Mar. 30—Located at a busy and vital crossroads of community and commercial activity, Good Hope is growing fast. There’s a bustle of interest in finding a foothold in Cullman County’s third-largest city, whether it’s putting down roots, seeking fun new places to dine out, or simply getting a little R&R amid the city’s swiftly expanding park amenities.

Later this year, locals won’t have to look far for a cool new place to enjoy food, live music, and even locally crafted beer. Drivers along County Road 222 have likely spied the busy site where Cullman’s home-grown Ethos brewery is partnering with an Alabama-based winery and a team of Good Hope entrepreneurs to create a one-of-a-kind venue just a stone’s throw from Interstate 65.

“We’re just really, really excited about that, and it’s going to be something everyone can be proud of,” said Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett. “It’s right off County Road 222 where so much activity is happening, and with [local co-owner] Jesse Greening involved, it’s going to be a showcase. When they set out to make something, they don’t cut any corners.”

The city itself is getting in on the building act, busily adding new features and attractions at the new 33-acre park area that lies adjacent to the Good Hope municipal ball fields. Fresh off debuting a new Fitness Court at the park late last year, more of the ongoing project’s bigger vision is beginning to come into focus, including on-site restrooms, a quartet of soon-to-open pickleball courts, a children’s playground that Bartlett said already stays busy, and a cross country running track designed with input from longtime local track coach William Calvert.

The storm shelter that the city has planned at the park won’t simply serve as a temporary tornado refuge; it’ll also be designed to accommodate senior activities when the weather is clear. Bartlett said the idea is to emphasize the overlapping utility for every feature at the park, giving guests any number of ways to get fit, get some peaceful relaxation, and (of course) get together.

“There’s just a whole lot happening at the park right now,” said Bartlett. “Some of it we hope to have finished in time for summer, and other parts — like the cross country track — might take us a little longer to finish. But it’s all really coming together, and it’s just been great to see how much people are already using it and enjoying it.”

Closer to the Interstate, Good Hope’s making the most of its convenient location, working with the Love’s travel stop brand to bring one of the company’s newest highway locations to the County Road 222 exit. Bartlett said it’ll be easy to spot the large fueling facility and convenience stop when it’s finished, with construction bids on the project tentatively expected to be awarded in April.

To keep up with all the growth, the city is looking to expanding its sewer infrastructure, including a major upcoming expansion at its waste water treatment facility. Good Hope leaders are currently in the process of finalizing bidding criteria for a treatment plant capacity upgrade that Bartlett estimated as a $2 million expense, noting that bolstering a key piece of infrastructure should pay long-term benefits as new housing development projects — like the 185-unit Mize Meadows subdivision — bring more residents and visitors to the area.

“With all the growth we have coming, there’s really no choice but to plan for the future and guide our growth in the best direction,” Bartlett said. “It’s an exciting time in Good Hope, and if it comes with a few growing pains, they’re the kind of growing pains that we’re happy to have.”

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.