The Elmore County Economic Development Authority (ECEDA)  has released information on the ReOpenElmore project which is their effort to help businesses reopen in a safe manner.

The information found on their new website ReOpenElmore.com, will give business owners a list of items to consider prior to reopening  their business.

Once Governor Ivey takes the necessary steps allowing  our businesses to reopen, ECEDA will continue the support effort and will assist businesses with information on how to reopen within guidelines issued.

I appreciate ECEDA  focusing their resources on this project which has been made possible by support from their stakeholders.

Bart

ReOpenElmore.com

This is the work session agenda for the Commission meeting 4-28-2020.
The Elmore County Commission meets on the 2nd Floor of the Historic Elmore County Courthouse, downtown Wetumpka. Work Session starts at 5:00 p.m. and Commission meeting soon after, normally about 6:00 p.m.
If you want to share a thought or have a question on any item please let me know.
Thanks,
Bart

Due to the Tornado Watch being issued the Elmore County Emergency Management Agency has activated the Safer Places Program.

Please see the information below about Safer Places and how they function during severe weather events:

The purpose of the Safer Place Program in Elmore County is to facilitate the opening of pre-designated areas for citizens seeking a safer place prior to and during severe weather conditions. The Safer Place Program is not intended for long-term opening of a building for a mass care shelter. Instead the intent of the program is to provide a safer place (not safe as in a FEMA approved Safe Room), for individuals to seek shelter during severe weather (tornado, extreme cold or extreme heat). There are no meals or services provided by the host facility. Citizens are encouraged to bring anything they may need to sustain themselves (i.e. food, medicine, etc.). The safer place locations are not advertised as “tornado shelters” or “safe rooms” but as a location of last resort for those who need a safer place to stay prior to and during a severe weather event or during times of extreme cold or heat.

These are the Safer Places locations that are currently open until the Tornado Watch expires:

The following Safer Places are open to citizens:

Elmore County Courthouse – 100 E. Commerce St, Wetumpka

Town of Elmore – 212 Penny Parkway, Elmore

Town of Elmore – Elmore Fire Station 1 – 1245 AL Hwy 143, Elmore

Town of Elmore  – Elmore Fire Station 2 – 393 Baltzer Road, Elmore

Deatsville Fire Department – 6930 AL Hwy 143, Deastville

New Home Baptist Church – Titus – 1605 New Home Road, Titus

St James Family Worship – 1005 Nobles Rd, Wetumpka

Tallassee Police Department – 214 Barnett Blvd, Tallassee

Tallassee City Hall –  3 Freeman Ave, Tallassee

Tallassee United Methodist Church – 1 Jordan Ave, Tallassee

Millbrook Baptist Church – 3431 Browns Rd, Millbrook

Eclectic Police Station – 148 Main St, Eclectic

First Baptist Church – Eclectic – 203 Claude Rd, Eclectic

Redland Baptist Church – 1266 Dozier Rd, Wetumpka

Coosada Town Hall/Fire Department- 5800 Coosada Rd, Coosada

Harden St Church – 213 Harden St., Eclectic

Prattville Public Safety Building – 201 Gin Shop Hill Rd, Prattville

Safer Place sites can also be found on our website at Safer Places and click on “I Understand” to go to the map page.

For additional questions you can contact the Elmore County Emergency Management Agency at (334) 567-6451.

Stay Safe!!

Bart

With severe storms forecast for this Sunday the County Commission has released the below information in relation to Safer Places and Social Distancing.

With the impending severe weather expected for Sunday and while we are still practicing social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to remind everyone that the protocol for the activation of Safer Places in Elmore County will remain unchanged. We will notify the Safer Places that Elmore County is under a watch/ warning and each Safer Place can respond if they will be able to open or not. Elmore County EMA will post updates during each event as Safer Places activate and open. You can stay informed of these updates through the EMA app, website or social media feeds.

The decision to open a Safer Place in Elmore County is always made by the individual facility. Safer Places will be provided the latest recommendations regarding COVID-19 from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), Should a Safer Place be opened, individuals utilizing the facility will be asked to follow the same CDC and ADPH guidelines that are in effect the day of the event.

