Tuscaloosa OKs Purchase Of Downtown YMCA, Benjamin Barnes Branch

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted in favor of purchasing the downtown YMCA location, along with the Benjamin Barnes Branch in the city's West End. This follows protracted debate over the future of the Benjamin Barnes Branch and its programs, which are central tenets of Mayor Walt Maddox's Project Unity initiative.

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Council members approved the $1.5 million deal for the two facilities, as the city already owns the properties, and committed to one provision requiring a new Benjamin Barnes facility be built, or at least 75% completed, before any new construction is done at the downtown Tuscaloosa branch.

The Council heard from numerous community leaders ahead of Tuesday's vote, all of whom supported a firm commitment on the part of the city to help revitalize the West End branch.

One advocate for the effort, Judge John England, also encouraged following through with a capital campaign to ensure a new facility is built. He then mentioned Tim Parker, owner of Parking Towing, as someone who "can raise hundreds of thousands [of dollars]."

"I've raised money for the last 30 years to try to help Barnes, but the only money I could raise were pennies," he said, emphasizing the need for the city to seek out other partners in the community to help fund improvements.

The partnership will see the city take out a line of credit to help relieve the YMCA of its debt, which will then free up funds to be put toward programs and operations at Benjamin Barnes until more facility work can be planned.

YMCA of Tuscaloosa CEO Jeff Knox said, prior to the vote, that he felt encouraged by the progress made just in the last three months.

"This is not about a guarantee from the city to build [a new Benjamin Barnes facility]," he said. "This is an opportunity to work together to serve the community. Here is an opportunity we can move forward and start talking about tomorrow and the next day."

District 2 Councilwoman Raevan Howard was perhaps the most passionate in her vocal support of the effort, pointing out that Benjamin Barnes has been without youth basketball for the last five years. She also pushed for immediate action by the Council due to mounting debt and the pressing need for mentorship and programming for young people in the West End.

At one point in the meeting, it was mentioned that without any debt relief, the YMCA would likely have 16-18 months of operations left, which could actually be sped up depending on the economic and public health trajectory of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The new structure, once implemented, is expected to relieve the YMCA of $9,000 in debt each month, under the requirement that $4,000 - $5,000 must be reinvested at Benjamin Barnes.

"If we don’t do anything, we won't have anything," Howard said.

Council President Cynthia Almond ultimately supported the purchase and pointed out that the city would be getting the facilities at a good price. However, she did lament the city having to borrow money to do so.

"I wish we had the cash savings," she said. "But we will take out a line of credit and we will budget this over a short period of time. We do already own the land, so this makes reasons to step away much more complicated."

Following the vote for the city to purchase the facilities, Maddox praised those on both sides and underscored the positive impact this could have on the community if properly managed.

"This is a celebration of how government should work," he said. "Many different views but everybody wanting the same thing in the end."

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