Historical report, published from archived WKRG coverage.
In late 2007, southwest Alabama leaders were preparing for changes expected from the planned ThyssenKrupp steel mill at Calvert, according to an archived WKRG report.
Construction on the project was expected to begin the following year near the Mobile-Washington county line, with operations projected for 2010 and up to 2,700 jobs. A meeting at the Chatom Community Center, sponsored by the Alabama Rural Action Commission, was set to discuss how communities could prepare.
The planned discussion included population growth, infrastructure needs, road improvements and other challenges. Gov. Bob Riley said in a statement that a project of that size would bring major change to southwest Alabama and pledged continued state-local coordination.
This historical report records preparation efforts and expectations at the time, not current development conditions.