Community/senior center interactive workshop
The Birmingham City Commission will host on Monday, February 10, an interactive workshop open to the public on the proposed new community and senior center that is projected to appear on the August 2025 ballot.
Monday’s workshop will include a presentation by Newmann Smith architects who have been hired for the project. The firm will provide an interactive experience with an architectural visual preference survey that will allow those attending to weigh in on the look and feel of the new building by using their cell phones to respond and indicate preferences on exterior form, entry way and building materials for the new center.
The community and senior center is proposed for 400 East Lincoln which for years was the building occupied by the YMCA, which has expressed an interest in being part of the new building along with the Next senior services organization.
Establishing a new home for Next senior services has been in the works for years, recently gaining significant momentum with the city’s purchase of the Birmingham MCA building in July of 2023. Since then, the city has determined that the building will house Next and YMCA operations, as well as community space for Birmingham residents.
The community center is projected to cost $32 million and would be financed with a 20-year bond issue that will be funded with a .52-mill tax. City plans call for voters to decide the fate of the project in a ballot issue that will appear in a special election this August.
Monday’s workshop will start at 5:30 p.m. at the city hall located at 151 Martin Street. Those interested can attend in person or by Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/655079760).
