Elmore County is growing.
Businesses are opening. Schools are looking at needing additional space. The courts are adding two judges.
The growth has led to the construction of 17 Springs in Millbrook with the idea lodging taxes could sustain quality of life projects across the county. And things are looking good.
Now the Elmore County Commission, the Town of Eclectic, City of Tallassee, Elmore County Board of Education, Tallassee City Schools and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority have announced the next round of projects across the county.
The commission has authorized the financing with $20 million in cash and more in in-kind services for projects in Eclectic, Holtville and Tallassee.
“I think this is an excellent opportunity to work with our municipalities to make quality of life better,” Elmore County commissioner Mack Daughtery said. “We know people are moving to Elmore County by leaps and bounds. All we have to do is look at our census over the last few years.”
Daughtery is proud of the county’s education systems, law enforcement and quality of life. He wants to make sure progress continues in those areas.
“Those are some of the key factors people are looking for in a community when they are looking at moving,” Daughtery said. “I think this is a great step by the commission.”
In Tallassee the field and practice area at J.E. Hot O’Brien Stadium will get brand new turf as will the baseball, football and softball fields at Elmore County and Holtville high schools. Those projects will likely start first as the design phase is easier than the other projects identified. It will also allow a chance to get better pricing as one contractor will likely get the bid on all fields.
The commission approved $10 million for projects in Tallassee. The commission has budgeted $2.5 million to the fields there. Any savings will be used to go along with an additional $7.5 million to construct a new recreation center. The City of Tallassee would need to come up with other funding if necessary. Estimates currently are at $10 million for the new rec center but could be trimmed some in the design phase that is upcoming.
It is estimated the new rec center would be completed in 24 to 36 months.
A splash pad near the new rec center is proposed but no funding has been allotted to it yet.
Future Tallassee projects include a track at Tallassee Elementary and walking trails behind the new rec center but no funding source has been announced yet.
The city would also have to move the public works shop behind the current rec center.
“We are looking at several options right now,” Tallassee Mayor Sarah Hill said. “We are hoping economies of scale will give some savings on the artificial turf that could be used on the rec center. We are also looking at trimming back a little on it if we are unable to secure all the necessary funding.”
The city isn’t at the $5 million debt limit yet put in place by state law. Hill said that would be the last resort for additional funding.
In Eclectic the commission has pledged up to $4.5 million to resurfacing athletic fields. The county has also pledged in-kind services to construct a loop road around property just south of Eclectic Elementary School. A special projects crew from Elmore County Public Works would construct the road and do some possible grading to create several fields that could be used for soccer and other sports. The commission also pledged up to $500,000 in cash for the construction.
The Town of Eclectic would seek grant money to construct a walking trail in the pecan orchard near the fire department.
All of the work in Holtville is on Elmore County Board of Education property.
It will include moving the road on the east side of the football field to allow for the field to be widened. Space will be left at the southern end of the football field for a possible new field house. An estimated $4.5 million has been pledged for the resurfacing of the fields in Holtville. An additional $500,000 has been pledged by the commission to help construct batting cages and a pavilion. Additional funding may be needed and will be determined during the design phase.
A 1 ¾ mile walking path around the current schools is proposed. No funding has been allotted to the project.
Elmore County’s Richie Beyer said the projects were identified through public input and surveys conducted by Dalhoff Thomas. It was a similar process used in Millbrook and Wetumpka to identify the scope of the 17 Springs and Hohenberg Field and tennis court projects in Wetumpka.
Expansions are being planned at the Elmore County Judicial Complex with the addition of two circuit court judges. The Elmore County Jail is in need of renovations as well.
“It is nearly 30 years old,” Beyer said. “We are above its capacity already.”
This round of projects will be funded through a bond issuance by the Elmore County Commission.
This is an addition to the more than $100 million being spent by the county and the City of Millbrook in the 17 Springs project in Millbrook where hotel lodging taxes will fund the work across the county. More funding will be acquired as sales of commercial lots in the Marketplace at 17 Springs begin. It will help the partners recover some of the costs of the 17 Springs project.
Beyer said there are other quality of life projects across the county as well. Cooters Pond on the Alabama River is getting improvements using the special sales tax in the area shared with the City of Prattville.
Improvements to the Kowaliga boat ramp on Lake Martin are in the works too.
“Those are smaller projects that are as big as the other quality of life projects,” Beyer said. “With that said, they are still very important.”
The idea of expanding parks and more for a better quality of life for citizens in Elmore County is not a new idea. Elmore County commission chair Bart Mercer and Daughtery have been part of discussions for years. The scope of the projects that were only a pipe dream were never scrapped. Instead, partnerships were sought and made quality of life projects on a scale never before seen in Elmore County.
“It is a milestone,” Mercer said. “We would not be able to get here if we didn’t have the relationships we have across the county with the municipalities and boards of education. We should all be proud of this.”