Month: April 2018

The threat of bad weather resulted in the 9^th Annual Elmore County Preparedness Fair 2018 to be rescheduled to for April 28^th .

This year the event will take place at the Tallassee City School’s Football Stadium at 304 Gilmer Ave. between the hours of 10:00am to 1:00pm.

This event will bring together numerous local, tribal, state and federal agencies that all are a part of emergency preparedness, response and recovery serving Elmore County. Each of these agencies will have equipment on display and/or information available.

There will be information on Community Preparedness, First Aid/CPR/AED training, Amateur Radio Operations and LifeSouth Bloodmobile will be on site as well.

There will be bounce houses for the children to enjoy, preparedness tips and many emergency vehicles on display.

Come see the capabilities our first responders have to serve and keep citizens safe as possible.

For additional information you can contact the Elmore County EMA office at 334-567-6451 or as always let me know and I will help get what information you need.

Bart

Below is a media release from the City of Millbrook and Elmore County Commission concerning a traffic signal and road improvements at Grandview Road and Kinsley Lane at Highway 14 in Millbrook:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4/24/2018

CONTACT:

Ann Harper

City of Millbrook, Economic Development Office

334.285.0330 / ann.harper@cityofmillbrook-al.gov

Richie  Beyer

Elmore County Chief Engineer & Operations Officer

334.398.3325 / wrbechd@elmoreco.org

CONSTRUCTION TO START ON NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL AND ROAD IMPROVEMENTS AT HIGHWAY 14, GRANDVIEW ROAD AND KINSLEY LANE IN MILLBROOK

Improvements to the Alabama Highway 14 and Grandview Road intersection have been a topic of discussion for years but is now a reality. The project has been an on-going process that has included numerous requests from area residents, serious injuries, fatalities, traffic studies, permitting processes and ultimately a joint project between the City of Millbrook, Elmore County Commission and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).

Work is scheduled to begin the first week of May starting with improvements at the adjacent AL Hwy. 14 and Kinsley Lane intersection, and involves the installation of access management features and an acceleration lane. ALDOT required this element as a condition of the installation of the traffic signal at Grandview Road.

Once work is substantially completed at Kinsley, work at Grandview will commence with the enhancing of the existing deceleration lane to minimize the curve on Grandview Road and then wrap up with the installation of the traffic signal at the intersection of AL Hwy 14 and Grandview Road.

The City of Millbrook has provided funds for the purchase and installation of the traffic signal and has agreed to fund its operation and maintenance.  The Elmore County Commission, through its Highway Department, will construct all of the other associated road improvements. ALDOT has contributed funding for the traffic signal as well and will oversee the signal’s installation. These improvements will enhance overall safety for motorists, increase operational efficiency at the intersections, and compliment economic development opportunities in the area.

“The City Council and I are grateful to ALDOT and the Elmore County Commission for their spirit of cooperation and contributions to this incredibly important project.  We also appreciate the support and patience of Millbrook residents as we implement this project and work to improve public safety in an area that will continue to develop with both residential and commercial uses” stated Mayor Al Kelley.

Elmore County Commissioner Bart Mercer understands the importance of this project to the area as well and added “The AL Hwy 14 corridor is a critical stretch of road in Elmore County for commuting and commerce. Any time we can partner with ALDOT and our municipalities to enhance safety for our citizens it’s a positive. The County Commission appreciates the City’s leadership in this effort and our opportunity to participate.”

The total cost of the project is estimated at $250,000. All work on both sites should be completed before the end of the year. Questions about the project can be directed to Stuart Peters (City of Millbrook, stuart@landmark-eng.com ) or Richie Beyer (Elmore County, wrbechd@elmoreco.org ).

The Elmore County commission recently hosted over 300 senior high students from Elmore County public and private schools for the annual County Government Day. Various county funded agencies and service organizations had educational booths and displays set up all with the purpose of exposing our students to their local government and available services.

During the event I learned more about a community service that our Grandview YMCA provides. Grandview YMCA Director Bill Myers spoke to a group of students about the Greater Montgomery Area (GMA) YMCA’s Brown Bag Bus and how it weekly sets up in various areas of the river region providing meals and also enriching the mind, body and spirit of participating students.

Bill explained in the area served by the GMA YMCA that 70% of students qualify for reduced and free school lunch and an average of 16.7 % of households do not have food security which means access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, compared to a national average of 14.3.

In 2017, the GMA YMCA launched the Brown Bag Bus obtained through a grant from Walmart and Coca-Cola to serve meals in the underserved areas which are funded by the USDA. The program was piloted in Montgomery County and is currently serving an average of 500 dinners a week during the school year and 450 lunches a day during the Summer. In January of this year, this bus expanded service to Elmore County where it currently serves approximately 60 children in Millbrook and 40 children in Wetumpka on Friday afternoons. The Brown Bag Bus currently averages serving about 3000 meals a month at 10 River Region locations.

Here is a fact that Bill Myers didn’t tell these students during his presentation that made me very proud. Bill Myers wrote the grant that provided funding for this bus to be purchased and customized. Bill and his staff do great things at the Grandview Y that positively affect people not only in our community but across the River Region. Knowing Bill I am sure he would be quick to tell you he has a great group of volunteers, staff and a Board that supports and enables him. I would agree with those facts, but it takes a leader with a servants heart to harness and channel that support for any effort to be successful. I really appreciate Bill’s leadership, and the positive impact he has in our community in so many areas that he serves with the Grandview Y. The Brown Bag Bus is just one of those impacts.

