BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Photos by Bob Ealum, Amanda Pevey and Sarah Stephens with EAN
The ribbon was officially cut on Phase I of the long-awaited 17 Springs project in Millbrook, Alabama Tuesday evening. But there is so much yet to come.
“Phase I only represents 25 percent of the overall project,” City Council President Michael Gay said. “Phase II, which is under construction, and the Marketplace of 17 Springs will be the other 75 percent. So, what you see now is just the beginning.”
With perfect weather and a crowd of an estimated 500 people, partners in this massive undertaking thanked everyone for the incredible work over the past six years to make The Fields at 17 Springs a reality.
Coming together to create this new sports showplace were the City of Millbrook, the Elmore County Commission, the Greater Montgomery YMCA, the Elmore County Board of Education, and the Elmore County Economic and Development Authority.
Stuart Peters works with the City of Millbrook and is the project manager for 17 Springs. He welcomed the huge crowd. Pastor Brandon Bowman with Millbrook Presbyterian Church led the invocation.
“We lift our voices to you, our creator God, maker of heaven and earth. We know that you spoke all things into being in such structures and fields and buildings. Such construction that doesn’t impress you, but we do ask Lord God that you would grant great blessing upon this beautiful facility the one in which we find ourselves today and that you will bless all that it will be tomorrow,” Pastor Bowman said.
He asked that the Fields of 17 Springs will be a place where health and teamwork and sportsmanship, will all thrive. He asked that it will be a place of steadfast comradery, a place of family and friends, and healthy exercise and fellowship.
Following the prayer, Stuart Peters again addressed the crowd, speaking of the many years of planning that have made the facility more than a dream.
“It started with conversations and ideas for the community,” Peters said. “We went out to the community to see what the interest was.”
There were many feasibility studies, choosing a design team, and untold hours of meetings and planning.
Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley said it was a great day for Millbrook and Elmore County.
“This is a special project,” Kelley said. “The word I want to center on is Vision.” The conversation first began around a table at the Grandview YMCA, with a vision of what could be created locally.
Kelley spoke of the city purchasing the old junkyard that was located where part of 17 Springs is now being enjoyed by so many, with many more to come in the future. Gone are the old cars and metals buildings. In its place is a state of the art plan of fields and recreation that is already being used by schools, teams and residents.
Property for the YMCA was generously donated many years ago, and with Bill Myers of the Grandview YMCA, the vision he originally had, the massive project began to come together with other organizations.
“Bill was the start of the vision, because of the YMCA property and the things he wanted to do for the kids at the YMCA. Richie Beyer (Chief of Operations for Elmore County) had a vision for all of the kids in the community,” Kelley said. “Stuart Peters had a vision of what he thought was best for our city. Stuart has been a longtime supporter and my right hand. He is always looking out for us.”
As time went on, it was decided to hire a consultant to help with the process. It was recommended to do a community survey. “We wanted to know what you wanted,” Kelley said. “Overwhelmingly, the survey said sports, soccer, pickleball. We had three meetings before I finally asked what pickleball was.”
He learned it is one of the fastest growing sports in America.
After connecting with an architectural firm, the vision continued, with concept designs.
“Seay Seay & Litchfield Architects came up with something amazing. A fly through video of something that wasn’t even there. We were flying over this facility and seeing something that wasn’t even there yet,” Kelley said. “I had the vision that day.”
He thanked partners, city council and the community for believing in this vision.
“We had some choices, and I am the tightwad that I am,” Kelley said with a laugh. He said that he was often outvoted on taking a less expensive route, and now looking at the beautiful completion of Phase I, he is glad he was outvoted.
“I want to especially thank three people and their groups. Richie Beyer and his entire Elmore County staff. The road crews that moved tremendous amounts of dirt. I want to thank Bill Myers and the YMCA Staff. I have never seen a group more dedicated to their job of helping kids to get through this world. I have never, ever seen anybody like Bill Myers. The entire staff has been tremendous,” he said.
“I want to thank Stuart Peters. He is a right-hand guy. When Richie and all wanted to do something crazy, they go to Stuart and said, ‘Sell it to the mayor.’ And he does that. He does a good job.”
Looking to the future, Kelley said that his first thought was a facility that would improve sports facilities for central Alabama.
“But from what I am hearing, this may be something for Alabama as a whole,” he said.
Elmore County Commission Chairman Bart Mercer said, “It has been a long time coming. The Elmore County Commission made the decision six years ago to seek out projects that we could assist communities throughout the county to bring quality of life projects. We have also looked for ways to create economic development opportunities and enhance our education system throughout the county.”
In doing that, the reality is that there are limited resources, as Elmore County has one of the lowest tax rates in the state. “But 17 Springs is going to be that catalyst project that will have a huge impact on our overall effort.”
Mercer said he has talked to people across the state and country about this project. “They ask how we do it. It is very easy when we are doing what is best for the citizens we serve,” Mercer said.
