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From the Thursday, June 25, 2009 edition

County jobless rate hits 16.7%

Monroe County’s unemployment numbers for May were the sixth highest in the state along with Perry County.

Monroe and Perry counties had a rate of 16.7 percent, according to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. Wilcox County led the state with 23.9 percent unemployment. Lowndes County was second at 18 percent. Dallas County was third at 17.7 percent and Chambers County was 17.6 percent.

Also, in southwest Alabama, Conecuh County was sixth with 16.1 percent unemployment. Clarke County was ninth with 14.1 percent. Washington County was 14th with 13.4 percent. Butler County was 16th with 13.2 percent. Marengo was 18th with 12.4 percent.

Choctaw County was 21st with 11.8 percent. Escambia County was 24th with 11.6 percent. Mobile County was 41st with 9.6 percent. Covington County was 53rd with 8.6 percent. Baldwin County was 64th with 7.5 percent. Shelby County had the lowest (67th ranking) at 6.6 percent.

Monroeville Mayor Mike Kennedy and Monroe County Probate Judge Greg Norris said they are concerned with the high unemployment and are working to bring jobs to the city and county.

Some things they are working together on is the formation of an airport authority to develop an industrial park at the Monroe County Airport and a plan for the city to annex some properties at Ollie.

Kennedy said the city is ready to move forward with the formation of the airport authority that would promote industrial developments around the airport.

“We understand the county still has a few things to work through on this and when they’re ready we’ll be ready to move forward with them,” Kennedy said.

Norris said county officials haven’t been just sitting around waiting for things to improve. He said the county has applied for a $400,000 grant to make improvements to the airport and has already purchased some property adjacent to the airport.

“We have some things in the works,” he said. “Coastal Gateway (Regional Economic Development Authority) is continuing to promote our industrial sites and the sites are listed with the Alabama Development Office.

“What we need is technical training. The welding school has been a big plus and we had an opportunity to get more technical training.”

He said he thought those opportunities would come with the proposed merger of Reid State Technical College and Alabama Southern Community College. The proposal was put on hold by the Alabama State Department Board of Education last month when Bradley Byrne resigned as chancellor of the state’s community college system to run for governor.

Norris said there hasn‘t been any contact with Georgia Pacific or Harrigan Lumber company officials about when or if the mills may resume production.

“It is encouraging that Georgia Pacific is maintaining the mill,” said District 2 Commissioner Tim McKenzie.

District 1 Commissioner Lum Childs, who owns Childs Construction Company, agreed with McKenzie and added that his company was hired recently to clean the mill’s containment pond.

McKenzie and Norris said they were afraid the unemployment numbers were not going to get much better here until the housing market improves because the county is very heavy in the timber industry.

Since January, three mills have ceased production in the county. Georgia Pacific sent about 300 to the unemployment lines while Alabama River News Print had 170 employed and Harrigan Lumber Company had 87 employees.