June 2009 - Alabama State Port Authority

ThyssenKrupp
Employees Lost in Crash
Erich Walter Heine, member of the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp
Steel AG (TK) and responsible for major projects in
Brazil and the USA, and Claus-Peter Hellhammer, an employee
of ThyssenKrupp Steel in Duisburg, lost their lives June 1
when Air France flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic.
A statement from the company extended deepest sympathies
to the families of both men. Heine was responsible for the construction
of the ThyssenKrupp mill in Calvert, Ala., and another
plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Raw steel from the plant in Brazil
will eventually come through the Port’s Pinto Island Terminal
headed for the Calvert mill for final processing. Heine toured
the terminal in February along with port officials and Alabama
Gov. Bob Riley to get an update on construction progress.
Port Authority Director and CEO Jimmy Lyons offered condolences
saying, “We have enjoyed our association with every
member of the ThyssenKrupp family. We keenly feel the loss
of Erich who worked very closely with the Port on the Pinto
project. Our hearts go out to both families and all our colleagues
at the company.”
Company executives joined the governor to send well-wishes
to Germany. ThyssenKrupp Steel USA President and
CEO Bob Soulliere issued a statement on this tragic event
saying, “We are shocked and saddened by the dramatic
events of the last two days that have taken the lives of two
ThyssenKrupp family members.”
The statement went on to praise Heine’s leadership talents,
saying, “Heine provided us with valuable direction and personal
leadership … Erich’s commitment to our project and its
long-term strategy were key to our initial successes. This commitment
will continue to motivate and live on in the Alabama
team that he led and supported.”
Local and state leaders met frequently with Heine for updates
on the projects. In response to the news of Heine’s loss, Gov.
Riley told the Press-Register, “He was a natural leader, and
absolutely one of the smartest, most talented young men I’ve
had the pleasure of meeting. It is certainly a tragedy for his
family and his colleagues, but he will also be extremely missed
by his friends here in Alabama.”
Heine, born in South Africa in 1967, studied engineering and
business administration. In February 2006, Heine joined the
Erich Heine, center, member of the executive board of ThyssenKrupp Steel AG,
visiting the Port in February. With him are Peter Urban, vice chairman of the
executive board of ThyssenKrupp Steel AG, and Bob Soulliere, president and
CEO of ThyssenKrupp Steel USA. Heine died in a plane crash in June.
Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp Steel AG with responsibility
for the steelmaking business unit. From 2007, he was
also responsible for the construction of the two steel plants
in Calvert and Rio de Janeiro.
“In Erich Heine, we are losing an esteemed colleague who
did outstanding work for the ThyssenKrupp Group. Our
thoughts are with his family at this time of great sadness,”
said Dr. Ekkehard Schulz, chairman of the Executive Board
of ThyssenKrupp AG.
Heine leaves a wife and three small children.
Claus-Peter Hellhammer, 28, completed a technical trainee
program with ThyssenKrupp Steel and worked at Thyssen-
Krupp CSA Siderúrgica do Atlântico from mid-2007 to early
2009. Most recently he had taken on special duties in the
area of health and safety/fire protection in Duisburg. He was
returning from a private trip to Brazil.
Souillere added, “Our thoughts and prayers will remain
with both men and their families during the very difficult
months ahead.”
Arlington Park Update:
Wetlands Mitigation Means a New Park for Mobile
Mobile residents will soon have a new way to enjoy Mobile
Bay and its wildlife. Arlington Park, a nearly 50-acre public
greenspace with access to the bay, is a textbook recycling
project. The project takes a former military base’s fuel depot
and transforms it into a recreation area with a wetlands mitigation
site.
The Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) purchased the
property from the Mobile Airport Authority, which owns
the nearby Brookley Complex, for $1.3 million. The funds
allotted to the project include $2 million for development
of the park and an additional $5 million for the creation of
a wetlands area. The newly created high quality wetlands
will offset impact to lower quality wetlands associated with
the construction of the Choctaw Point Complex serving intermodal
freight. The wetlands area includes marsh primary
production, wildlife feeding and nesting habitats, fish and
macro invertebrate nursery and feeding habitats, and water
treatment and sediment retention.
A pedestrian pier will cross the wetlands, ending at its edge
to provide an unobstructed view of the bay, and bring visitors
closer to the many coastal birds that call the waterfront
home. The park also features a kayak launch that provides
public access to Mobile Bay for recreational boaters in nonmotorized
crafts such as canoes and kayaks. ASPA awarded
the pier and kayak construction to Gillis Construction Inc., of
Bay Minette, Ala. Currently, the only public access along the
western shore of Mobile Bay is from Cooper Riverside Park in
downtown, McNally Park near Dog River, and Bayfront Park,
located just north of the Dauphin Island Bridge.
“There needs to be more access to the bay,” said ASPA
Director and CEO James K. Lyons. “All along, our goal for
Arlington Park was to provide within the city limits a place
where the public could take advantage of the bay’s recreational
offerings.”
The construction of the upland park was awarded to Ladas
Development Inc., of Chickasaw, Ala. This work includes
restroom facilities, a gazebo, parking and transit stop areas.
The Port Authority is working with The Wave Transit System
to ensure bus transportation to the park. Ladas will create
the hiking and biking trail, as well as install the picnic tables,
grills, benches, lighting, trash cans, bike racks and signs. It
will also landscape the park.
In addition to being a park for the people, it’s also a reflection
of the people. “The public has been involved in the area’s environmental
revitalization since day one,” said Lyons. The Port
Authority early on held public hearings that sought community
feedback on the kind of amenities needed on the western
shore of Mobile Bay. The Port Authority also asked the public
to name the future park. Arlington Park was the most popular
name to surface in that the park’s location is next to Arlington
Point, a well known geographic feature of Mobile Bay. “The
public provided invaluable feedback to our engineering and
design team. Mobile is home to a number of kayak, canoe and
windsurfing enthusiasts, which was a primary driver for the
kayak launch,” said Lyons. “The launch, along with the pier,
should make the park an attractive venue for picnics, bird
watching or pier-side fishing.” Arlington Park is expected to
be completed by December this year.
An artist’s rendering of Arlington Park.
12 Alabama Seaport • june 2009 Alabama Seaport • june 2009
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