Government officials and leaders of St. Philip A.M.E. Church, Food Lion and Carver State Bank break ground. They came from every sector of the community to witness the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Carver Commons, an exciting new commercial development that will include a new office for the Carver State Bank and a Food Lion supermarket.

The audience at Carver State Bank on Thursday, July 22, 2010, included State, County and City officials, as well as religious, business and other community leaders, and residents of the communities who will shop and bank at the new site.

In addition to The Savannah Tribune weekly newspaper, all of the television stations serving the Savannah market were present. The Savannah Morning News, the local daily newspaper, followed the event with frontpage coverage on Friday, July 23rd.

The Carver Commons project could signal a new era for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Montgomery Street Corridor. It could begin a revival for an entire section of Savannah that has been bypassed by significant new investments. 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.

The Food Lion store will face north toward St. Philip A.M.E. Church Carver President Robert E. James presided during the program that preceded the traditional shoveling of soil. He opened the event by saying “This is a wonderful day…a wonderful day in the history of this financial institution, but even more important, it is a wonderful day in the history of this community.” There are people in this room who have been dreaming of a major supermarket for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Montgomery Street corridor for at least 15 years that I know about,” he continued. The audience applauded when James added. “Now, it looks like somebody is going to be turning some soil.”

The new office for Carver State Bank that will face Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Prior to delivering the invocation, Bishop Willie Ferrell of the Royal Church of Christ said that we are blessed, honored and privileged to live in a country, state, and city that affords an opportunity for dreams to become a reality. After the prayer, he said, “it's a good day in the neighborhood.”

Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis commended the officials of Carver State Bank, and St. Philip A. M. E. Church for their leadership in bringing this supermarket to the neighborhood. He emphasized the importance of working together to make the project a success.

Mayor Otis Johnson commended the “visionaries” involved in this project. “If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it.,” he said. He praised the wonderful collaborative between St. Philip A. M. E. Church, Food Lion, Carver State Bank, SDRA, and the institutions providing the financing. “I am happy to be the Mayor of the City of Savannah when this is happening, especially since some of us have dreamed about the revitalization of this corridor for so long.”

He praised Acting Assistant City Manage Rochelle Small-Toney who has been working with this project. He pledged that the City will continue to support this effort.

SDRA Chairman Tony Cooper emphasized the historic significance of the development and its potential impact on the neighborhood. “Now, I don't have to tell my son who is 9 that I remember when we talked about doing a grocery store…instead, I will be able to tell him that this is the grocery store we talked about.”

Food Lion Director of Operations Billy Harcum, obviously impressed by the broad array of community leaders attending the ceremony, said he was excited to see so many people present for this historic event. “It is a special for us as well as the Savannah community.” Harcum told the crowd that Food Lion will be a great neighbor. “We are committed to the Savannah MLK Boulevard revitalization project and we are looking forward to seeing you at the grand opening in the spring of 2011. “Martin Luther King will be a successful store for Food Lion and the Savannah community,” he asserted.

Harcum introduced two of his associates at Food Lion…Benny L. Smith of Corporate Communications and Dwayne Tutt of the Real Estate Department. He noted that many Food Lion associates have been working behind the scene to make this day a reality.

Rev. Dr. John Foster, Pastor of St. Philip A. M. E. Church, reported that news of this project has spread throughout the A. M. E. Church in Georgia. “People are saying that St. Philip is the only church in Georgia with a bank,” he said.

Dr. Foster recalled that former slaves founded St. Philip A. M. E. Church in 1865, and that next year the church's current sanctuary, built in 1911, will be 100 years old. He noted that during the Civil Rights era, St. Philip was one of four churches that served as one of the key meeting places for the community to organize and plan protests against segregation in the Savannah community. “We have indeed a lot we have done in the past to be proud of, and for this, we say thank you Jesus,” he said.

Because it is going to transform the community, Dr. Foster asserted that this project will go down as one of those markers in history, “This is the day that St. Philip is going to be allowed to provide immeasurable services through this project, and we thank God,” Dr Foster added. Then, he thanked all of the individuals who have been involved in this project, including the St. Philip members who have attended meetings about this development since September of last year. Dr. Foster ended his remarks by saying “Thank God for letting us see this day.” Carver President James told the audience that the men of the Old Savannah City Mission worked hard to move help the contractor get the Bank ready to operate in its temporary location which now shares the same street address as the building that is to be demolished. He said that the Bank will donate most of the furniture from the old building to the Old Savannah City Mission. He said that many of the items had just been purchased a few months ago before it was clear that the new project would become a reality.

James described the outstanding work the mission is doing helping exoffenders become productive citizens. He said that Carver State Bank assisted the mission get a $250,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank to expand its facilities.

Rev. Jim Lewis said the Mission served 121 thousand meals and provided 38 thousand nights of shelter without one dollar of taxpayer money. “We depend on God's Blessings and the help of our friends like Bob James,” he added. He thanked President James and the other Carver State Bank officials for all they have done for the Mission and the Savannah community.

After acknowledging a few of the many community leaders in attendance, James called on Rev. Wilson Scott, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, who delivered an inspiring and uplifting closing prayers.