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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Work continues on turf baseball and softball fields as part of phase two of the Chelsea Sports Complex on Dec. 9.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Work continues on the new running track at Chelsea High School’s football stadium Dec. 9
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Cleared land on U.S. 280 East in Chelsea next to Elite Off-Road Performance for a new ABC Beverage distribution center Dec. 9.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Cleared land behind Buffalo Wild Wings on U.S. 280 in Chelsea for a new hotel is seen Dec. 9.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Larry Beaury returns the ball as he and Tony Pace play a game of pickleball against Gail Furtner and Greg Hart at the Chelsea Community Center. Shelby County plans to partner with the city of Hoover to install fitness courts and outdoor fitness equipment, including eight pickleball courts, at Veterans Park on Valleydale Road.
It’s a new year and with it come new projects. Here is a look of what’s happening in 2023 along and around the U.S. 280 corridor.
City of Chelsea projects
Several of the larger projects in the city of Chelsea include: completing phase two of the Athletic Complex, constructing a second gym at the Chelsea Community Center and a potential partnership with the Shelby County Board of Education about a master plan at Chelsea High School.
Phase two of the Chelsea Athletic Complex on Shelby County 11 will wrap up this year. According to Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer, teams will be playing ball at the complex on March 1.
Projects left to complete include the concession stand and restrooms.
The complex will feature a total of three (200-foot) baseball fields and one (375-foot) championship field.
The Chelsea High School baseball program plans to utilize the championship field for some practices and home games upon completion.
“We have a lot of extra property out there [to develop], but that will be after me,” Picklesimer said.
The track project at Chelsea High School should be complete in the first quarter of 2023, in time for the outdoor track season to begin in March, Picklesimer said. This is the second part of the turf and field project, as the football field was turfed last summer.
The expansion project at the Chelsea Community Center is underway and will bring with it the addition of a second gym.
“Our youth basketball and volleyball programs have exploded and we are currently having to rent gyms from the Shelby County Board of Education and local churches, so we really need a second gym just for our youth operations,” Picklesimer said.
The new gym will also feature several racquetball courts and can be used by homeschool programs for their PE classes. Locker rooms will be added as well and will include showers. The project is scheduled to be completed by October 2023.
The City of Chelsea recently approved for Dix-Hite + Partners to do a study of all the current recreational facilities available in the city and make recommendations for what else is needed.
Picklesimer said that public meetings will be held and it will be a several-month process.
This month, representatives from the Shelby County Board Of Education will be presenting a master plan for Chelsea High School facilities upgrades for academics and athletics. Picklesimer said this is what the citizens said they wanted the city to do with the money in the education fund generated from the one-cent sales tax.
Businesses
Currently under construction is an Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) distribution center just off U.S. 280 behind the Elite Off-Road and Performance building. The city owns the property where the building is being constructed and will be the landlord.
Currently, the ABC is running both retail and wholesale operations out of the ABC store in the Winn Dixie shopping center.
“Wholesale liquor sales is big business for the ABC, providing to all restaurants and convenience stores,” Picklesimer said. “They came to me asking me to help them find a place to do a wholesale distribution center, and that evolved into us building them a building and leasing it back to them.”
The distribution center will bring around 10 jobs to the city and will generate monthly revenue from their rent costs.
Things continue to progress in the Foothills Business Park. Lot 10 is under contract, and dirt was used for it from lots eight and nine, leaving them both pad ready. Paving is complete, along with the fountain at the entrance.
A contract has been approved for HDC, LLC HuntStore and Gunsmithing to lease the former Bernie’s building next to Fire Station 31. The current location on State Highway 119 will close and the business will move to Chelsea.
Also coming to Chesser Park Drive near Walgreens is AIM Academy, an early-care and preschool center offering care from infants to kindergarten and a before- and after-school program for children through fifth grade. AIM Academy has several locations in the Southeast.
Construction has begun on the city’s hotel, LaQuinta Inn by Windham. The project is expected to be completed around spring 2024.
County partnerships
The county has numerous projects going on, many of which are associated with park and recreation opportunities, and the county will be partnering with other municipalities and entities to complete them.
With the help of the Shelby County Board of Education and the town of Indian Springs, Shelby County will redo the track around the field at Heardmont Stadium and also convert the grass field to turf. This project is set to be done in 2023 and will allow the field to be used for more events.
Shelby County Manager Chad Scroggins said he is excited about the partnership and it will bring other tourism opportunities to Heardmont Park.
The county also plans to partner with the city of Hoover to install fitness courts and outdoor fitness equipment, including eight pickleball courts, at Veterans Park on Valleydale Road.
On the western side of Shelby County, a partnership with the city of Helena will create a pocket park at the Shelby County 52 bridge. Railing is currently being installed on the bridge to allow for a viewing site over Buck Creek, and Scroggins said there is a potential for outdoor concerts on the bridge in the future.
“We are working with the city of Vestavia Hills to assist with their plans to build a natural park at the old Altadena Valley Golf Course to create an Altadena [Valley] Park along the Cahaba River. This is a small portion of a larger park project they have, and we’re excited to be a part of that,” Scroggins said. “Vestavia has residents in Shelby County as well.”
Other County projects
One of the key initiatives in 2023 is to work with the state in any capacity to encourage the widening of I-65 from Alabaster to the county line, Scroggins said.
“It’s a priority project for us to talk to the governor’s office and the ALDOT director and our legislative delegation,” he said. “We know our citizens support that and know it's one of our major needs in the county for sure going forward.”
The Shelby County comprehensive plan continues in review after survey results from county residents in 2022. The county’s goal is to bring it to adoption in March 2023.
Plans are in the works for a broadband analysis to understand any gaps with the county, and
water line extensions are taking place in Calera and along U.S. 280 in Chelsea and Westover.
Additional trails will be installed at Double Oak Park along with parking and trail improvements at Oak Mountain State Park.
Tourism
Shelby County will host a plethora of events in 2023.
Kendall Williams, manager of tourism and events, said the new Discover Shelby website will launch during the first quarter of the year.
“I’m excited to be able to offer a better resource for our residents and visitors to find out what to do, where to go, where to stay and where to eat — all the fun stuff to do in Shelby County,” Williams said.
In May, two national events will take place in the county. The B.A.S.S. Elite series tournament will be held on Lay Lake May 11-14 and televised on Fox Sports.
“It gives us a chance to expose the nation to Lay Lake and to the natural beauty we have here in Shelby County,” Williams said. “Roughly 90 anglers participate and we expect thousands of spectators to come for the event.”
XTERRA will return for its 16th year at Oak Mountain State Park May 18-21. The family-friendly festival will feature live music, beer gardens, food trucks, trail runs, mountain bike races and off-road triathlons for pros and amateurs. Williams said it will be bigger and better than ever and draw athletes from all over the world.
“It has expanded from a two-day event to a four-day event,” she said. “We are now going to be hosting the U.S. championship of the trail run portion for anyone who has previously qualified in a regional event.”
Williams said the 14-day span in which these two events will take place shows the beauty of the county’s assets and the diversity of spots in the county to host them.
Also in 2023, the tourism and events department plans to lean into finders trails throughout the county, including a winery trail, brewery trail, museum trail and local coffee shop trail, to promote them for residents and visitors alike to visit.
