father’s favorite Arkansas expressions – to make the military buyers say “uncle.” Suddenly we went from thinking about booming housing markets, new developments and an influx of exotic new residents, to wondering if we’re going to feel the national housing crunch like everyone else, now. (Maybe this worry is more acute at nouveau chez Holbert because the former chez Holbert has been on the market for four months. Ouch!)

But the despair was pretty easily seen in the eyes, teeth and gums of local leaders. Bay Haas, director of the Mobile Airport Authority, may have inadvertently put a face to the citywide feeling of being screwed when his snarling face appeared on the cover of the Press-Register the morning after it was announced the competition would be taken back to formula. It was bad enough to scare the kids. When someone who normally might be mistaken for Jason Robards’ better-looking younger brother gets twisted up enough to look like the pitchman for Purina Horsechow, you know something extraordinary has happened. (I saw Bay a few days later and he was back to his normal handsome self, so no need to send Botox.)

When something like this happens, the first reaction is probably to react like a hurricane is about to hit. Fill up the car, make sure you’ve got money on hand and load up on canned goods, because bad times are a-coming! But as some of the local leaders I’ve spoken with in the past few days have been quick to point out, there are still lots of good things happening in the Mobile area. It’s not quite time to start picking out a sturdy rafter in the garage from which to hang ourselves.

For one, there is still this nifty little group called ThyssenKrupp engaging in one of the largest building projects in the country just up the road. Sure, it’s not quite as sexy as building airplanes right in downtown Mobile, but it’s not exactly a giant chicken rendering plant either folks. TK’s going to deliver bigtime jobs, lots of money and an influx of folks from exotic, far-away lands like Germany. It’s already happening.

Some other things to consider are the massive expansion at the Port of Mobile, the University of South Alabama’s regional cancer center and the giant racetrack slated to be built in Prichard. All of those things are homeruns in and of themselves, and the racetrack means we’ll have more reasons to put stickers of Calvin urinating on various drivers’ numbers on our cars. Certainly any city that had all three happening at once, and a giant steel plant coming in just a few miles north, would be considered to be a rather “happening” place. Throw in the Calvin stickers, and we’re positively “hot.”

But if all that weren’t enough, the other thing to keep in mind is the Brookley complex is still there and still a very desirable place for many different businesses. It’s been the bridesmaid too many times to stay single forever. And if my wife would let me be a betting man, I’d still put money on the folks from France saying whatever “What the Hell” is in French, loading up the Grey Poupon and coming here anyway.

Sure, those latte-filled babies from the Northwest whined, cried, threatened and complained enough to get the government to shelve the whole project until we get a new president. But in the long run, I still think Boeing’s going to have another big jet competitor on U.S. soil and it’s going to be EADS at Brookley. Everyone seems to be of the consensus EADS needs to build somewhere that deals in dollars, and they’ve already poured buckets of dollars and euros into researching and developing plans for building at Brookley.

On top of that, their Airbus subsidiary has a very large and successful engineering center out at Brookley. Surely that alone speaks to the commitment the company has to this city and that site.

For both the hated Boeing and EADS, commercial jetliner construction is where the big money is. The military contracts certainly are nothing to sneeze at, but these companies are in it to build airplanes that will be hauling Aunt Agnes to visit relatives in Reno moreso than carrying soldiers or fuel into battle zones – not that such contracts aren’t important or attractive to either company.

So even though Boeing has been able to delay things in hopes Barack Obama becomes president and helps push the tanker contract to his old pals in Chicago, here’s guessing the ultimate goal isn’t going to be achieved. That was to keep EADS from gaining a foothold in the U.S., period. After all, it will be much harder to argue we’re sending jobs overseas or that U.S. airlines should “buy American” if lots of hard-working Americans are assembling jets in Mobile. That is the reason the gang at Boeing have had every one of their bought-and-paid-for elected members of Congress out there trying to gum up the works.

So the bottom line is to get your head out of the oven and slap a beret on top of it – there’s still a lot to be excited about, even if we’re at least momentarily screwed on the tanker front. Now if the local housing market would just pick up again….

Join the Discussion

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

Archives