Should you have questions regarding the Safer Places program, please contact the Elmore County EMA office at 334-567-6451 or email ecema@elmoreco.org.

______________________________________________________________

What are Safer Places?

The purpose of the Safer Place Program in Elmore County is to facilitate the opening of pre-designated areas for citizens seeking a safer place prior to and during severe weather conditions. The Safer Place Program is not intended for long-term opening of a building for a mass care shelter. Instead the intent of the program is to provide a safer place (not safe as in a FEMA approved Safe Room), for individuals to seek shelter during severe weather (tornado, extreme cold or extreme heat). There are no meals or services provided by the host facility. Citizens are encouraged to bring anything they may need to sustain themselves (i.e. food, medicine, etc.). The safer place locations are not advertised as “tornado shelters” or “safe rooms” but as a location of last resort for those who need a safer place to stay prior to and during a severe weather event or during times of extreme cold or heat.

This is the work session agenda for the Commission meeting 4-13-2020.
The Elmore County Commission meets on the 2nd Floor of the Historic Elmore County Courthouse, downtown Wetumpka. Work Session starts at 5:00 p.m. and Commission meeting soon after, normally about 6:00 p.m.
If you want to share a thought or have a question on any item please let me know.
Thanks,
Bart

Below is information relating to the Elmore County Commission working with many other partners to identify public broadband hotspots across the county. I appreciate everyone that has worked on this project.

Bart

April 3, 2020

Partnership Yields Broadband Hotspot Opportunities and Interactive Map

The Elmore County Commission in partnership with the Elmore County Board of Education (ECBOE), Elmore County Economic Authority (ECEDA), our municipalities, and Central Access announces the release of an interactive map of public broadband hotspots available in the county. With the assistance of Central Access, additional public hotspot locations that are soon to be available are also included on the map.

The genesis of the discussions was predicated by the onset of the COVID-19 virus and the availability of public Wi-Fi hotspots. Elmore County Board of Education Superintendent Richard Dennis contacted the County Commission to seek assistance to identify ways to reach his student population remotely. When this contact was made, the County Commission was able to share about their active engagement with ECEDA for the last eighteen months developing a broadband plan for the entire county. With the assistance of ECEDA’s consultant, Sain and Associates, the County Commission and ECEDA have been utilizing data captured in the plan to identify weaknesses and strengths in the county’s broadband infrastructure network. With the study in hand, the partnership moved swiftly to identify currently available public hotspots and the interest of many countywide resources who would entertain hosting a potential hotspot. During the gathering of this data, several municipalities expanded access to their facilities as public hotspots as well as Spectrum sharing their data of currently available public hotspots. These hotspots are designed to allow citizens to be able to access the free broadband connection from the safety of their vehicle at the specified locations allowing proper social distancing measures to be observed.

Central Alabama Electric Cooperative and its broadband company, Central Access, have been a valuable asset to the group during the study process and during the hotspot discussion. When the Elmore County Commission, ECEDA, and ECBOE, brought this issue to the partnership, Central Access stepped up to help expand the availability of public hotspots.

Currently, there are 63 public hotspots available throughout the county between Central Access, Spectrum, municipal, ECBOE and other community sites. Plans are in place to increase the public hotspot opportunities to close to 100 sites over the next several months. To view the available and future public hotspots, the partnership has developed a digital map hosted on the Elmore County Commission website. The map is available on the Elmore County Commission website (www.elmoreco.org) or at Broadband Hotspot Map. As additional public hotspots come online, the map will be updated so citizens have access to the most current set of active and available sites.

With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis timeline, these public hotspots give parents and their students options for safe and social distance compliant access to educational tools. Moving forward, these public hotspots have the potential to provide many other opportunities related to areas such as telehealth, workforce resources, public safety, emergency response, and additional access to county and municipal services/ resources. Should you have any questions related to this effort and the digital map tool, please contact Cary Cox at cary.cox@elmoreeda.com or Richie Beyer at wrbechd@elmoreco.org.

Broadband Hotspot Map Link