Mayor gives update on current, upcoming projects

The Chelsea Business Alliance and The Shelby County Chamber hosted a coffee with the mayor event at the Chelsea Community Center on July 13. 

Mayor Tony Picklesimer addressed the full capacity crowd by thanking his staff, the city council and praised the Chelsea Library. 

“We as citizens of Chelsea are blessed to have a group of people [like this] working for us,” he said. “This council is a high energy group and always supports and encourages me on projects we've completed and by working with me as we plan future projects.”

Picklesimer began with an update on projects that have recently been completed and ones that are still in the works. 

• Fire Station 33 at CR-51. He said it was much needed to serve the east end of the city, which is one of Chelsea’s fastest growing areas. The station gives more support to the neighboring city of Westover when needed and also provides a quick response to Chelsea Park Elementary School, he said.
• The Playground at Melrose Park. The three-story tall playground was completed earlier this year and Picklesimer said it has “been a hit with the young folks.”
• The Splash Pad at Melrose Park was scheduled to have already opened, but it remains on hold due to weather and construction delays. The exact opening date is to be determined. He also thanked Southwest Water for their $100,000 contribution toward the splash pad.Both the playground and splash pad were made possible by generous contributions made by The Shelby County Commission. 
• Phase 2 of renovations at the Hwy. 11 Sports Complex are well underway. The batting cage is near completion and lights are being installed for the new fields. The championship field will host many big games for years to come, he said. 
• The walking trail/cross country course has been completed at the sports complex. That project was done by a 50/50 partnership with the Shelby County Commission. This track will be used heavily by our track and field teams at CHS along with our citizens. 

Another project already in the works is the new intersection realignment at CR-39 and CR-47 in front of City Hall. While the project is anticipated to be complete by November, Picklesimer said it will also require some detours and present an aggravation to drivers. He asked for patience throughout the process and thanked Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole and his staff at the highway department for their work. 

“When we have collaboration between the city and the county, we can get a lot of projects done and collaboration is a big part of what we do to accomplish things,” Picklesimer said. “All of the new projects have been made possible due to the city’s continual growth and booming housing market. 

Groundbreaking will soon be announced for the Therachem location in the Foothills Business Park. The biopharma company is based out of India and this will be the U.S. headquarters for the company.

Five businesses are currently under construction in the city. Opening soon will be AutoZone and RaceTrac. In the fall, Buffalo Wild Wings and Arby’s are set to open, and there is a Mexican restaurant under construction in front of the Publix shopping center. 

“In addition to the newly opened Chicken Fry’d, O'Henry's purchased Chelsea Coffee House and will bring a lot of name recognition to Chelsea,” Picklesimer said.

Picklesimer said the housing market continues to be strong with a new subdivision on Liberty road, expansion in Chelsea Park and Willow Oaks and new phases in several other subdivisions. 

“Maintaining this growth pattern is something I take very seriously,” he said. “We will continue to partner with 58 INC. in the coming months to continue to spotlight the city try to keep this growth coming.”

Another topic covered was the recent feasibility study about the potential for the city to form its own school system. Results should be in by October and then that, along with annexation opportunities for surrounding areas would be voted on by the citizens. 

“It will be your choice whether we form a new school system, it’s not the mayor or council's decision,” he said. “The formation of a school system is not to divide, but to bring together. Annexation will be by election of residents as it should be.”

The mayor concluded by saying that it has been one of the highest honors of his life to serve as the mayor of Chelsea. 

“The city slogan is ‘It’s All About Family,’ and I want to thank each of you for playing a part in the process and success we’ve had. I get way more credit than I deserve. My prayer is for the continued success of the city of Chelsea.