Push Fails To Secure County Funding For Construction Of $17M Fosters Activity Center

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County Commission on Wednesday split 2-2 in approving funding for the construction of a new activity center for the Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority (PARA) at Braughton Park in Fosters.

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District 4 Commissioner Reginald Murray made the initial motion for the Commission to approve roughly $17 million to fund construction of the activity center, with the funding coming from the county's General Fund and reserves.

The purchase of the land has already been approved by the Commission, but the deal has not officially closed.

The park consists of two parcels — Braughton Park and a smaller tract owned by the Fosters Club. The club initially agreed to donated the land with the contingency that a new activity center would be built.

But while the purchase of the land, which has been leased by PARA for years, has nearly been closed on, the funding of the activity center's construction is still very much in its earliest phases of discussion, along with the design of the facility itself.

After Murray made a motion for approval of the measure contingent on the land purchase being finalized, his motion was seconded by District 2 Commissioner Jerry Tingle, but a hit road block and ultimately faltered.

Before the votes were cast, Tingle mentioned that when the county funded the construction of the Jerry Tingle Center, large-scale improvements to Bowers Park and the expansion of the Bobby Miller Center, each of the costly projects were sussed out in commission work sessions before the funding was committed.

District 1 Commissioner Stan Acker and District 3 Commissioner Mark Nelson both opposed the measure, leaving Probate Judge Rob Robertson to serve as the tie-breaker vote.

However, Robertson declined to exercise his tie-breaking authority and let the measure fail without a majority.

As Patch previously reported in December, Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority (PARA) provided the first conceptual designs for a proposed $18 million activity center at Braughton Park in Fosters. The numbers have fluctuated as county officials have mulled using its Public Works Department to do some of the site work in-house.

A feasibility assessment completed by Barge Design Solutions in October, along with consideration of a 2014 master plan for the site, the proposed recreational facility was viewed as one that would balance out the number of new PARA facilities in each of the four commission districts.

Architects have said if the new center at Braughton Park is constructed, it would feature the same amenities as the Tingle Center, such as a pool with water slides, an indoor walking track, a gymnasium and additional space set aside for a possible second gym.

Ellis Architects previously estimate the total cost to be $18,110,000 for all phases of construction.

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