Monday morning is going to be a busy one for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber along with dignitaries and city officials featuring an appearance by retiring Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama and then a groundbreaking ceremony for the new federal courthouse.

The day will start early with the Washington Update Breakfast at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. Breakfast will be served before the Republican senator addresses the crowd from 8-9 a.m.

The event is sold out. The Chamber advised morning commuters to be aware of expected heavy traffic around exits off of I-565 near Redstone Arsenal.

The 88-year old, Birmingham-Born Shelby decided not to seek another term after a 44-year Congressional career with the last 36 in the Senate. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 and the U.S. Senate in 1988.

Sen. Shelby is the current vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, of which he previously served as chairman. He is a senior member on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, as well as the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, of which he is the longest-serving member in the history of the committee. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

According to a Chamber press release, he has arguably brought more to Alabama, and especially to Huntsville, than any previous member of Congress. In 2019 he became the longest serving senator from Alabama.

He was the compelling force behind the move to locate a significant FBI presence at Redstone Arsenal. He has been the staunchest advocate for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center’s role in space science, launch vehicle development and deep space exploration. And he has been a key proponent of our nation’s military strength, including a large number of programs located in Alabama and at Redstone Arsenal.

The senator also had a hand in Monday’s second big event – the groundbreaking ceremony for the new U.S. Courthouse at 10:30 a.m. on a five-acre tract at the corner of Lowe Avenue and Gallatin Street.

“The federal courthouse, a legacy project for Huntsville, would not have been possible without the leadership of Senator Richard Shelby,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said when the project was green-lighted before the pandemic. “He has worked diligently to secure this much-needed facility for Huntsville to serve North Alabama.”

A budget of $86 million was projected when the U.S. General Services Administration released design renderings of the planned building last year. The 123,000-square foot building plans call for three-stories with a walk-out basement, five courtrooms and six judges chambers, workspace for the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services.

Construction is expected to take around 30 months.