County planners came to Alabaster Monday night with a plan; but their efforts are too little too late.

Alabaster officials have been working for some time now on this very project with little contact from the Department of Developmental Services.

And they&8217;ve done a good job.

They&8217;ve secured land for their new municipal center and have in place, plans for that area that have been presented to Alabaster residents.

Residents and officials alike are excited about the prospect of a new city hall and police department as well as extensive plans for the areas surrounding these facilities.

Enter the Department of Development Services.

It&8217;s not that the suggestions of the former planning department are not valuable; because they are.

They have suggested instead of the current plan, the city re-vamp the present downtown area of Alabaster and place its city hall and municipal facilities in the area of Highway 31 and 119 near the current Bruno&8217;s and Winn Dixie shopping centers.

This is a viable option; but as the city has already spent the money to purchase land for a new city center, this option is too little, too late.

Alabaster definitely needs to look at this downtown area in terms of creating a city identity; but that hardly means officials should abandon their plans midstream