By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – Mayor Stancil Handley provided an update on two significant projects in his “state of the city” speech at the Columbiana Merchants and Professionals Association’s breakfast on Jan. 16.

“This is a ‘Renaissance period’ for Columbiana,” Handley said, giving credit to Shelby County Arts Council Executive Director Bruce Andrews for the term that seems especially apropos, as one of the projects is the new Shelby County Arts Center at Old Mill Square.

In his speech, Handley announced the city has ordered a fountain from Italy to be installed in the northwest corner of the complex’s public park area.

“We want it to be an iconic thing for our park,” Handley said. “I think people will come to Columbiana to see that.”

In addition to the park, the 30,000-square-foot complex will feature the EBSCO Industries Art Gallery, a black-box performance theater, music performance and practice suites, a visual arts teaching studio, an expanded pottery and sculpture studio, a foundry and metal arts studio, an art creation courtyard, a 500-seat multi-use municipal venue and an outdoor stage area.

“What we’re doing has so many layers,” Andrews said. “We want to create a central Alabama destination out of Columbiana.”

Although the Shelby County Arts Council is already headquartered in Columbiana, Andrews said much research was conducted before the decision was made to construct the new facility just across town.

“I’m firmly convicted that Columbiana is the place to do this,” Andrews said. “It’s truly a collaboration. I hope you all as a community feel like you are stakeholders in that.”

Handley also talked about Springs Crossing, the new subdivision being developed near the intersection of Alabama 70 and Shelby County 26 in Columbiana.

During a discussion at the Jan. 14 City Council meeting, Handley said the subdivision will consist of cottage-style homes, and construction on the model home is slated to begin at the end of January.

“It’s been a learn-as-you-go thing,” he said, noting he and other local officials, including new Planning and Zoning Director Dale Lucas, have had to revisit the city’s planning and zoning guidelines because of the lengthy gap between the last subdivision and the current one. “It’s been a lot of work. We’re trying to shed the image the city has of being developer and builder unfriendly.”

Handley said the city has permission from ALDOT to start building houses, but cannot release traffic until work on the 70-26 intersection is finished.

According to Lucas, the entire subdivision will have sidewalks.