By Michael Gay
Millbrook City Council President
2023 in Review:
2023 has been an exciting year of announcements, ground breakings, and ribbon cuttings. This has been a year we celebrated old traditions and started new ones. Millbrook continued to move forward in our desire to promote quality of life and opportunity for our citizens. We all can celebrate the progress and agree that there is much more to be done.
Growth and visible progress starts with 17 Springs. This generational changing project is moving forward with Phase One that opened last July. Phase One has tournament quality facilities for tennis, pickleball, soccer, and football. Phase Two is under construction and will open in thirteen months. This phase will have an 86,000 square foot indoor facility that can host basketball, wrestling, volleyball, chearleading, and other tournament quality events. It will also host corporate and private events. The possibilities are endless. Attached will be a 7A level multipurpose stadium. The stadium will host, football, soccer, and track events. It will also be able to host outdoor entertainment events. There will also be six tournament quality softball and 12 U baseball fields. The level and quality of 17 Springs is garnishing attention far and wide. The Grandview YMCA has all aready booked multiple sport’s tournaments. The most recent being the prestigious Collegiate Blue Gray Tennis Tournament. 17 Springs is all ready living up to the saying “build it and they will come!”
17 Springs will also include a marketplace where visitors can enjoy restaurants, shopping and hotels. Construction of the marketplace will begin in the first quarter of 2024. The tax revenue generated from this development will benefit all the governmental participants. Our local citizens will benefit from the many opportunities 17 Springs will create.
How is the project possible? The secret sauce is the partnership and leadership made up of our partners the Elmore County Commission, Elmore County Board of Education, Elmore County Economic Development Agency, City of Millbrook, and the Montgomery/Grandview YMCA. The leaders of the organizations have kept clear goals and exercised patience in the development.
A short drive down the road above Walmart will be a new shopping center anchored by Publix opening in July of 2024. The Publix development will bring additional shopping and dining choices. It will also open up the rest of the property for further development.
Downtown continues to take shape. Planning continues for future development. Ann Harper, Millbrook Economic Developer, has been leading this work. The Senior Center under the leadership of Olivia Venable has become a vibrant place for our seniors to gather and prosper. The Village Green continues to see more activites for the community to enjoy. In fact, the city is seeing thousands of people attending various events. The new Millbrook Art Mill has added to our downtown quality of life. The newly renovated building near the Village Green serves as the hub for cultural and artistic events. It is our hope the increased activity will spur development and interest in a downtown centered around the Village Green. I believe many entrepreneurial opportunities will come out of this for our local citizens. Businesses are thriving and growing on Main Street.
Our public schools continue to see improvement. Recent reports show that Elmore County schools out perform our neighboring counties. Stanhope Elmore High School continues to score higher than Prattville High School. The Board of Education is making investments that are paying dividends. From STEM labs to new facilities for the arts, our children are getting more choices. Additional opportunities for vocational and dual enrollment is opening up greater career development too. There is much to be done; however, we can appreciate the progress attained. Thank you Elmore County Board of Education for your continued progress.
I want to highlight the work done by WELCOME, our local food bank. WELCOME serves hundreds of needy families each month. WELCOME has started a capital campaign to raise funds to help them secure a permanent location. I hope you will join me in supporting this campaign with financial contributions and helping to spread the word. It speaks to a community’s character in how we help those in need. Thank you for your support.
As you can see, our growth is steady and deliberate. Highway 14 continues to mature as our commercial and economic engine. Downtown is becoming a place where we can gather as a collective family to enjoy local events and entertainment. There is much work to be done. The fun part is that we are building it together. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as a city councilman. Thank you to my council members for allowing me to serve you as Council President. Thank you Mayor Kelley and our local leaders for the opportunity to work with you for the benefit of Millbrook, Elmore County, and the River Region.
Happy New Year!
