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Local youth and community organizations request funding as county considers reopening Nelson Heights center and expanding summer programs
Summary
Presentations from Alcovy CASA, McIntosh Trail Head Start, Washington Street Community Center, TaylorMade Foundation and related partners described FY26 requests and plans to expand after-school, literacy, STEM and summer-camp programming, including a sheriff-supported countywide summer academy proposal tied to Nelson Heights reopening.
Multiple nonprofit and community organizations outlined FY26 appropriation requests and program plans focused on children, families and neighborhood services during the county appropriation workshop.
Alcovy CASA director Lindsay Dicus thanked commissioners for long-standing support and confirmed the group's FY26 request of $15,666, unchanged from the prior two years. Dicus described CASA's role advocating for children in foster care and asked commissioners if they had questions about the organization's application.
McIntosh Trail Head Start manager Cassandra Brooks requested $4,147 (same as FY25) for portable play equipment across three playgrounds and described Head Start's service model, which serves birth through age 5 at no parental fee; Brooks said the program is federally funded for about 80% of needs and relies on community donations and local support for the remainder. Commissioners praised the program as an important early-childhood asset.
Washington Street Community Center leaders asked for a $55,000 appropriation (a $10,200 increase over FY25) to expand literacy-focused after-school programming, STEM offerings and summer camps for children ages 5 to 13. Executive Director Brenda (presented as the organization's representative) and board members said the center has focused on reading recovery after COVID-era learning losses and reported local partnerships (school system, Piedmont Newton, community nonprofits) for programming and transportation support.
Darnell Taylor, executive director of the TaylorMade Foundation, described a 38-week after-school and six-week summer enrichment program for middle and high-school students and requested larger funding if TaylorMade were asked to manage Nelson Heights Community Center. Taylor said the organization currently operates at Washington Street for older students (grades 6'12) and proposed a phased plan for Nelson Heights that would add adult education, job-readiness, financial literacy and senior programming. Taylor said the standard external appropriation cap is $2,500 but requested consideration of a larger annual nonprofit allocation (an illustrative $39,000 figure was cited for operating Nelson Heights under nonprofit management).
Deputy Tim Smith, representing the Newton County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Ezell Brown, described a county-collaborative summer "law and leadership academy" for grades 6'12 planned with school and municipal partners and said the sheriff's office is supporting transportation and program logistics. Commissioners indicated willingness to discuss the Nelson Heights reopening, county-operated vs. nonprofit-run management and measurement of program performance.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff and stakeholders to follow up with written proposals and to hold a meeting to discuss Nelson Heights management, program metrics and budget implications prior to finalizing FY26 appropriations.
