More rain but even more progress

The Bed and Breakfast is really starting to take shape. With the stone going up we are really starting to get a feel for how beautiful this is going to be. On the inside the electrical is about complete, the plumbing is in, the sprinkler system is installed......

The Bingo pavilion is also really moving forward. the whole roof is about covered, I was amazed to see so many lifts and so many workers EVERYWHERE. Progress, Progress, Progress... Thank you.

Country Crossings creates indirect jobs

As they keep making steady progress out at the site, even through heavy rain storms, jobs are being created. Here is a link to a great article about jobs out on the site:

http://www.zwire.com/news/newsstory.cfm?newsid=20352199&title=Country%20Crossing%20development%20offers%20jobs%20in%20tough%20times&BRD=1145&PAG=461&CATNAME=Top%20Stories&CATEGORYID=410

These are direct jobs that have people working out on the site. There have been others, like steel and lumber suppliers, that have benefited indirectly from Country Crossing.
Today we see a whole new category developing. As far as I know, the first true indirect jobs have been created in response to building Country Crossing. Jackson and Ronda, the owners of the The BBQ Shack out on Brannon Stand Road, saw that all of the construction workers really had no place to go get a good hot meal on their 1/2 hour lunch break. From this the idea of The BBQ Shack Cafeteria was born, and is located directly across the highway from the entrance to the Country Crossing Site, next to the fireworks stand. This new location now employs 6 people to serve great home style food to the hungry workers and anyone looking for a good meal on the south side of town. They are open from 10am-2pm Monday-Saturday. They are positioning themselves so as the number of workers and demand grows they can expand their hours and provide dinner for later shifts. They are serving the food cafeteria style with a couple choices of meat, vegetables, salad, desert, and drinks. I am told that besides the fantastic food the best part about the The BBQ Shack Cafeteria is the AC runs cold and is very refreshing on these hot summer days.

Everyone needs a job!

As the unemployment rate exceeds 10% it seems like just about everyone is looking for a job. Out at the Country Crossing Site they are seeing between 70-100 people a day coming and turning in applications. While I was last there there were no less than 8 cars in the parking lot with people filling out applications. One of the cars had 5 people in it all looking for work.
As the number of workers on sight swells and as we get closer to the opening date Country Crossing will help to change this unemployment trends and put the hard working people of Alabama back to work.

For those that are interested in working at Country Crossing you are asked to submit a resume in a number of ways:
email:
jobs@ronniegilleyproperties.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you do not have access to email you can mail a hard copy of your resume to the address below:

Ronnie Gilley Properties
Attn: Human Resource Department (Country Crossing)
1 Maverick Way
Enterprise, AL 36330

Or you can put an application in at the PR trailer at the Country Crossing site. These will be put in a data base that will be used as the major hire process begins.

It is also recommended that you keep checking on http://www.countrycrossingalabama.com where specific jobs will be listed as the are needed. If you see a specific job you would like to apply for, you will need to resubmit an application for that specific position and follow the directions listed in the job posting.

So much going on at Country Crossing

They are getting so much done around the site. December 1st is going to be here before we know it at the crews are working at a feverish pace to get everything done by the grand opening.

At ground level, well I guess technically below ground, the sewer system and drainage system are going in. There is equipment everywhere with huge piles of dirt and pipe everywhere.

Grading work is going on all over and the amphitheater is starting to take shape.


While we where down in the Holler I caught Blair grinning like a fat cat as he was checking out the bed and breakfast. It really is taking shape. The stone guys are busily installing ALL of the stone. The HVAC looks like it is about finished. The plumbing is coming along and should be finished shortly. The electricians are getting boxes set and lighting in place. In the next couple of days there will be wire all over the place.

Up on the hill the bingo complex is really starting to take shape. I was really surprised to see the number of people that were working on the bingo pad. They are putting in the cinder block walls, the metal is still going in and the whole building should be covered very soon. They are also already hanging HVAC ducts from the ceiling. I know that I have mentioned this before but this building is going to be HUGE!

Progress picking up on site

TENTATIVE GRAND OPENING DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR DECEMBER, 1 2009!!!

Even the 10 inches of rain that they got on site over the last week could not stop progress. The ground got soft and the trucks bogged down but the work has continued to move forward. Things are starting to move along at a very fast pace on the Country Crossing site as they add more equipment and many more workers to the project. I was surprised by all of the additional equipment that has been brought to the site in the last week. The sewer system is being installed, the RV Park is being surveyed and the main sewer drains moved into place, the amphitheater is being graded and is starting to take shape, the out parcel plats are being graded........... Some of the most exciting news is that the work force on site everyday has grown to around the 100 persons mark. Think of all of the jobs that we are creating!

AND I have not even begun to talk about progress at Possum Holler Bed and Breakfast, and the Bingo Pavilion.

Down in the Holler things are moving right along. The roofers are installing the shingles, the HVAC crew has the main AC trunks installed and are working hard, the plumbers are getting the job done, the bed and breakfast looks like a beehive of activity with all of the workers moving the project along.

On top of the hill the steel is going up and anyone can see that a HUGE building is taking shape. I apologize for my lack of knowledge of the terminology when it comes to steel construction so I will do my best to describe all that is happening. When I got there I was excited to see that one of the main 'ribs' that support the roof has stretched the whole length of the building and that about 1/3 of the building already has the top sheeting on it. It is really neat to see the peaks of the front facade and how big this building is going to be.

Sewer

I know that it is not the most glamorous topic in thew world but installing the sewer system is a vital piece of the infrastructure going in. I was talking to Randy Robinson who is the Supervisor for Specialized Services, Inc. out of West Point, GA. and he said that they are going to start at the back of the property and work their way forward installing the sewer system. These are all very important steps to getting Country Crossing up and running. We are still looking to the first of December of 2009 to get up and running.

Great progress at Country Crossing

Things are really taking off at the Country Crossing Site.

Possum Holler Bed and Breakfast:
The framing is all but done and most of the windows are set. When I was there the HVAC guys were putting in the main ducts and the plumbers were putting in the pressure lines for water. The roofers will be there on Monday and the stone for the outside will be showing up the first part of next week.

Bingo Pavilion:
THE STEEL IS GOING IN!!! this is great. We will see some real fast progress now! The pictures should be fun to see it growing now!