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Savannah. GA
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“GEORGIA’S BEST WEEKLY”
ahamtah tribune
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Week of July 7,2010 - July 13,2010 • VoL 38 No. 19*www.savannahtribune.com • 912-233-6128 *Fax: 912-233-6140
Carver, Food Lion Project Could Revive MLK Corridor
The Food Lion store will face north toward St. Philip A. M. E. Church where the supermarket will share a
parking lot with the church and bank.
Carver Commons will include a new office for Carver State Bank that will face Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
O n Friday, July 9, 2010,
the Main Office of
Carver State Bank at
701 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard will close at 1:00
p.m., and will re-open on
Monday, July 12, 2010, at a
temporary banking facility
next door to the bank at the rear
of St. Philip A.M. E. Church.
This move could signal a
transition, not just for Carver,
but for an entire section of
Savannah that has been
bypassed by significant invest
ments since Carver State Bank
moved to the area in 1975.
Unlike Broughton Street and
the northern end of Martin
Luther King, Jr. Blvd., the
other sections of this historic
corridor have not been
enhanced by any major capital
infusion and redevelopment.
Now, after almost 35
years of providing banking
services from its Main Office,
the old Carver State Bank
building will be cleared to
make way for an exciting new
development. Because of the
participation of the adjoining
property owner, St. Philip
A.M.E. Church, a new office
for the bank and a full service
Food Lion grocery store will
soon become part of the area’s
landscape.
The new project, to be
known as Carver Commons,
will have two tenants, Carver
State Bank and Food Lion, the
fourth largest grocery chain in
the United States. The project
could have a major impact on
the uplift and long-term viabil
ity of the surrounding neigh
borhoods by stimulating addi
tional commercial develop
ment.
The public is invited to a
Groundbreaking Ceremony to
be held at 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, July 22, 2010, at
701 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Blvd.
On July 28, 2010, The
Savannah Tribune will pub
lish a special edition high
lighting the project and its
potential impact on the sur
rounding areas.
For the convenience of its
customers, Carver will operate
during construction from a
temporary facility that is only a
few yards from the site of the
old building. The bank's mail
ing address and telephone
numbers will be unchanged.
This development enjoys
the support of a broad array of
community leaders, and during
a host of public meetings
reviewing the project plans,
there has been no opposition.
Both the Savannah Historic
District Board of Review and
the Zoning Appeals Board
unanimously approved the pro
posed new development.
Rev. Dr. John Foster,
Pastor of St. Philip A. M. E.
Church, called the project a
blessing not just for his Church
and Carver State Bank, but the
entire community. He said that
the area surrounding St. Philip
and Carver is an urban “food
desert” with a lack of afford
able, high quality nutritious
food choices and a high inci
dence of chronic health issues
that can be mitigated with
more healthful food options.
He added that this new
development will create jobs
and bring a quality provider of
reasonably priced food to this
low income, inner city neigh
borhood.
Carver President Robert
E. James agreed that the new
development should be benefi
cial for the bank and signifi
cantly enhance the surrounding
neighborhoods.
“We recognize that
changes in the banking indus
try, as well as changes in
Carver's market, have affected
the Bank, and moving to this
new building is appropriate for
the strategic direction of our
organization,” he said. “The
new development will provide
a more efficient office and
enhance the bank's visibility on
Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,”
he added.
David Douse, the bank's
Vice President and Senior
Operations Officer, called the
project a “forward-looking
move.” He noted that it will
enhance security for our staff
and increase the bank's service
capacity.
Carver State Bank was
founded in 1927, and is cur
rently one of only about 33
African-American-owned and
operated commercial banks in
the United States. It is the only
bank headquartered in
Savannah that is certified by
the United States Treasury
Department as a Community
Development Financial
Institution (CDFI).
Carver has enjoyed a
tremendous heritage within the
Savannah-Chatham County
area as an innovative financial
service leader for more than 83
years.
James to be Honored by Consortium of Doctors
Shirley Barber James
The City of Savannah
will be the site for the 19th
Annual Consortium of
Doctors Conference.
Headlining the activities of
this year's meeting is the
Bouquet of Doctors
Banquet where The
Savannah Tribune owner
and president, Mrs. Shirley
Barber James, will receive
the organization's most
prestigious honor, “The
COD Humanitarian Award.”
COD is an organiza
tion comprised of women
who have earned doctoral
degrees from accredited
institutions.
The Co-Director and
Savannah native. Dr.
Harriette Bias-Insignares
(Nashville, Tennessee) said,
“The purpose of COD is to
bring this brain trust togeth
er to address issues regard
ing the African-American
community, especially the
African-American family,
the African-American male,
and the importance of
instilling the core values of
scholarship and citizenship
among our youth. We have
taken the direction of being
a Think Tank because we
believe that having large
numbers of members is not
as important as assembling
the best and brightest to
blend the quality of debate,
discussion, and decision
making with focused, tar
geted goals that can be
accomplished across the
spectrum of human activity
and affiliations.”
James came to the
attention of the organization
through its founder, Dr.
Abigail Jordan, who
described her as “an ambas
sador for the city” based on
her travel to represent the
city outside of the state of
Georgia. Jordan said,
“Shirley James is a commu
nity advocate, a citizen of
the times, and a woman of
broad accomplishment as an
educator, a business
woman, and a community
worker for all segments of
the city. But what is most
notable is the fact that she is
down to earth and beloved
by so many persons whose
lives she has touched.”
A member and Senior
Steward at St. Philip AME
Church, James has received
many awards locally and
nationally, including nation
al recipient of the 1997
Athena Award; the Helen V.
Head Small Business
Advocate of the Year
Award; listing in The
HistoryMakers; and Ebony
Magazine's selection to The
100 Most Influential Black
Americans and
Organization Leaders in
1995 and 1996. Recently,
she was chosen as one of the
2010 Top Ten Working
Women of the Year awarded
by A Working Woman in
Need, Inc. (AWWIN).
Regarding James'
national outreach, COD
Director Dr. Barbara
Cannon of Oakland,
California said, “Mrs.
James served as the 15th
National President of Jack
and Jill of America, Inc.
(1994 - 96) and President of
the National Executive
Board of Sophisticates, Inc.
(2001 - 2003).
On the local level, she
has served as president and
held other offices in Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, The
Links, Incorporated, and the
Sophisticates.
Cannon said, “COD
extends an invitation to all
Savannah organizations,
churches, and members of
the community to join us in
honoring Mrs. James for her
community service at the
Bouquet of Doctors
Banquet.”
Banquet tickets are
$60 per person and $600 per
table. Tickets can be pur
chased at the Office of Dr.
W. Esther McAlpine, 704
Abercorn Street, Savannah,
Georgia 31401.
For information call
(912) 231-9828.
