CARBON HILL - Carbon Hill Mayor April Kennedy Herron said Tuesday night she is looking at grants from sources ranging from the Walker Area Community Foundation to the state for emergency repairs at the Blue Gym to allow Raising Arrows help local students.
Herron - who said talks and research are in the earliest stages, with nothing "a done deal or a for-sure thing" - told the Carbon Hill City Council about the plan, which she started thinking about on the previous Thursday.
City leaders have been trying for some time to make upgrades to the former school gymnasium, which the city owns and has wanted to turn into a community facility for youth sports and other needs. The Carbon Hill Women's Club was recently allowed to take over operation in order to raise funds and make repairs.
Herron said she participated in an appreciation breakfast with Raising Arrows on Thursday, with a number of local officials with Raising Arrows, as well as political, education and community leaders. Discussion turned to the start of the school year and how parents will need help this year for internet and homework.
"A lot of grandparents are raising kids and they don't even know how to turn Chromebook on, much less help them with distance learning," she said.
Raising Arrows is working with the state and education officials to get a program started, along the lines of a "summer day camp," on days they are not in school, she said. It would also involve their feeding program that would be continuing, with a hot meal and a snack.
Different children would be involved in the program on different days, she said after the council meeting.
"Some of them may only come after school a couple of days a week, and some may only come a few hours to get help with homework," she said. If the gym were to be put into good shape, some students might could be tutored by older students, such as in math.
"Sometimes kids need that one-on-one attention," she said. "I'm just worried about our kids' education. It has just worried me - I mean, a lot."
Field trips would also be provided by Raising Arrows, she said.
"Many of the cities are getting involved with this, and they are wanting to take Raising Arrows up on their offer. But Carbon Hill couldn't," she said in the council meeting. "We can't because we do not have a facility to provide this service. And it was kind of sad. We could continue with the feeding center, but we couldn't really help our kids."
On the way home from the breakfast, after thinking and praying, Herron wondered if the city could get help for the Blue Gym, thinking it would be "the perfect facility" for the project. She called Paul Kennedy, executive director of the Walker Area Community Foundation, asking him if there were ways to get help in an "expedited time" to help with the emergency need.
Herron said the Women's Club has done a "fantastic, phenomenal job raising money," and that she is proud of them. She wanted to get officials together to work out a partnership. She said she is researching numbers and talking with Raising Arrows and Kennedy, with hopes of also talking with the Women's Club. The officials could come up with a plan "and see if it is something Carbon Hill would want to do," she said, noting it was a chance to take a bad situation and turn it around for something good.
Herron said she and Councilwoman Judy Hurst, who is also president of the Women's Club, walked through the Blue Gym Friday, resulting in Herron crying as she recalled many childhood memories in the gym, including her graduation. She noted the facility was built to help with education, and she wanted to continue that.
"It breaks my heart to see it kind of, basically being destroyed," the mayor said. "People are breaking in. It's not been taken care of. It needs a lot of work.
"It's not something we can do overnight be any means. But if the Walker Area Community Foundation is willing to help us get this to maybe where we can use it for a facility to help our kids, I would love to get everyone's input on it." Although nothing is for certain, she wanted community leaders to think on it and arrange a meeting.
"Our kids need our help. It takes a community to raise a child - and children are my heart," Herron said. "I know there are parents and grandparents out there struggling to figure out how they are going to educate their kids this year. There are teachers worried about their kids and how they are going to get their education this year."
She said if Carbon Hill can help, she would like to try - and if it is not possible, "then we'll accept that."
Herron said Raising Arrows could not help more than 30 students at a time, going by regulations after school programs or day camps. Depending on age, for every eight to 10 children, one adult is needed on site, trained to use the laptops and help with homework.
She said she did not know how much money would be needed in the gym. Asked what she is anticipating it might take after the meeting, she said she is thinking it might cost in the range of $50,000 to $75,000, although she did not know if Kennedy "could go that far" with financial help.
"I'm just guessing at numbers, but I've talked with some contractors," she said.
Herron said it might be possible to go through federal CARES Act funding made available through the state to help with the bathrooms. Kennedy also has been pointing the mayor to other possible funds that might be available.
Hurst suggested, during the council meeting, using the community center as that already has working bathrooms. Herron said it could start that way, as the feeding program will continue, but social distancing for 30 children in that amount of space would be difficult, she said. Not much space would be available for activities, and space would be needed for certain grade levels, up to sixth grade, to split off into groups.
Herron said after the meeting the community center could probably handle no more than 10 to 12 children at a time with adults.
Hurst said in the council meeting she had another suggestion to use the vacant Free Will Baptist school facility could also be used. Herron said church officials would have to be consulted on that. She also noted the Blue Gym is a "million dollar facility that was built for children."
"But it's in bad shape," Hurst said. Herron agreed, noting she and Kennedy were discussing it earlier that day.
"There is a certain amount of emergency funding we can get from the state and the Walker Area Community Foundation to get the work done. I mean, Carbon Hill, the city, might have to put in a little bit, but there is money in the improvement fund to help out," Herron said.
Hurst noted the club was made the "overseer" of the gym and it has raised money for restoring the gym for the community. The club is also in the process for filing for grants, although fundraising efforts has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said grants are now opening up for filing, but again said work would not be overnight and the gym is in bad shape.
Herron agreed but said it would be emergency funding due to the pandemic and work could start relatively quickly. She noted Raising Arrows would only use it Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and would be ended as students eventually return to normal schedules at the school.
After 5 p.m. the city could have craft parties and classes, and could be rented out over the weekend for events.
"I can envision like a family night or even in movie night there," with revenue made from concessions, Herron said.
Asked after the meeting what areas of the gym would have to be repaired to conduct the program, Herron said new front doors, a concession area and new bathrooms are needed. The main gym and two classrooms on each side of the stage all need an extensive cleaning.
"We do need heat and air for that front room," she said, saying three 5-ton heat pump units would be needed. "In the main part of the gym, we have a system that is kind of cooling, but not like it should. But we could get by with that right now, depending on how much funding we could get."
New LED ceiling lighting would be needed. "I want our electrical to be safe, too," she said.
Herron said anyone with questions or ideas about the project may reach her at City Hall or on Facebook.
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