Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
An Arby’s under construction in Chelsea. It’s expected to open in January, followed by Buffalo Wild Wings next to it in February.
With a new year comes new projects. 280 Living interviewed several city and county leaders to find out what’s expected to take place in the county and around the U.S. 280 corridor this year.
COUNTY PROJECTS
One of the main focuses in the county will be a new large-scale park project. Shelby County Manager Chad Scroggins said construction is already underway for the new Dunnavant Valley Park.
Located at the former Mt Laurel Organic Garden site off Shelby County 41, Dunnavant Valley Park will have a new gravel parking lot that will allow visitors more parking space than the existing lot. The area will also be home to two pavilions, a new playground and community restrooms. Fencing will be put in place along with new signage.
The 10-acre park will also feature a pond, along with a walking trail that will eventually connect it to Double Oak Park off Shelby County 43. Double Oak Park will occupy 750 acres with an entrance off Shelby County 43, about a mile past the Forest Lakes subdivision. A parking lot will be constructed there, along with a restroom and pavilion.
Scroggins said the project is set to begin in January, and FlowMotion Trail Builders will be heading the construction.
“They are going to build the first nine miles of trail to go with some existing trails that are already out there,” Scroggins said. “There will be amazing views for hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers starting sometime mid-year. We are also looking into the opportunity for horseback riding on the trails.”
Unlike some projects that are temporary, Scroggins said, “these projects are there forever.”
There are several projects taking place at Oak Mountain State Park, including a restroom improvement project, of which the Alabama State Parks Division will be a partner. The park will be hosting several events for The World Games 2022 happening in July. Scroggins said there isn’t necessarily any work needed to get ready for those events, but hopes they are well attended and visitors will be staying in local hotels, bringing money into the lodging tax fund to continue to provide funds for new projects.
“It will provide some economic impact, although I’m not sure what that will be, but we're hopeful for any bump,” he said. “When people come and stay and spend money, that generates sales tax and lodging tax, which gives us more ability to work on projects in the community.”
An expansion project is being considered, along with the city of Hoover, for the National Computer Forensics Institute, where law enforcement officers from all over the country are trained.
The county has started an incentive program with local fire and EMS transport services. The goal is to increase the coverage areas and capabilities of EMS units. Scroggins said the county provides an incentive to help support those transport units and to make sure they have the equipment and personnel they need.
Since 911 moved its offices to the 280 Services Center in November, renovations will be done at its former offices in Pelham to better accommodate Compact officers and provide renovated offices for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
“Financially, we are in very good shape for fiscal year 2022 to cover all expenses and invest into the amenities in Shelby County,” Scroggins said.
1 of 3
Photos by Leah Ingram Eagle.
The intersection realignment project at Shelby County 39 and 47 in Chelsea was initially was expected to be finished in November, but due to rain, the completion date has been pushed back to sometime in the first quarter of 2022. One of the most prominent discussions in the city of Chelsea is the next steps in the formation of a city school system. Public hearings from residents will be scheduled in early 2022 to hear their opinions.
2 of 3
Photos by Leah Ingram Eagle.
The intersection realignment project at Shelby County 39 and 47 in Chelsea was initially was expected to be finished in November, but due to rain, the completion date has been pushed back to sometime in the first quarter of 2022. One of the most prominent discussions in the city of Chelsea is the next steps in the formation of a city school system. Public hearings from residents will be scheduled in early 2022 to hear their opinions.
3 of 3
Photo courtesy of Mark Bishop.
Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said he hopes to see expansion in the form of another jail pod, along with an expansion of the jail’s medical section and additional staff.
TOURISM AND EVENTS
Shelby County Manager of Tourism and Events Kendall Williams is not only working to bring more events to the county, but also on a rebranding campaign for Discover Shelby.
“DiscoverShelby serves as the tourism arm of the county and is in the process of establishing its brand identity separate from the county as a premier place to live, visit and do business,” Williams said. “Although DiscoverShelby is not a separate entity, we believe it should look and feel as if it is with a different logo, branding and website.”
The two-phase process will begin with a questionnaire and discovery phase with different stakeholders to gather a clear picture of Shelby County as a destination. This information will lead to the brand-identity portion with a look to create consistency in advertising and promotions. The second phase will focus on giving the website, discovershelby.com, a complete overhaul.
“Our goal and vision is to create a website and eventual app to be a useful resource for our residents and visitors alike,” Williams said.
Williams said she hopes to introduce the new image by early spring 2022 and for the new website to be up and running by the summer.
Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said there are a lot of exciting things coming up for the department in 2022, and they are nearing completion of their strategic plan.
