The newly completed recreation center at Municipal Park in Fairhope AL is slated to open early this summer 2009.  This 19,355-square-foot $2.4 million building will be operating as soon as staffing needs and necessary equipment are in place.  Currently city staffers are working to bid on cardiovascular machines, cable weights and free weights, and computer software that will effectively track memberships and facility usage.  Thus far the building includes three basketball courts, sauna, racquetball court, space for a weight room and a game room.  The recreation center’s sturdy construction was built to withstand 140-mph winds, and city officials hope that this center will serve the needs of the whole Fairhope community.

For information on real estate in Fairhope AL or other Gulf Coast AL areas including Spanish Fort, Daphne, Mobile or West Mobile, contact your friendly local agent Barbara Reeves by email or through the “Talk Live” button on this page.

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Fairhope Alabama’s own Bay Breeze Guest House will be featured on Sunday, April 19 on a PBS special.  The program will be entitled “At Home in Alabama” and the second week of the program will include the Bay Breeze Guest House, a wonderful bed and breakfast along the Scenic 98.  In 1997, this quaint bed and breakfast was featured on another PBS special that walked viewers through the top 10 bed and breakfasts in Alabama; owners Bill and Becky Jones have also lent their masterful southern cooking tips to a PBS cooking show called “Lower Alabama Pie.”  The Bay Breeze Guest House is even known internationally with English and German guests staying for a weekend or two for great southern food, entertainment and lodgings at this prime location near Mobile Bay.

Click here for more information on staying at Bay Breeze Guest House.

For information on Fairhope AL real estate or other Baldwin County AL area real estate contact your friendly local realtor Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking the “Talk Now” button on this page.

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Agri-tourism has increased in recent times and Fairhope AL and other Baldwin County areas could benefit economically from its popularity.  The first of a series of meetings throughout Alabama will be held today in Fairhope to explore options for developing an Alabama Agri-Tourism Association.  Just as people in general want to find new ways to be eco-friendly in building, eating, and living, farms have been of renewed interest to provide the ‘old fashioned’ way of being healthy and eating organic.  The development of a state agri-tourism association will offer a way of marketing, serve as an industry networking group, allow industry members to offer input into Alabama’s Agri-Tourism Trail program, and basically assist Agri-tourism in being an economic stimulus for the area.

For more on Alabama’s Agri-tourism Trail program visit alabamaagritourism.com.

For information on available real estate in Fairhope AL and other Baldwin County areas, contact local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by calling toll free at 888-489-8001.

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Fairhope Alabama’s city zoning officials approved the subdivision of a few lots at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at the beginning of this month.   This supercenter is located on Ala. 181, just south of its intersection at Fairhope Ave.  Wal-Mart owns the 59 acres where they built a supercenter in 2007, and the grassy lots that were recently subdivided into three parcels of 2 acres or smaller are not earmarked for anything yet.  Though there are no plans yet how they will be developed, zoning officials will be notified before anything is started.  Other conditions of the approval of the three parcel subdivision include a submittal of a grounds maintenance plan, a drainage compliance letter, and electrical certifications, as cited in the Press Register online.

For more information on real estate in Fairhope AL, contact your local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking the “Talk Live” feature of this page.

In most locations of the country, winter has set in; but in Alabama’s Gulf Coast seasonal visitors have been coming out for the warmer climate.  “Snowbirds,” as winter visitors are referred to, have flocked to the Baldwin county beaches for some recreation and to get away from the harsh weather conditions in other parts of the country.  Dauphin Island is also showing signs of winter visitors for brief periods of time here and there for family vacations.

But with golf courses, dining options, and the fresh coast air, ‘snowbirds’ know how to spend their time on the Gulf Coast.  The local economies also benefit considerably from the business, and the seasonal visitors are happy to have a place to be home away from home.

For more information on real estate in the Baldwin County AL area, including Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne Alabama, contact local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking the ‘talk now’ button on this page.

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Fairhope Alabama has seen many improvements to their downtown area in the last two years and more are in store for this New Year.  Although Fairhope received a new library, renovated museum, and more cafes and retail stores, this year it is expected that a series of 13 small shops and offices will adore the length of Fairhope Ave to Delamare Street.  The Hampton Inn is slated to be completed at the end of February, and the accompanying parking deck should be finished within the next two weeks.

As well as new commercial areas, the downtown campus of Faulkner State Community College will be constructing a three-story, 52,000-square-foot science and allied health building with work beginning this month.

More Fairhope AL improvements to come this year, so stay tuned into the Gulf Coast Real Estate and Community News blog to see what’s in store.

For information on real estate in Fairhope Alabama and other surrounding areas including Spanish Fort, Daphne, Mobile, and West Mobile, contact your local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking on the “Talk Now” feature of this blog.

Baldwin County AL federal flood insurance policyholders will see a savings on premiums this year.  Due to the step up from a Class 8 to a Class 7 in the Community Rating System program, a 15 percent discount saving will be seen, an improvement on the previous 10 percent discount.  This discount will mean a countywide total savings of $640,000 and on the individual level, an average of $68 per policy savings for almost 9,500 policyholders that reside in the Special Flood Hazard Areas.

Learn more about flood insurance coverage in Baldwin County AL at the Press Register.

For information on real estate in Baldwin County, AL including homes and property in Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne Alabama contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking on the “Talk Now” button on this page.

Finding a parking space in the crowded downtown Fairhope AL area is about to become a lot easier with the new parking deck nearing completion.  The general contractor on the project, John Pate, is shooting for finishing the parking deck by the 31st of this month, but expects if it isn’t done by this time, that it will be done shortly after.

The Fairhope parking deck will have 249 spaces for parking and is estimated to cost $2.5 million to build; it has been constructed with six sloping levels and has three entrances, two from Church Street and one from Section Street.  The city will manage the parking deck, making it free of charge, but they must still decide on how Hampton Inn customers will be identified for their 89 reserved parking spaces.

For information on Fairhope AL real estate and nearby Spanish Fort, and Daphne AL real estate, contact your local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking on the “Talk Now” button on this page.

Fairhope AL’s City Council overturned Mayor Tim Kant’s veto of a subdivision on Parker Road this past week.  Kant’s decision was made on November 24th, and the recent vote from the council showed unanimous to overturn that decision.  The council members based most of their decision on a promise from the developer, Chris Haley, that he would limit the height of the homes in the subdivision to 35 feet.   The developer is required to complete two months of site preparations before these homes commence the building process, allowing the city council proper time to come up with an ordinance that will limit the height of the houses to be in accordance to Haley’s promise.

The subdivision is proposed to be an eight-home plan located on Parker Road near Mobil Bay on the 3.8 acre lot on the corner of Parker Road and Scenic 98 intersection.  For more information on this issue visit the Press Register online.

For more information on Fairhope Alabama homes contact your local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking on the “Talk Now” feature at the top of this page.

Fairhope Alabama’s new recreational center is coming along nicely, with the building lights turning on last week for the first time.  This exciting new facility for Fairhope is a 19,355 square foot building with an estimated cost of $2.4 million.  The rec center is expected to be completed and opened within a few months, but there are still some decisions to be discussed concerning the operation of the facility.  City officials have yet to decide how many will be needed to staff, how they will be paid, who will run it, and how the facility’s operations will actually be funded; all these questions will have to be decided by the city council in the next few months.

The new rec center will have swimming pools, an indoor track for running, basketball courts, a weight room, and racquetball courts.

For more information on available homes in Fairhope AL contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves via email or click on the “Talk Now” button on this page.