Montgomery residents rally to save downtown community center; EDC to fund studies, council to allow short-term reopening

Montgomery residents and council members spent the majority of a Jan. 8 workshop urging preservation of the city’s downtown community center and outlining immediate steps to allow limited public use while design and remediation work proceed.

At the start of public comment, Megan Tuttle (listed on the speaker roster) told the council, "I'm here to ask you carefully consider the future of the downtown community center before moving forward with the demolition," arguing the building has served as "a meaningful gathering place for decades." Lisa Gregory, a real estate broker, said Montgomery’s historic character draws visitors and encouraged renovation or adaptive reuse rather than demolition. "Tearing something down in demolition is not the way to go with this property," she said.

Speakers across several turns cited the center’s role in local traditions and education programs. Brenda Bevin, speaking for the Mobile Historical Society and local teachers, said a 26-year school scavenger hunt and annual cookie-walk fundraising depend on the building and its grounds. Diane Lane and others cited a time capsule and memorial plaques that, they said, anchor the community’s history.

Council members and staff described how the issue surfaced. Staff said tenant reports and odor complaints prompted inspections; a staff member reported that remediation cost estimates had been sought from contractors but that structural issues discovered during inspections made firm pricing difficult. A council member who identified themself as mayor recounted long-running maintenance constraints, noting limited past budgets for repairs and a history of ad hoc fixes.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) told the council it would fund studies and renderings to compare renovation and demolition costs and to produce visuals for public discussion. An EDC representative said the EDC’s "main goal" is to keep downtown active and that the organization did not agree to any plan to demolish the building but wants options evaluated.

Several speakers raised concerns about communication and timing. One attendee said a mold inspection had occurred on 08/28/2025 and that council members were not informed; council members acknowledged gaps in internal communication and pledged to improve coordination.

For short-term steps, staff and council discussed deep cleaning, checking bathroom exhaust vents and electrical grounding, and obtaining three professional remediation quotes. The council agreed administration could add waiver language to the existing rental form to allow limited use while longer-term work proceeds; the chair said the paperwork update was expected to be in place by 9 a.m. the next day so reservations could resume. The EDC and volunteers said they would pursue architectural concepts and public town-hall meetings to show renderings and gather community feedback.

No formal action to demolish or renovate was taken at the workshop; workshop agenda items were for discussion only. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn that passed by voice vote at 7:12 p.m.

Next steps the council identified included: (1) obtaining professional cleaning/remediation quotes and scheduling deep cleaning; (2) EDC-funded renderings and engineering reviews to compare renovation versus replacement costs; and (3) town-hall meetings to present designs and collect public input.