Bart

Below is the Work Session agenda for the County Commission meeting taking place at 9:30am Thursday April 19th during County Government Day.

This  Commission meeting is scheduled for a Thursday morning and  not on a Monday evening like normal so it can be a part of County Government Day. The Commission will host  approximately 350 senior high students from across the county where they will see how their county government operates.

County Government Day  is a part of the National Association of Counties (NACo)  National Government Month where counties from all over the nation will be doing their part to familiarize students with various county agencies and their function.

There will displays and demonstrations by the Elmore County Highway Department, Emergency Management Agency,  Sheriff’s Department Special Operations along with other County/Local agencies.

If you have a question on any item please let me know.

Bart

Below are some results from Elmore County’s Operation Spring Clean and Monthly Countywide Clean-Up along with Lake Jordan HOBOs Lake Clean -Up Day that took place this past Saturday:

Operation Spring Clean:

Three (3) schools participated (Tallassee High School, Edgewood Academy and Stanhope Elmore ROTC);

Two (2) Civic Groups participated (Boy Scout Troop 91-Millbrook/ Deatsville and the Grandview YMCA);

Two (2) Commissioner Led Groups participated (Stubbs and Daugherty);

74 Volunteers total

133 Bags of Trash Collected

Close to 1 Ton of litter collected (1995 lbs based on an average of 15 pounds per bag)

Close to 12 miles of roadway patrolled (11.8 miles)

Countywide Clean-Up:

The normal Countywide Cleanup event had approximately 40 Tons picked up at  6 sites across the county.

Lake Jordan HOBO Lake Clean-Up

Advanced Disposal reported that the Lake Jordan HOBO removed 4.66 Tons from the lake this past Saturday as well.

Approximately 46 Tons was picked up and cleaned up from Elmore County this past Saturday.

My children and I had the opportunity to pick up litter along Edgewood Road and Coosada Parkway with volunteers from Stanhope and Edgewood. I was very proud of what we accomplished and of the volunteers  we worked alongside Saturday and of those volunteers from across the County. Then reality set-in. On the way home from church Sunday morning I saw where overnight someone had thrown out a bag full of paper along one of the roads we cleaned Saturday. So disappointing, but glad we had the opportunity to do our part to make Elmore County as clean as possible.

Bart

Elmore County’s Operation Spring Clean 2018 resulted in a large amount of litter being removed from the roadway all across the county today.

We appreciate the schools and various groups that helped be the example of how citizens take pride in their community.

My children and I had the opportunity to pick up litter along Edgewood Road and Coosada Parkway this morning with volunteers from Stanhope and Edgewood and they did a great job!!!

I appreciate the volunteers serving their community and also appreciate those County employees that helped make this a success.

Here are some pictures of what took place in the Millbrook and Coosada areas today.

There are three ways we can help clean the litter from Elmore County  this Saturday:

Operation Spring Clean:

On Saturday April 14^th the Elmore County commission is organizing Operation Spring Clean. Through the County Highway Department participating groups and individual volunteers are being assigned specific roads to remove this litter. Trash bags and safety vest will be provided along with assistance from county personnel to remove filled garage bags.

If you want to participate in this effort please contact the Elmore County Highway Department at 334-567-1162.

Countywide Cleanup:

The normal monthly Countywide Cleanup will take place on April 14^th.

Trucks will be at the locations below from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The pick-up sites are for residents to bring amounts of trash larger than the normal residential trash container will accommodate.

These are the pick-up sites for Saturday April 14:
Coosada Post Office
Holtville High School
Elmore County Judicial Complex
CEWSA – Redland Facility
Emerald Mountain Equestrian Center
Kent – Old Highway Department

Lake Jordan HOBO Lake Clean Up:

The Lake Jordan HOBO will be hosting their annual lake clean up day. This is a time where trash is removed from all shoreline areas of Lake Jordan. Volunteers can contact Allan or Brenda Basnight at 334-399-7370 or by email   abasn379874@gmail.com  for more information

If you have any questions about these three opportunities please let me know.
Bart

Statement from the Elmore County EMA concerning the Preparedness Fair scheduled for this Saturday is below:

Due to the uncertainty of the severe weather on Saturday April 14, Elmore County EMA has decided to postpone the Preparedness Fair to Saturday, April 28.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Elmore County EMA at (334) 567-6451.

Thanks

Bart

Elmore County Preparedness Fair 2018

The Elmore County Emergency Management Agency will host the 9^th annual Elmore County Preparedness Fair on Saturday April 14, 2018.

This year the event will take place at the Tallassee City Schools Football Stadium at 304 Gilmer Ave. between the hours of 10:00am to 1:00pm.

This event will bring together numerous local, tribal, state and federal agencies that all are a part of emergency preparedness, response and recovery serving Elmore County. Each of these agencies will have equipment and or information on display.

There will be information on Community Preparedness, First Aid/CPR/AED training and LifeSouth Bloodmobile will be onsite as well.

There will be bounce houses for the children to enjoy, preparedness tips and many emergency vehicles on display.

Come see the capabilities our first responders have to serve and keep citizens safe as possible.

For additional information you can contact the Elmore County EMA office at 334-567-6451 or as always let me know and I will help get what information you need.

Bart

Below is a link to a brief recap video of the 4-9-18 County Commission meeting.

https://youtu.be/_ZD_mLe16gg

A video of the entire meeting can be found on the Commission web site later today at http://www.elmoreco.org.

Any questions please contact me.

Bart