Mercer thanked many organizations, businesses and others who have played a huge role in making this dream a reality. He included the Alabama Department of Transportation, as they are responsible for Hwy. 14. There is no question that traffic will increase as that corridor expands with many new businesses already coming to the area.
“We are excited to see these improvements come to light,” he said. “We are very excited to see the economic impact to the local economy and the commercial development. Overall, this will improve the quality of life on this side of the county.”
Art Faulkner is the chairman of the Economic County Economic Development Authority, and he spoke of the path to get 17 Springs to Elmore County.
“Here we are now, with Phase I being complete, Phase II being under construction. Back behind you is Phase III which is the Marketplace. That is the catalyst for pulling the Economic Development Authority in to look at the overall picture of what we are trying to do.”
ECEDA’s focus has been on how these improvements can be put into place with the lowest cost but generating the most revenue.
“Our citizens come to this county; we believe for our natural resources. We have long focused on those resources, be it our lakes or rivers. And now with these facilities…those will bring a different type of recreational opportunity to our county,” he said.
He said that people from across the state will be coming to the area, spend their money here, and perhaps love it so much, stay here.
He thanked Central Alabama Electric Cooperative and Central Access for their work with broadband and highspeed internet, making it easily available for projects such as 17 Springs.
Elmore County Superintendent of Education Richard Dennis said, “I want to thank everyone, but it is a tremendous day in Elmore County especially where education is concerned. We have had tremendous growth in the last few years. If you look at these facilities, we would not be able to, as a single organization, provide these types of facilities for our schools and our students.”
He thanked the School Board for allowing participation in this phenomenal project.
“I want to thank the board for putting us in a position where our students have access to these facilities, and they will continue to be able to participate in enhanced programming through what is being developed here at 17 Springs. This first year, we had our first game for soccer in Elmore County here at 17 Springs.”
He said it is historic for Elmore County on what has been accomplished already, and he said this is just the start of what is to come.
“I cannot say enough about the partnership,” Dennis said. “Seven years ago, I came in as Superintendent and the coordination that has taken place in Elmore County, I did not see that taking place at that time. There were people hard at work trying to make that coordination take place, to get people on the same page and focused on projects to improve community development. I cannot say enough about these different entities. To develop and work together to develop this facility that will provide the services, but also be sustainable and support itself in the future.”
He thanked the City of Millbrook and the Elmore County Commission for their tremendous financial investment. He praised the YMCA and ECEDA saying that all the agencies have been great to work with throughout.
Gary Cobbs is the executive director of the Montgomery YMCA.
“17 Springs didn’t just happen. There were a lot of good people working behind the scenes to make this reality. This is a very unique type of partnership. Sometimes we as leaders of our own entities, sometimes we want what we want. For a project like this, we kept it right. This is for the people and economic development we want to serve.
“We are sitting on a property that was secured by the Jim and Elmore Inscoe family that has been so integral for the YMCA for so many years. They gave this land so that we would continue to support and serve this community in even greater fashion.”
He also thanked Bill Myers and staff at the Grandview YMCA.
“Bill Myers….unbelievable work and staff team. It is just unmatched with the value they bring to this community,” Cobb said.
“Our YMCA exists to strengthen the foundations of our community,” he said. “We are thankful to be a part of this.”
Before the ribbon cutting, the visitors were invited to walk around the grounds and see the courts and areas that are currently complete and open to the public. After the ribbon cutting, an epic Pickle Ball game was held with Mayor Al Kelley and Gary Cobbs against Elmore County Commission Chairman Bart Mercer and Elmore County School Superintendent Richard Dennis. A valiant battle raged, but in the end, it was the team of Kelley and Cobbs that came out victorious.
Free food and drinks were provided by the Front Porch Grill and the 17 Springs Food truck.
If you are interested, a Facebook page has been established called Pickleball Millbrook. You can like and follow it here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/697168545428800
For more information on Phase II of Seventeen Springs, visit the website 17springs.org. For a flyover video of Phase II concept, visit https://17springs.org/#single/0
The website has the history of 17 springs listed below.
“In 2017, overlapping conversations between the City of Millbrook, Grandview Family YMCA, Elmore County Board of Education, Elmore County Economic Development Authority, and Elmore County Commission started the journey now referred to as 17 Springs. The name 17 Springs is rooted in a historic art festival hosted decades ago in the Millbrook community on the YMCA property. Looking for an iconic name for the joint development of recreational, entertainment and retail opportunities, the partnership settled on 17 Springs as the name to serve as its brand. From the basis of 17 Springs, the recreational outdoor area has been dubbed “The Fields at 17 Springs” while the future event center has been named “The Fieldhouse at 17 Springs”. The adjacent commercial areas planned as a dining, hospitality, shopping and entertainment district carries the name “The Marketplace at 17 Springs.”
