CARIA Annual Meeting 2012

The Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association has scheduled its annual meeting February 23-24, 2012, in Montgomery, Alabama. All events will be held at the Embassy Suites Downtown Montgomery, overlooking the Alabama River.

The city of Montgomery, which became the official home of our association in 1955, abounds with history. From Civil War to Civil Rights, attractions include the First White House of the Confederacy, the Rosa Parks Museum, the Hank Williams Museum, and other sites of historic interest. Montgomery is also home to the world famous Alabama Shakespeare Festival, a museum of fine arts, a zoo with over 500 animals from five different continents, and our state capitol complex.

The Schedule of Events begins on Thursday afternoon, February 23, with a tour (limited to 30 people) of the Hyundai auto plant, which just celebrated the construction of its one millionth Sonata. Hyundai has changed its production line to produce the Sonata and Elantra, two of the best selling vehicles in the nation. Following the tour, the CARIA Board of Directors will meet at the Embassy Suites. A reception with complimentary bar (two tickets) and hors d’oeuveres will be held that evening. Dinner will not be served, but with dining available at the hotel and at local eateries within walking distance, you will have your choice of meals from seafood to barbeque.

Friday’s events will include a light continental breakfast, a CARIA membership meeting, the general meeting, and a closing luncheon. The general meeting will focus on the current state and value of Alabama’s river systems with emphasis on the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa basin, in which recreation is playing an ever increasingly important economic role. Other presentations will address changes in Alabama Power Company’s reservoir management, the State of Alabama’s Drought Management Plan, and planned but not yet confirmed, the State of Alabama’s efforts to develop a statewide water management plan. Plans for the closing luncheon program are not yet complete. A free tour of Montgomery and its many attractions for your spouse or guest will leave from the Union Station Visitors Center (located across the street from the hotel) at 9 AM.

For your convenience, a block of rooms has been set aside at the Embassy Suites Hotel at a special corporate rate of $121.00 per night (plus $6.75 daily parking fee). This rate includes a full cook-to-order breakfast each morning for registered hotel guests. Complete lodging instructions are below. The earlier you make a reservation, the better your chances of getting a room at the Embassy. Alternative room accom-modations are not available at this time.

We need sponsors. The Sponsor Registration Form includes a list of events for sponsorship. Please consider helping us defray some of the costs of putting on this meeting. Event sponsorship will include one free registration (including spouse) for both days for each $500 increment of sponsorship, as well as recognition in the program, signage, and public information and marketing materials.

Registration

Please register online or mail/fax in your registration form as soon as possible. Online payment options include requesting an invoice, paying on-site, or using a credit card (in which case, you will need to speak directly with the CARIA office). We would be ever so grateful to have received it no later than February 10, 2012 – and look forward to seeing you in Montgomery.

Jerry L. Sailors

Hotel Accomodations

Book lodging directly with The Embassy Suites Downtown Montgomery. We have been assigned a group code to alleviate confusion during the reservation process, so please use the code CAR for our special corporate nightly room rate of $121.00 plus $6.75 daily parking fee. This rate also includes a full cook-to-order breakfast each morning for registered hotel guests. Call 1-800-Embassy (362-2779) or online at www.embassysuites.com, or the hotel directly at 334-269-5055. Our Corporate Rate is for February 23 and 24 only. Call the hotel directly for bookings outside those dates. The cut-off date for CARIA room rates is January 22, 2012, 3:00 P.M. Central Time. After January 22, rooms are subject to availability and pricing may increase. Cancellations must be made before 3:00 P.M. Central Time on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, or your credit card will be charged for one night. The Hotel provides an Airport Shuttle and transportation within a 5 mile radius of the Hotel.