Phenix City's been in recession since the 1950s

The economy…well, I am so tired of hearing about how this country is in a recession. It ain’t. It is in a depression – as in the comment many people are saying right now, “I’m depressed because I do not have a job.”


I am very fortunate to still have a job in this economy. But, then, Phenix City has been in a recession since the 1950s. Basically, we, here in East Alabama’s East Coast Community (yes, we are on the coast of the Chattahoochee River and it sounds better than here in Alabama’s East Bank Community.) have seen little to none when it comes to economic growth since the 1950s.

We just seem to remain the same. No matter what our political leaders (and I use that word loosely) have told us over the years. We saw Phenix Plaza die with the opening of Grant City which became K-Mart. K-Mart is still around, but lost its momentum with the opening of Wal-Mart. You can drive along the city’s 280 Bypass and, if you have a good memory, remember all the stores that are now long gone – Howard Brothers, Gaylords, Goolsby Food, Big Star, South Star, Winn Dixie, Victory Auto Parts, Dixie Dog, Del Taco, Po Folks, Western Corral, Mr. J’s Steakhouse, Food Giant, Wendy’s, Torch 280 Supper Club, Torch 280 Truck Stop, Hancock Fabrics, Frank’s Warehouse, Bill, Neil and Phil’s, Neil’s Sports Shop, Pizza Inn, Brand X Restaurant, Durango’s, China Eagle, Texaco Service Station, Shell Service Station, Town and Country Hotel and whatever the name of that do-nut shop was. All are gone and some have left behind empty buildings.

Who would have ever thought – provided you grew up in Phenix City and are more than 50 years old – that the Townhouse and Lane’s restaurants would close. And, the Biff Burger, Dairy Dream and (as I choke with emotion) Chicken Comer’s. If I thought a little more, I could come up with many other stores and restaurants that have long left our tiny hamlet.

The more I think about our economic situation, the more depressed I get.

In the 1950s, Phenix City had a population of about 25,000. The population has not increased much over that – somewhere around 30-35,000 – since those days when compared to surrounding communities. Still, even with an increase of 10,000 people, Phenix City has the tax base of a city half its size or less.

About the only growing industry in Phenix City is its school system, which has seen an increase in students of about 1,400 in the last seven years. The school system, with BRAC on the horizon, may grow at an even more rapid pace in the next few years. That means Phenix City will see more and more homes built to handle the families that will relocate to the area because of BRAC.

Our city government will have to grow to meet the demands of an increasing population. We will need more police, firefighters, public works employees, utilities employees, recreation workers, etc. Our infrastructure will need to be updated – more capability to produce water and waterlines to handle the increased production to name a couple of things.

Where will the money to handle all of this come from? The taxpayers will pay dearly because of the tax base we have created in Phenix City – a tax base created by our spending habits and attitudes. Not long ago, I remember a former city council presenting a list of projects to the citizens of Phenix City for their approval and for their consent to increase property taxes by $1 per month ($12 annually) to fund those projects. I can remember when renovating the old Central annex building was suggested and proposing to move the library was presented. One of our more brilliant citizens objected, saying, “We don’t need a new library. They have one we can use in Columbus.” The same argument was used on every other project presented to the public at that time by this individual. Yes, he was right. Columbus has everything and we can pay to use those things there. We have nothing in comparison – except a growth in the number of bedrooms we have built to handle the economic growth Columbus and other surrounding communities are seeing.

All this being said, we must come up with a program of economic development for Phenix City. I have two – both extreme – and others should be considered before allowing mine to be implemented.

My first plan: declare Phenix City an independent nation and regard the bridges to Columbus as border stops. People traveling out of Phenix City is okay, but when they return they must go through Customs and pay a steep tariff on items purchased outside of Phenix City.

My second plan: remove those bridges leading away from Phenix City. I doubt anyone will want to swim back and forth across the Chattahoochee, but you never know when it comes to Phenix City folks. In many cases, they will go out of their ways to spend money elsewhere.