Category: Uncategorized

Monthly Countywide cleanup day is today Saturday, 5-12-18

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 this Saturday:

Town of Elmore – Town Hall
Holtville High School
Elmore County Judicial Complex
CEWSA – Redland Facility
Emerald Mountain Equestrian Center
Kent – Old Highway Department

Annual Shred Day is Also Today:

From 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. all Elmore County citizens can bring up to 6 paper boxes of personal documents and they will be securely destroyed on-site.

The mobile shredding truck will be located in the South parking lot of the Elmore County Judicial Complex which is on Hwy 231 across from Tutwiler Prison.

If you have any questions please contact me if I can help.

Bart

Crappie Masters Tournament Starts Today in Elmore County

Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters All American Tournament  will take place in Elmore County  starting today May 11 through May 12.  Fisherman from across the U.S will participate in this two-day qualifying event with weigh-ins taking place on Lake Jordan at Bonners Point at 3:30pm both days. Teams from across the Country started pre-fishing the Alabama River and Lake Jordan preparing for the tournament last week.

The Alabama Wildlife Federation will hold a Kids Fishing Rodeo at the AWF Pond at Lanark on Saturday May 12,  Registration 8:00-9:00 and Rodeo 9:00 -10:00. Contact the Alabama Wildlife Federation in Millbrook for more details on the fishing rodeo. We appreciate Tim Gothard and the AWF staff for supporting events taking place in Elmore County..

The Elmore County Commission, through the Elmore County Economic Development Authority, is glad to be a part of this tourism event and we welcome these fishing teams and families to Elmore County.  We also appreciate Mayor AL Kelley and the City of Millbrook for supporting events that promote tourism in Elmore County.

For more tournament details visit http://www.crappiemasters.net or contact me anytime if I can help.

Bart

Monthly Countywide cleanup day is this Saturday, 5-12-18

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.

Limbs smaller than four feet and no more than six inches in diameter will be accepted but it is not designed to accept trash or clean-up debris from contractors. Items such as batteries, appliances, oils and gases, paints or thinners will not be accepted.

These are the pick-up sites for this Saturday:
Town of Elmore – Town Hall
Holtville High School
Elmore County Judicial Complex
CEWSA – Redland Facility
Emerald Mountain Equestrian Center
Kent – Old Highway Department

Annual Shred Day is Also This Saturday:

The Elmore County Commission recognizes the importance of keeping your personal information from getting into the wrong hands. One way to prevent this is to never throw away documents that contains sensitive personal information without shredding those documents first.

On Saturday May 12, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. all Elmore County citizens can bring up to 6 paper boxes of personal documents and they will be securely destroyed on-site.

The mobile shredding truck will be located in the South parking lot of the Elmore County Judicial Complex which is on Hwy 231 across from Tutwiler Prison.

If you have any questions please call the ELCO Highway Department at 567-1162 or as always contact me if I can help.

Bart

Monthly Countywide cleanup day is this Saturday,  5-12-18

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.

Limbs smaller than four feet and no more than six inches in diameter will be accepted but it is not designed to accept trash or clean-up debris from contractors. Items such as batteries, appliances, oils and gases, paints or thinners will not be accepted.

These are the pick-up sites for this Saturday:
Town of Elmore – Town Hall
Holtville High School
Elmore County Judicial Complex
CEWSA – Redland Facility
Emerald Mountain Equestrian Center
Kent – Old Highway Department

Annual Shred Day is Also This Saturday:

The Elmore County Commission recognizes the importance of keeping your personal information from getting into the wrong hands. One way to prevent this is to never throw away documents that contains sensitive personal information without shredding those documents first.

On Saturday May 12, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. all Elmore County citizens can bring up to 6 paper boxes of personal documents and they will be securely destroyed on-site.

The mobile shredding truck will be located in the South parking lot of the Elmore County Judicial Complex which is on Hwy 231 across from Tutwiler Prison.

If you have any questions please call the ELCO Highway Department at 567-1162 or as always contact me if I can help.

Bart

Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters All American Tournament will take place in Elmore County May 11 and 12, 2018.  The tournament will take place on the Alabama River and Lake Jordan with weigh-ins being held at Bonners Point on Lake Jordan at 3:30pm each afternoon.

