Weldon Pavilion officially dedicated

On Aug. 11, a long time plan in the city of Chelsea came to fruition. 

A ribbon cutting was held at the newly constructed Weldon Pavilion at the Highway 11 Sports Complex.

The coffee with the mayor and dedication event was hosted by the city of Chelsea and the Shelby County Chamber. “Many have doubted this day would ever happen and I completely understand that,” Mayor Tony Picklesimer said. “These days, there are lots of promises that get broken. I am so thankful to this city council for keeping this promise and following through on this.”

He said when the building stood in its former space in front of what is now City Hall, it was not only a landmark, but also a gathering space and a place that represented community in our city

The mayor recognized members of the Weldon family who were in attendance at the event, and said their family has been a big part of Chelsea's history.

Dawn Weldon Arnold, daughter of G.W. Weldon Jr., spoke on behalf of the family.

“This place holds so many memories and is so special to us,” she said. “We are so thankful this is redone. We will definitely be gathering family here as soon as this [COVID-19] is over. I’m sad my daddy didn't get a chance to see it, but he knew it was coming and he can see it from heaven.”

Mayor Picklesimer went on to give a city update. He said that even despite COVID-19, the city of Chelsea has responded extremely well in revenue. 

“The city is doing really well financially,” he said. “While we won’t hit the 5-7% growth we forecasted, we are running slightly ahead and are in the black by a few thousand dollars.”

Picklesimer thanked the previous mayor and councils that came before him for the job they did.

He also mentioned the city’s recently approved comprehensive plan that will be a major road map for what the city does in the coming years. 

Picklesimer said life is a series of ups and downs and the city is experiencing one of its downs with the recent passing of Chelsea Fire Chief Wayne Shirley, who passed away on Aug. 6. Shirley was appointed the city’s first fire chief in 2001 and served the city for over 19 years. 

“He got the department from a volunteer fire station to now we have three beautiful fire stations and almost 60 employees,” he said. “Everything the chief was about was making our fire department better, and for him to pass away at age 53 is just much too young.”

The mayor also mentioned the upcoming municipal election coming up on Aug. 25 for City Council place 3 in which Chris Thomas is running against incumbent Chris Grace. 

“Thank you for allowing me to serve four more years,” he said. "I told my family four years ago if I'm not a shoo-in to win a second election, I haven’t done a good job. To be able to run unopposed, I’m extremely grateful for you to honor me with a chance to serve again.”