Coffeeville Community Center

The Rhyme and Reason

The Coffeeville Community Center (CCC) is an expansive project idea that will allow for community growth and development in the town of Coffeeville and the surrounding areas. The overall project includes the development of a full-blown community center which offers a solution for many of our community needs to include but not limited to an events center, educational facilities, tech center & library, and town business center.

The community center would foster and encourage a more inclusive use of the existing high school structures (erected in 1939; renovated in 1987) and grounds for all area residents by serving as a hub for adult education, as well as engaging and focused activities for youth and seniors. More specifically, this development would dramatically improve the utility of the building as a welcome center, training facility, and an event center. With plans focused on activities for our children incorporating fun and learning as well as activities for the more mature population that would include but is not limited to exercise/fitness programs, arts and crafts, social activities and technology classes.

This Coffeeville Community Center project offers a real and worthy solution to our most vulnerable populations. The completion of this project will allow the community to offer after-school programs, full-day summer camps, sports clinics, computer instruction, and open drop-in times for facility use.

The Human Resources

This project is a true example of the saying "It takes a village." To ensure success for the renovation all citizens of Coffeeville are asked to take a vested interest in making the community center a reality. Several individuals and organizations have already worked in support of this effort to include the mayor, city council members, civic organizations, churches grant writers, project committee members and other volunteers.

To donate to the efforts of the renovation please make check payable to the Town of Coffeeville and please indicate Coffeeville Community Center. All checks should be mailed to P.O. Box 10Coffeeville, Clarke County 36524 USA. Thank you.

Future Coffeeville Community & Event Center

The Plan

A reimagining of a community center was conceived and introduced to the Coffeeville One Community (COC) Board in 2022. After completing preliminary research on the viability of such a project, the co-chairs of COC, met with the Mayor of Coffeeville, Dwight Pugh, and the town council members to propose the idea. The idea was ultimately approved, unanimously, by the Coffeeville Town Council.

The next step, as is always the case, was to begin to secure funding. During the initial proposal to the town council the idea of seeking funding from the Alabama Community Block Grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) was discussed and approved. The city secured assistance from a community grant writer and letters of support were secured by members of the Coffeeville One Community. The grant proposal focused on securing funds for replacing the roof of the primary facility. These efforts resulted in the award of the grant in the amount of $400,000.

Additional funding for the Coffeeville Community Center (CCC) has been and is being sought through grant applications to Alabama Power, The Omelia Foundation, ALA-TOM R&CD Council, Regions Bank, USDA Rural Development - U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Impact Initiative Grant, the Alabama State Council of the Arts Grant 2023-2024, Clarke County Parks and Recreation, and several others.

Each grant is written with a specific focus, as enumerated below. When funding is secured the focus area project is executed.

re-roofing the building
renovate and rehabilitate the bathrooms
inventory for salvage, sell, and removal of facility content
water damage repairs including mold and mildew remediation
installation of a commercial kitchen
deep cleaning of windows, walls, and floors throughout the building
painting
completely refurbish auditorium to include: central heating and air conditioning, updated LED Lighting, updated electrical, addressing window energy efficiency, refinishing of floors, and stage repairs and updates

The Timeline

The project began with the idea in 2022. Efforts are in full swing to acquire funding and complete incidental projects that can be done without expenditure. The desired completion is 2024.

The Hope

The hope is that some of the tasks can be completed through volunteer time and personal financial donations. The hope is that area churches, organizations, and individuals can work together as we can do so much more together than we can do apart. The hope is that Coffeeville becomes one community.