Montgomery County Commission approves $1.1 million community center in District 1

MONTGOMERY – The Montgomery County Commission voted to begin the process to build a community center in District 1.

At their May 7 meeting, the commission approved a resolution to begin negotiations to purchase land and spend up to $1.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to build a community center on a 3.9-acre site at Woodley and Eastern Boulevard across the street from where a probate office once stood.

Commissioner Daniel Harris, who represents District 1, said the community center will serve a community of about 30,000 people. He said that the community needs the center because no other buildings can accommodate the number of people for meetings. The center would provide after-school services and daytime care for senior residents along with community health programs, he said.

Commissioner Rhonda Walker expressed concern about the $165,000 annual expense to operate the center, but Harris said the Parks and Recreation Department in Montgomery is “on board” with building and sharing operation of the center.

He said that he has not met with city councilpersons about the project yet. Commissioner Doug Singleton said that he spoke with city councilpersons Oraonde Mitchell and Cornelius Calhoun, and they were supportive of the project.

Walker clarified that while she understood that at least two council members were in support of the center, it was not clear about their role in funding it. She reiterated that she was questioning how to pay for the yearly costs.

Harris assured Walker that the county would be able to pay for the yearly costs.

“I agree that the county absolutely has the funds,” Walker said. She said her concern is that there is no precedent for the county to build and operate a center inside the city of Montgomery city limits.

More from this section

Peru's Gen Z lead movement against crime, political paralysis

Ouattara favourite as fourth Ivory Coast term looms

'Mixed performance': Heineken beer sales down

She said she would vote on the matter with a “pretty significant” lack of information, recommending that Harris meet with city officials and even look for abandoned buildings that could be refurbished into a community center.

Harris replied that he proposed the idea eight years ago, and that during a meeting about the use of ARPA funds he was advised to wait on starting it until working with the city to build a “bigger” and “better” center. However, the idea for such a building that would have cost $18 million was eventually scrapped by the city.

The project was later voted on and approved during the formal meeting.

In other business, the County Commission

• Allocated $25,000 of ARPA funds for a water drainage project in the Macedonia community and $675,000 to local nonprofits to mitigate the effects of the COVID pandemic.
• Proclaimed May as Mental Health Awareness Month.  
• Applied for the ADECA LETS Juvenile Justice Grant to combat juvenile delinquency.  
• Authorized a request for an opinion from Attorney General Steve Marshall regarding opioid settlement expenditures for the purchase of case management software.  
• Entered into a contract with Dominion Resources for the 2024 tax sale.  
• Applied to ADECA for the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant, and
• Accepted a $84,304.81 change order from Stallings and Sons for the rebuilding of the Flatwood Community Center.

The Montgomery County Commission meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 101 South Lawrence Street. Information sessions begin at 10 a.m. followed by the formal meeting.

Livestreamed meetings can be seen on the commission’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Agendas with additional details can be found at the commission’s documents section of the website.