Ad Hoc Senior/Recreation Center Committee

Print this page

Text resize

The function of the Ad Hoc Senior/Recreation Center Committee (SCC) is to provide oversight and input on the planning and development of a senior/recreation center at 400 E. Lincoln, and to provide recommendations throughout the process to the City Commission.  The duties of the SCC include, but are not limited to:

• Crafting the project vision, goals and objectives
• Preparing the project process outline and estimated timeline
• Reviewing final needs analysis report
• Evaluating concept plan options and recommending the preferred option
• Outlining the parameters and applicable regulations for site plan and design review
• Conducting final site plan and design review
• Reviewing potential funding options
• Recommending the use of consultants for design and/or build services
• Drafting RFPs for final design, construction plan preparation and/or construction

Senior/Recreation Center Community Survey
The new Birmingham recreational facility located at 400 E. Lincoln will become the new home of Next Senior Services and provide recreational opportunities for Birmingham residents. Please complete our Senior/Recreation Center Community Survey by Friday, April 26 and share your ideas about what should be included in the new facility! Complete and submit the survey on Engage Birmingham at engage.bhamgov.org/senior-rec-center. Respondents may also complete the survey in print form and mail it back to the City or drop it off at City Hall, the Baldwin Public Library, The Birmingham Museum or Next (print copies of the survey will be available at each of these locations). 

Background Information
The City of Birmingham purchased the YMCA building at 400 E. Lincoln in June 2023. The YMCA had planned to sell the building, creating a unique opportunity for Birmingham, the surrounding communities and Next. The City has envisioned the property as a future Senior/Recreation Center for collaborative use. The building will be the home of Next, a 501(c)(3) organization that has provided the City with senior services for the past 45 years as well as other potential community-based partners, such as the YMCA, City Parks and Recreation services and/or any other users. On November 7, 2023, Birmingham residents approved a senior millage--a .33 mill levy for a three-year term--enabling the city to make interim improvements to the YMCA building and to establish a sinking fund to contribute toward the cost of permanent improvements to the building for use as a senior/recreation center in the future.

In an effort to engage the public as much as possible in the planning process, the City has hired a private architectural firm, NORR, LLC to perform a building assessment and conceptual design for the location. The City has also formed an Ad Hoc Senior/Recreation Center Committee to assist with the project. Working in conjunction with one another, NORR, LLC and the Ad Hoc Senior/Recreation Center Committee created the community survey to receive input from the public regarding their ideas and vision for the future of the building at 400 E. Lincoln.