Alexander City Council approves purchase of 226 Jefferson Street for nutrition center with up to $55,000 budget amendment

The Alexander City Council voted March 3 to authorize the mayor to sign documents to purchase real property at 226 Jefferson Street to be used as a nutrition center and approved an amendment to the fiscal year 2025 budget in an amount not to exceed $55,000.

Councilors discussed alternatives, construction estimates and safety concerns before approving a substituted resolution and then approving the substitute. Discussion centered on whether the building known in the meeting as the “fire truck” location (a downtown commercial property) or other downtown properties would best serve the center’s needs, with questions about parking, ADA compliance and renovation costs. Council members also noted they had limited time to vet all options before being asked to decide.

The council recorded two roll-call tallies connected to the item. A motion to substitute the pending resolution passed 4–2 (Councilor Phillips: yes; Councilor Tapley: no; Councilor Hardy: yes; Councilor Eric Brown: no; Councilor Chris Brown: yes; Chair: yes). The substitute resolution then passed 5–1 on final approval (Phillips: yes; Tapley: no; Hardy: yes; Eric Brown: yes; Chris Brown: yes; Chair: yes), clearing the purchase and budget amendment.

Several people identified as users of the center addressed the council during public comment. One resident said she had concerns about the proposed fire-truck-market location’s traffic patterns and described the intersection as “dangerous,” and others said parking and accessibility vary by site. At least two users — identified in the meeting as Susan Hardy and Gloria Robinson — said they prefer a downtown location with easier access and supported moving the center quickly to a usable site. Councilors acknowledged the public comments and said they weighed readiness, parking and cost in making the vote.

Council members and staff described options that had been reviewed: (1) holding the current leased facility longer while getting bids for renovation elsewhere; (2) renovating an alternate downtown building that would require removing a concrete wall and adding ADA-compliant parking; and (3) leasing or buying the fire-truck-market building, which staff said had greater immediate parking and accessibility. Staff told the council they had contacted commercial remodel contractors and used an industry average remodeling estimate of roughly $175–$225 per square foot and chose $200 per square foot as a planning figure; councilors noted that precise contractor estimates had not yet been received for the alternate buildings.

The council’s motion and votes authorized the mayor to complete documents necessary for the purchase, and amended the FY25 budget to provide up to $55,000 for the acquisition. The substitute resolution that passed replaces a previously tabled resolution from Feb. 3. The council did not adopt any detailed construction contract or final buildout plan at the March 3 meeting; staff said they would return with further estimates and next steps.

The measure affects current users of the nutrition center and city property-planning; the council and staff said they would pursue further contractor bids and coordination to ensure ADA compliance and parking improvements where required.