BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS OWNER
Millbrook was not officially recognized as a city until 1977, making it almost an infant age-wise compared to neighboring cities.
Even so, Millbrook has the largest population of all cities in Elmore County. While recent Census numbers have not yet been released, it is expected the area will see an increase to at least 20,000 population. Most of that growth has come in the past 15 years, leaving city officials during that time a difficult task to keep up with the growth and need for services.
Today Millbrook is seeing another huge growth spurt with construction ongoing in various new neighborhoods, ribbon cuttings and more predicted in the near future.
As the population grew beginning in the early 2000s, many businesses and developments moved to Hwy. 14 closer to the interstate. This moved attention away from the perceived downtown area along Main Street. But to be honest, there never was a fully developed downtown area like neighboring cities. In Wetumpka, a downtown courthouse anchors that area, with multiple businesses and roadways in the historical district.
The same goes for Prattville, which boasts a large courthouse and multiple streets downtown where businesses flourish today in that city’s historical district.
Technically, Millbrook has nothing referred to as a Historical District. Not yet, anyway.
As Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley has said many times, in the beginning what is now considered downtown was a stop for the train, and later a bus stop. But over the years some hearty local businesses have held strong, and developments over time have given offerings for local residents.
Prattville and Wetumpka have enjoyed a huge surge in traffic to their official downtown, historic areas. While that is not the case for Millbrook, it could be in the near future. While not widely known, Millbrook does have many areas of historic interest. (See more on this further down.)
A proposed five-year Strategic Plan for Downtown Millbrook will be presented July 21 at the Millbrook Civic Center. The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and lunch is sponsored by River Bank & Trust, Liveoak Agency, The Carpet Place and Family Home Furniture.
Attendance is by RSVP, and it can be sent to [email protected] by July 16. Seating is limited.
The Elmore/Autauga News will be at the meeting and will have a full report afterwards if you are unable to attend.
“We entered into an agreement with Downtown Strategies for the redevelopment of what we call our downtown,” Economic Development Director Ann Harper told the council. She said she is very excited about the unveiling of the five-year proposed plan. As for official invitations to the event, she said, “We targeted the property owners, business owners, stakeholders and interested parties. But it will be open to the public. However, we need to know who is coming because lunch will be served.”
For the past couple of years the City has acquired several pieces of property with hopes of development to make downtown more attractive. One of the first properties purchased was the old PNC bank location. Several years ago, the old bank was transformed into the new Millbrook City Hall. The former city hall was remodeled and today is the home of the Millbrook Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Office.
A new Senior Center will soon be constructed on Grandview Road, across from Station 1 of the Millbrook Fire Department. That property was part of two properties acquired by the city.
The land where the Welcome Center Food Pantry is located currently has also been purchased. The city would like to provide a new, modern building for the Welcome Center in a different location and at the same time develop the current property for new uses.
Earlier this year, the council saw plans for an extension of the walking trails along Mill Creek made possible by other land purchases by the city. The plan is also to include the early history of this area in a possible walking tour with historical signage. Despite its official “young” age, what today is Millbrook has been populated by Native Americans and later new settlers coming in the early 1800s. Early pioneer Bolling Hall built one of the first homes in what is now Millbrook and it still stands today. It remains in the Hall family more than 200 years after its construction and is a private residence.
It was completed in 1818, a year before Alabama became a state. But even in the early days, a post office bore the name of “Millbrook” so named by one of Hall’s descendants.
Millbrook city officials have been in discussions for several years now, wanting to find a way to grow the downtown area around Village Green Park and outward. They entered into a contract with Downtown Strategies, a company that helps cities revitalize their downtown areas.
The area now known as Mill Creek Park could see changes as well, as plans progress with The Fields at 17 Springs. That new location at 17 Springs will boast multiple ball fields reducing the need for the fields at Mill Creek Park.
A lot of ideas have been discussed about how to reutilize Mill Creek Park. Some suggestions have been a Splash Pad, a Dog Park and many more interesting ideas.
In the future, officials will welcome ideas and suggestions from Millbrook residents about features they would like to see added to the downtown area.
Downtown Strategies works with small towns to mid-sized cities, generally with populations up to 250,000, and particularly those not part of larger metro areas. These are the “stand-alone” communities whose downtowns are the social and economic centers of their own micro regions.
For more information on Downtown Strategies, visit their website at downtownstrategies.com
