As Kerri Pate, City Councilor for Alabaster’s Ward 7, approaches the end of her second term, she is proud of all the things that have and are continuing to happen in the city. “The sky’s the limit in Alabaster,” Pate says.
Pate, who has lived in Alabaster for 26 years, first got involved in city government as part of a grassroots committee that was formed to study the feasibility of starting a city school system. “That sparked something in me,” Pate says. “I had a vision of what being involved could accomplish.”
After her service on the schools committee, Pate was appointed to serve on the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z), where she has now served for 12 years. “Serving on P&Z opened my eyes to the development side of things and the growth of the city,” Pate says. “I saw an opportunity to be part of the continued growth and giving residents better products.”
Pate’s service on the Commission inspired her to run for City Council in 2016—a contested election whish she won. “The first four years were hard,” Pate recalls. “I learned to be conservative with taxpayers’ money.” But after running and winning again in 2020, Pate and her fellow councilors wanted to give citizens tangible results. “As a whole, this Council and Mayor were open-minded and proactive for creating projects in the city,” Pate says. “This last term, we’ve been able to give our community the things that it needs and deserves.”
One project, in particular, that Pate is thrilled to see take shape is the new recreation center planned for construction starting this year. “Building a city rec center was one of the things I ran on in 2016,” Pate says. “So, to finally see the demolition begin is fantastic. I am so excited to see this happening.”
For Pate’s constituents in Ward 7, the ongoing road work on Highway 119, which runs through the Ward, has been a game-changer. “It has changed the quality of life for people here,” Pate says. “People are knocking 20 minutes or more off their commutes just from the work that has already been done, and It’s going to keep getting better.”
Pate also praises continued improvements and upgrades to the city’s parks system, $9 million in sewer upgrades throughout the city, new businesses coming to Alabaster, and the millions of dollars the city contributes to Alabaster schools.
“The new city EMS service has been a huge success already,” Pate says of the service that started on January 1. “Instead of people waiting in some cases 40 minutes for an ambulance, they’re now only waiting a few minutes.” She also touts the new city amphitheater (“It is going to be such a focal point for our city and the arts.”), and the District 31 development, which is currently underway (“We’ll have everything we need in Alabaster without having to leave.”).
“I’m proud that year after year, we’ve been able to give our employees a Cost-of- Living- Adjustment (COLA),” Pate says. City employees received a 3-percent COLA this year. “One of my greatest joys is watching how hard our employees work to make our city the great place that it is—they take such pride in this city, and we want to reward that. The COLA shows our employees that we value them.”
Pate lives in Ward 7 with her husband Doug. Last fall, Pate’s oldest daughter Savannah and her husband Kevin had a son, Grayton, making the Pates grandparents. “We spend a lot of time traveling to see my daughter and her husband and our grandbaby,” Pate says. “We literally fight over who gets to hold him. The Pate’s son Sawyer is a recent college graduate, and youngest daughter Eva is a junior at Jacksonville State, where she plays softball.
And as Pate nears the end of her second term, she is grateful for the time she has been in service, “While it has been hard at times, it has been such an honor to serve this city that I love so much.”
“It’s time once again for Alabaster Clean Sweep. Take advantage of our electronics recycling and paper shredding event or special bulk trash pickup days. See page 9 for more information.”
Stacy Rakestraw, Ward 3