City council to discuss Germany trip in meeting

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile Mayor Sam Jones and four Mobile City Council members shared details at Thursday, March 21, city council meeting about their trip to see Airbus headquarters.

The mayor and the council members returned Wednesday night from Hamburg, Germany. City Council Member William Carroll believes the city should be doing more to make sure locals get a piece of the economic pie. He said what he is seeing so far isn't cutting it.

"I have been out to the site recently and noticed Pike Electric has already started work out there setting temporary poles. We all know that Pike is from North Carolina," Carroll said. 

Carroll would like to implement legislation that would give preference to local companies.

City council members also discussed Hamburg's campus and how there are still major improvements to be made at Brookley Areoplex. FOX10 asked how much it could cost tax payers.

"Well, let me put it this way. It's a 1942 complex. That didn't exist, computers that didn't exist, fiber optics that didn't exist. All of things have to be out there. So there is some upgrading the public sector is going to have to do," Jones said.

Airbus will have groundbreaking for its manufacturing facility at Brookley Aeroplex in April.

Mayor Jones said one thing that impressed him about touring the facilities was seeing the need Airbus officials have for cross-training employees.

He said people in one area of expertise can perform tasks in other areas.

After returning to Mobile Regional Airport Wednesday night, Council Member Bess Rich said of the facility, "It's massive. They're very busy, which is exactly what we'll do here. We went to the training center, where people are trained to do it exactly correct. It's a precise science."

City Council member CJ Small believes the payback could be huge, and similar to Hamburg's facility nearly 5,000 miles away.

"Hamburg was once a small city, just like Mobile. Since 1959, When Airbus had located in Hamburg; they had tripled their size and growth from 400 employees to 9,000 right there in Hamburg,” Small said.