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Maud Watley Health Services seeks former Benjamin Boren YMCA; committee authorizes appraisal
Summary
Maud Watley Health Services presented an offer to acquire the former Benjamin Boren YMCA and the Tuscaloosa properties committee voted to order an appraisal to determine fair market value under federal CDBG rules.
Maud Watley Health Services asked the Tuscaloosa properties committee for the opportunity to acquire the former Benjamin Boren YMCA, and the committee voted to authorize an appraisal to determine fair market value.
Reverend David Gay, chief executive officer of Maud Watley Health Services, told the committee the organization would use the space to expand primary- and specialty-care services and community programming. "Last year, we served over 17,000 patients," Gay said, adding that more than 61,000 visits came through the organization across its sites. "We may be under a nonprofit status, but we still have to make a profit. We still got payroll. We still have the bills we have to pay."
Gay described plans to expand podiatry, behavioral health, X-ray, optometry and dental services at a larger site and said the group would use an adjacent library building as a multipurpose community room. He said full redevelopment would be phased and dependent on funding; when asked for a timetable he said, "In the best case scenario, would you say a year? Yeah. Probably a year from now."
Tom Bobbitt, city staff member, told the committee the property was originally purchased with federal Community Development Block Grant funds and that federal procurement and disposition procedures apply. "Because federal CDBG money was used for this building, we have to use federal procurement and federal disposition procedures," Bobbitt said. Under those rules, Bobbitt said, a sale would need to be at fair market value and a lease at a fair market rate.
After the presentation the committee voted to authorize staff to obtain an appraisal of the property; the motion passed by voice vote. Committee members did not identify a mover or seconder on the record.
The appraisal will determine a market value that staff said is required before any sale or negotiated purchase can proceed under the CDBG requirements; staff said they aim to return to the properties committee with results next month.