The Alabama Wildlife Federation will hold a Kids Fishing Rodeo at the AWF Pond at Lanark on Saturday May 12, Registration 8:00-9:00 and Rodeo 9:00 -10:00. For more information on the fishing rodeo contact the Alabama Wildlife Federation in Millbrook.

For more tournament details visit  http://www.crappiemasters.net

As a part of promoting the  Tournament,   a Writers Camp was held in Elmore County a few weeks back where  Writers were brought from across the Country to produce written and visual content.

This is a link to a video produced and being circulated about Elmore County and the beautiful natural resources and venues we enjoy.

https://youtu.be/DPTcT2MzMEA

More to come.

Bart

Many positive things happened in Elmore County last week and here are a few that I wanted to share..

Crappie Masters Tournament in Elmore County Next Week,  May 11 and 12

Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters All American Tournament Trail will be in Elmore County next week. I took part in recording a video promoting the event specifically talking about Elmore County. Link to Video  https://www.facebook.com/dan.dannenmueller.92/posts/855876047945500  .

As a part of promoting the Crappie Masters  event and Elmore County,  a Writers Camp was held in Elmore County a few weeks back where  Writers were brought from across the Country. Over a few day period these Writers were exposed to the lakes, rivers and other attractions in Elmore County all in an effort to gather content for publication.  Here is a link to two of these initial articles published that have appeared in various publications produced during this Writers Camp.  One such article is seen on the  Florida Guides Association site   http://www.florida-guides.com/road-trips/6132055 and then another similar one on the Crappie Now site http://www.crappienow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Crappie-NOW-May2018.pdf  . More to come.

Teams from across the Country have already started pre-fishing the Alabama River and Lake Jordan preparing for the tournament that will take place May 11th and 12th with weigh-ins being held at Bonners Point on Lake Jordan.

The Alabama Wildlife Federation will hold a Kids Fishing Rodeo at the AWF Pond at Lanark on Saturday May 12, Registration 8:00-9:00 and Rodeo 9:00 -10:00. We appreciate Tim Gothard and the AWF staff for being a part of this event and for all the many things they do for Elmore County.

The Elmore County Commission, through the Elmore County Economic Development Authority, is glad to be a part of this event that will bring in tourism dollars and will be great exposure for our beautiful county.  We  appreciate Mayor AL Kelley and the City of Millbrook for supporting events that promote tourism in Elmore County.

For more tournament details visit  http://www.crappiemasters.net

Elmore County EMA Director Chosen to Serve on FEMA Advisory Taskforce

Elmore County EMA Director Eric Jones has been chosen as one of five members of a FEMA taskforce to work on defining the criteria for the FY 2019 EMPG Program.  The EMPG Program funds activities such as
conducting  community  risk assessments,  updating emergency plans, conducting emergency management training and exercises along with support for emergency management personnel and operational program costs.
Eric was nominated by the International  Association of Emergency Managers from a pool of candidates from across the U.S. to serve in this capacity  and we are very excited he has the honor and opportunity to serve.

Millbrook Re-Opens Kid’s Kingdom

The City of Millbrook re-opened an improved Kid’s Kingdom on Thursday May 3rd with a large crowd in attendance. A group of community leaders and businesses originally funded and volunteered their time to build the playground in 1994 and great efforts were made to retain as many of the original structures as reasonably possible. It was interesting to hear Mayor Kelley talk about the history of the playground and how Millbrook Parks and Recreation Director Scott Davis was a driving force to invest in these most recent improvements.

Elmore County Office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service Holds Ag Career Day Katrina Mitchell invited  members of the Elmore County Commission to attend their Ag Career Day this past Friday. High School students from across Elmore County were exposed to different careers all related to agriculture.  There were many Ag related businesses on display with a few  related to crop/ livestock production, financing and Ag equipment. They were all set up and staffed with the purpose of educating the students on the great opportunities available in any one of the Ag related businesses represented.

There are many positive things happening in our County.

Bart

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 / [email protected]

Richie  Beyer

Elmore County Chief Engineer & Operations Officer

334.398.3325 / [email protected]

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, [email protected] ) or Richie Beyer (Elmore County, [email protected] ).

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