Plans are in place to upgrade the training program. Even though Samaniego said it’s currently exemplary, he would like to see continued improvement.
During the past eight months, employees have been trained and equipment has been purchased for the creation of a field force unit. After clashes between citizens and police across the county, Samaniego wanted to be certain that his department had all the necessary items to keep them safe. They now have equipment that includes Kevlar helmets, barricades, top shelf gas masks with communication availability and other protective gear.
“Even though I don't see the 280 corridor having this problem, we consider Hoover as a part of Shelby County, and they have been targeted, and we've been supporting them on all those incidents,” Samaniego said. “We put a squad together every time they need it and send it to help them.”
The department was provided with formalized training, and command staff was put into place. The Center for Domestic Preparedness sent an instructor to train all the deputies, and a response team has since been created.
Expansion is also needed at the Shelby County Jail, which has been at or over capacity more often than not in recent months. The state has been housing federal inmates in large jails, including Shelby County, which has pushed them over their limits, which Samaniego said is between 450-480.
“We were at 526 one morning, and I said enough’s enough, and I really started to do something about it,” he said. “Shelby County is one of the few large jails in the state. We've had some talks and negotiated with [the state] to begin taking those prisoners in the near future. We're trying to find out what their criteria is, and, believe me, we're gonna make it happen.”
Samaniego hopes to see expansion in the form of another jail pod, along with an expansion of their medical section and adding staff. There are currently 70 deputies at the jail, and if the expansion happens, another 22 will be needed.
Other important items within the department are recruitment and retention of employees, satisfaction levels of employees and communication within the department.
Samaniego is also up for reelection this year, and plans to run for his third term. If reelected, he plans to begin working on his succession plan for the next sheriff.
CITY OF CHELSEA
The prominent discussion in Chelsea is the next steps in the formation of a city school system. Since the release of the feasibility results in November, public hearings from residents will be scheduled to hear opinions from the residents.
In the coming weeks and months, the council will decide on a level of funding and propose it to the residents for vote on the amount of mills determined after public meetings.
“This is and always has been about not only improving our schools, but also building a new high school,” Mayor Tony Picklesimer said. “This is about having Chelsea people leading Chelsea schools and offering our students the absolute best opportunities to excel in every way, both in the classrooms and in extracurricular activities.”
Another project in the city is the completion of intersection realignment at Shelby County 39 and 47 in front of City Hall. The project was initially expected to be finished in November, but due to rain, has been pushed back to the first quarter of 2022. Although these are county roads and it is a county project, the city of Chelsea is paying 25% of the cost.
As of press time, the Foothills Business Park was waiting to be paved, and all of the utilities were ready. A sign will be constructed along with a fountain at the entrance. Picklesimer said the city is currently working with a couple of prospects to possibly build there.
“Once paving is done, we will be full speed ahead trying to market the property and start bringing businesses in,” he said.
Therachem has already purchased property in the business park but has postponed construction after adding to its current property at Jade Park off Chesser Crane Road. A new post office is also projected to be built there, but the timeline has not been confirmed.
Picklesimer said phase two at Chelsea Sports Complex is well underway, and baseball play is expected by the fall 2022. The concession stand will go out for bid in early January, and construction is expected to take four to five months.
“The championship field turned out so much better than I even imagined, and it’s really going to be exceptional — a real gem in our Chelsea Park and Rec Department,” he said.
The turf and track project at Chelsea High School is still in the negotiations stage between the city of Chelsea, the Shelby County Commission and the Shelby County Board of Education. The estimated cost for the project was between $1.4 million and $1.6 million. Picklesimer planned to ask the council to approve him to sign a memorandum of agreement Dec. 21 so the Board of Education could put the project out for bid.
Chelsea’s first hotel, LaQuinta, is expected to break ground in the first quarter of 2022 with a construction estimate of about one year. Also near the hotel, Arby’s is expected to open in January, followed by Buffalo Wild Wings in February.
CHELSEA FIRE DEPARTMENT
Projects for the coming year include the arrival of a new rescue truck in the spring and three new fire engines in the fall. The department’s training is planned out for the year, and a calendar for daily training activities, including fire and EMS, is being completed.
“The big topic for the upcoming year appears to be a possible vote on a city school system, which would certainly affect us pending the growth it would inevitably cause,” Fire Chief Joe Lee said. “We are spending time gathering the needed information to make sure when the time comes, we are prepared and ready to continue providing the highest quality service to both the existing citizens as well as new citizens brought in through annexation.”
The department will continue to provide community services such as CPR Saturdays and the Fire Explorer Program. Fire dues are another important topic for those in unincorporated areas in the vicinity of one of the three stations.
280 Living will keep readers up to date on these projects throughout the year.