By Michael Butler

Community members are hoping to see more development along the riverfront in Tallassee and have been assembling to find ways to make those ideas come to fruition.

Steve Burak of the Tallassee Redevelopment Authority (TRA) has been at the forefront of a couple of recent gatherings. Burak attended a public meeting in Wetumpka on Wednesday regarding strategic planning for Elmore County hosted by Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (CARPDC) and the City of Wetumpka.

“CARPDC is trying to find out what people want in Elmore County,” Burak said. “They call it placemaking. They’re tapping into some funds to attract some of that over here.”

CARPDC defines placemaking as the “process that creates places where people want to live, work and play by developing projects grounded in local culture and character.” They list potential projects such as parks, programs and festivals.

The Elmore County Commission has already allocated $10 million to Tallassee for recreational projects through lodging taxes. The returfing at J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium will add up to about $2.5 million of that total. The remainder is to be used for a new recreation center.

Burak said that some of the ideas from the “Main Street Initiative” meeting held in Tallassee recently also included recreational possibilities.

“We’re forming a committee under the TRA focused on trails. All of it is quality of life,” he said. “We emphasized the railroad bridge that crosses the river, the old mill site and downtown. The peripheral to that would be a little more development along the river, like walkways.”

Camille Foshee helped organize the Main Street meeting which drew 58 attendees.

“That really was a good start,” she said. “We had a lot of enthusiasm and lot of good ideas.”

Burak was pleased with a good Tallassee turnout at the Wetumpka meeting as well. More meetings and action are expected in the summer months.

“We’re trying to get together in the next couple of weeks. We’ve started a downtown facade grant program. We’re starting with some of the existing businesses. We would like to see the community open up for more visitors, make it more attractive. We’re trying to make Tallassee better.”