Future of SCC debated by city commissioners

Birmingham City Commissioners on Monday, September 15, spent time discussing but took no formal action on a number of questions surrounding the future of the Ad Hoc Senior/Recreation Committee (SCC) now that the city commission in recent weeks voted not to put a bond proposal for a community center project on the ballot this fall for voter approval.

The discussion was prompted by a meeting last week of the ad hoc committee at which members questioned what the future of the panel would be now that it appears that a massive project that cost over $30 million was at least suspended if not cancelled completely. The charge to the ad hoc committee when it was named by the city commission was “to provide oversight and input on the planning and development of the Birmingham Community and Senior Center at 400 E. Lincoln, and to provide recommendations throughout the process to the City Commission.”

Formation of the committee took place after the city purchased the YMCA building at 400 E. Lincoln in the city as a future home for the non-profit Next organization that provides services and programs for the senior citizens in the community. Voters in the city two years ago approved a millage for three years to make improvements to the E. Lincoln facility but review by the SCC suggested that a new building was preferred over making improvements to the existing building. Over the past year the SCC entertained several ideas for a new building that would also include the YMCA which was originally going to leave the city.

At the SCC meeting last week a number of committee members seemed inclined to continue on with consideration of alternatives to making improvements to the E. Lincoln building, although the city has spent considerable time and taxpayer funds doing just that in the past two years. The city paid $2 million to the YMCA for the building, $500,000 of which was provided by the Next group, along with an additional $200,000 in funds since the initial purchase.

SCC members, two of which are city commission members, last week decided to ask the city commission for future direction.

At the city commission meeting this week commissioners were asked to decide if the mission statement and goals of the SCC, as originally approved by the commission, were still pertinent or if the commission would like something different. The commission was also asked to determine what the role of the SCC would be, if it continue to operate at all. Further, SCC members wanted to know if vacancies on the ad hoc panel would be filled and whether it would make sense to hold a joint workshop involving the SCC and the city commission.

Individual members of the city commission were polled on those questions this week and although there was no formal vote, it appeared that most commissioners thought a new mission statement and goals for the SCC should be set. No time table was established for setting of the new goals.

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There did appear to be support by a number of city commissioners to seek out other alternative ideas for use of the former YMCA building. However, hovering over any such considerations are legal agreements between the city and Next which provide that the seniors group has been guaranteed use of 75 percent of the E. Lincoln facility as its new home. The Next board has recently voted to proceed ahead with its original plans to occupy the building and make incremental improvements to the facility over several years.

At one point in the meeting, Next Executive Director Cris Braun addressed the commission to dispel misinformation that a member of the city commission and members of the public had put forth, something that has taken place on more than one occasion in past meetings.