By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
Photos by Michael Gay taken Jan. 24. Much more work has been completed as of today.
Unless you have been given a behind the scenes tour of 17 Springs, and have only passed it while driving on Hwy. 14, you may be interested in the upcoming Grand Opening.
In his report to Millbrook City Council Tuesday evening, Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley announced the Grand Opening for 17 Springs Phase II will take place Feb. 18 at 3 p.m..
“On Feb. 18, phase two of 17 Springs will be opening up at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. The public will be welcome. Bring all the kids up there. Let them see the football field, softball fields, field house and everything else. It is going to be a great event,” Mayor Kelley said.
The construction of the massive 17 Springs complex has been ongoing and building excitement across the state, and even other states. Kelley said Feb. 18 is a great time for the surrounding community to see it for themselves.
Millbrook Council President Michael Gay has been through the entire process from the concept to the reality of 17 Springs.
“Seven years ago, we hired a national consulting firm to look at the economic impact of this project. They came back and asked us why not before now? Seven years ago, that company projected a $1.2 billion economic impact across the River Region area with the creation of 17 Springs,” he said.
“Advance to today, and that number is probably a lot bigger. This is our Galleria, our Hyundai plant for our area. Look at all the jobs created during construction and the jobs that are coming. Not only with 17 Springs, but the Marketplace at 17 Springs,” he said.
Recently officials said that the interest in the individual businesses that will be located at the Marketplace has been phenomenal. In fact, agreements have been signed with almost all of the available spaces. We will have announcements coming soon on new businesses, restaurants, etc., at the Marketplace and other areas downtown.
“This solidifies our economic base so we can go and do all of the things we want to do including developing a downtown and improving city services for our citizens. Things like this are only accomplished through partnerships. We could not have done this by ourselves. We are grateful to our partners working together and making this a reality.”.
17 Springs Partners
This unique project is a result of multiple local government entities and the private sector partnering together to create an entertainment and recreational district. The partnership consists of the City of Millbrook, the Elmore County Commission, the Greater Montgomery YMCA, the Elmore County Board of Education, and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.
The History of 17 Springs
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”.
To learn more about 17 Springs, visit their website at www.17springs.org
Or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078170220846
