WM Council sets rehab plans for Community Center

WM Council sets rehab plans for Community Center

Reopening facility made a priority as family applies pressure

news@theeveningtimes.com

West Memphis City Council has committed to a plan to reopen the shuttered Roberta Jackson Neighborhood Center, but not before taking some heat from the family of the woman whose name the facility bears.

The Jackson family expressed its frustration to city officials after the building stood abandoned by the city for nearly four years.

City Council closed the building for health and safety reasons after the center, used as a polling location, was discovered ransacked on the eve of the 2014 election.

“We need to do something — the Jackson family is frustrated,” said City Councilwoman Ramona Taylor.

Ward representatives expressed unanimous solidarity in moving ahead with hiring an architect for needed renovation work.

This came after piecemeal work over the last year failed to get the building in shape.

The property at 1300 E.

Polk landed on the Ward 2 map and senior Ward 2 Councilman James Pulliaum asked city council to put the building back into regular use for civic events along with making the Crittenden County Senior Program the tenant.

“The proposal is for the senior citizens to be in there and to redo the whole building,” said Pulliaum.

“We are going to find the money to do the whole thing.”

City Council sunk $80,000 of community block grant funds into rehabilitating the building and doing one project at a time, but fell short of putting the building into usable condition.

Pulliaum revealed Mayor Bill Johnson’s hope to finish the job and open the neighborhood center. More CDBG funds could be made available along with restructuring a bond aimed at upgrading Tilden Rodgers Park and adding fields at the Marion Rose Complex.

“City Treasurer Frank Martin will take care of that,” said Pulliaum. “Nobody is going to piecemeal anything anymore.” Mayor Bill Johnson lined out the funding.

“We have some CDBG money already allocated and still available,” said Johnson. “I am recommending to you redoing the bond issue that is outstanding on the parks right now, add $100,000 to it for the neighborhood center and extend it over the life of the bond. Our bond payments would remain the same.

That should get us an architect.”

The plan aimed at ending the political football fumbling that resulted in an abandoned community center standing shuttered for four years.

“We’ll let him make the decision on the contractors with what he has to work with, within that money,” said Johnson.

Pulliaum noted the whole block would be spruced up, and hoped to make a positive impact in the community.

“It will make the whole area look nice,” said Pulliaum. “The park there is getting a makeover too.

The whole area will look nice.”

The expected layout included a way to patrician half the building for the senior day program and the remainder designed for community events. City council agreed to the idea and to charge fees to use the building for meetings.

“We will charge a fee comparable to what is paid for our other centers to be used,” said Johnson. “No free rides.”

“None of them should get a free ride,” said Councilman Willis Mondy.

“I agree,” said Councilwoman Helen Harris.

“I’m glad you all feel that way,” replied Johnson.

“We may have to revisit the fees as they might be outdated and the center has been closed all this time,” said Taylor.

Time schedule to unlock the doors remained undetermined. The senior program’s current lease is up at year end. Time was needed to plan its move.

The forthcoming construction plan was expected to set the timeline leading to reopening the center.

“We all know we need something for our senior citizens,” said Pulliaum.

By John Rech