Shelby County mayors discuss ongoing projects, city successes

Despite traffic and roadwork issues and general growing pains, the cities of Shelby County have a good bit going for them, at least according to their mayors.

Mayors or representatives of eight Shelby County cities gathered at the Oct. 6 South Shelby Chamber of Commerce luncheon to give updates on their cities and ongoing projects.

Chelsea Mayor Earl Niven was unable to attend the luncheon, and Mayor-elect Tony Picklesimer gave the city’s update in his absence.

“It is a new day in Chelsea, and I mean that in a very positive way,” Picklesimer said. “… All five of the council members, my teammates are here today, and we’re so excited and looking forward for the opportunity to continue to move Chelsea forward.”

Chelsea is one of the fastest growing communities in the state, Picklesimer said, and they expect a lot of residential growth. At the city’s most recent planning commission meeting, three subdivisions were approved.

“The people are coming, guys and girls, and we have a responsibility to grow our infrastructure and our retail base in order to serve them well,” he said.

The city is also proud of the Chelsea Community Center, which will soon celebrate its first birthday, Picklesimer said. As his third term on the council comes to an end and his time as mayor draws closer, Picklesimer said he is excited to see Phase 1 of the Chelsea Sports Complex on County Road 11 open. The sports complex will be a positive asset to the community, and he said he looks forward to seeing future phases and growth.

“With all the growth, with all the good things that are happening in Chelsea, comes a tremendous responsibility to me and the team of city council members, and I want you to know that I don’t take this lightly,” he said. “… We will do our best for the city of Chelsea.”

Other mayors and representatives discussed the triumphs and challenges their cities were facing.  Mayor Ray McAllister from Vincent said they are currently on “cloud nine” because White Rock Quarries recently broke ground on a project that will bring more than 125 new jobs to the city.

Montevallo Mayor Hollie Cost said the city is working on “growing in the right way” by investing in things such as a main street project, which is underway. The city also hopes to work to improve its website and communication to help attract people to its many city events.

Helena Mayor Mark Hall said their city is experiencing “growing pains,” but along with that come successful projects that have positive results.

“It’s just a great time to be in Shelby County as a whole. Every city is seeing tremendous activity, growth and prosperity, and that is a direct result of the people who choose to live here in this county,” he said.

Pelham Mayor Gary Waters said his city’s projects consistently produce one group of happy people and one group of unhappy people, depending on the project, but the “rising tide [of Shelby County] floats all boats.”

Jon Graham, mayor of Calera, said he was excited to announce that Chick-fil-a and Jack’s plan to open locations in Calera, and that a road-widening project that has been delayed for about a year should start soon.

The mayor of Alabaster could not attend the luncheon, but Council President Scott Brakefield said the city is seeing strong economic growth and is progressing in its construction of a new high school, which is helping bring in more new businesses as well as revitalizing “dormant” neighborhoods.

The final mayor to speak was Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley, who said was honored to sit at the table with so many of Shelby County’s leaders. While Columbiana doesn’t expect to get a Chick-fil-a or quarry within city limits anytime soon, Handley said the city is consistently working on its infrastructure so that it will be ready as new businesses come that way.

Chamber Director April Stone thanked all of the mayors for speaking at the luncheon, noting Shelby County has a lot to celebrate.

“In other parts of the state of Alabama, they don’t have good news like this,” she said.

The next chamber luncheon will be a spotlight on nonprofits on Nov. 3.