New Falkville Senior Center in design phase

By Erica Smith

For the Enquirer

Plans are in the works to demolish the current Falkville Senior Center and replace it with a larger, more modern facility, and officials are hoping they will have bids back on the project by the end of the year.

“It is our oldest center. It’s also our smallest center,” said Morgan County Parks and Recreation Director Sean Dailey. “So, this will be an opportunity to create and have a center that has more space and more room to grow – a more modern and inviting place for our seniors. Our goal is to have a more vibrant and supportive environment that will cater to their needs.” Morgan County has eight senior centers across the county. Falkville Senior Center is located at 1076 Culver Road in Falkville. At last week’s Morgan County Commission meeting, the commission approved removing the Council on Aging (COA) as a department and placing it under Parks and Recreation. The former COA director, Sandra Adams, recently retired.

“This will kind of bring it up to the level of our other senior centers … . It’s exciting for the people of Falkville and it’s something they’re really going to like. … A larger space means a wider range of activities that we can do that would help promote the community’s well-being.” Ray Long, Morgan County Commission chairman, said the new center will be built where the current one stands.

“They’re still using the old building. We won’t (demolish) it until we get it designed and ready to start construction. Then we’ll wipe that one away,” Long said. “We’ll have the seniors go to a temporary location while we build.” Dailey said they will continue to have a nutrition program. The program is through the North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments. They provide meals for home-bound seniors and seniors at the centers.

“It’s a state-run program. They want to make sure the food we’re putting together is at temperature, in a clean environment, it’s safe, and when it gets delivered, it’s safe to the people it’s getting delivered to,” Dailey said. “So, a more modern, up-to-date kitchen just makes that easier to do. We have what we need currently, but something that was built 40 years ago is not going to be the same as something that is built today.” Long said they have hired the engineering and architectural firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood.

“We’re in the design phase right now,” Long said. “They’re the ones who are going to design it and oversee it, the construction and everything for us. I’m hoping we have it bid by the end of the year, but we’ve got to get it designed.” There is still a lot to do before the building is constructed, Long said. He said once the bids come back, they will know how much it is going to cost, although they have already set aside $1.5 million.

“I know the folks down there are as excited as we are about getting a new one there,” Long said. “We’re going to try to make it large enough that it can be used more than the one that’s there now, and having a new facility is always good.” Originally, $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds were allocated for the center. At last week’s commission meeting, the commission approved rescinding the ARPA funding source. The commission then approved using $1.5 million from the county’s capital improvement funds to fund the center instead.

Federal ARPA funds were provided to governmental entities to aid in public health and economic recovery from COVID. Long said all ARPA funds must be committed by December 2024 and any funds that are left over by December 2026 must be given back to the federal government.

At the meet ing, the commis sion also approved rescinding $1.75 million in ARPA funds to repair the Morgan County Jail’s roof and replacing the 52 heating and cool ing units on top of the roof. Long said the estimated cost is now about $7 million and, after getting bids back, they will decide where the funds will come from. He said the funding will probably come from the general fund.

“We decided not to use ARPA funds because there’s a lot of federal regulations. Any time you’ve got federal money, it’s got a trail,” Long said. “So, we’re going to put all of our ARPA funds, for the center and the roof and everything, onto the event center; we’re using ARPA funds there anyway. But the roof and the senior center, we can do that with funds that we have without having the federal regulations on it.

“It’s an easier process to maneuver and get done.” At the meeting, the commission approved spending $5.1 million in ARPA funds to partially pay for the Morgan County Event Center in Cotaco. The rest of the funding will come from 3M Co. settlement money. The bid came back at $7.1 million. Long said, by the end of the year, the only ARPA projects they should have left are the event center and updates to the courthouse.