The City of Andalusia used a $250,000 Community Enhancement Grant from ADECA’s Community Development Block Grant Program and $241,026 in local funds to construct the Andalusia Adult Activity Center. This new building with accessible restrooms, portable stage, and a large multi-purpose room is used for weekly square dances, seminars, classes, health fairs, and other activities. The Activity Center was constructed on a vacant elementary school property donated to the City by the Andalusia Board of Education. Existing buildings on the property were renovated and are used by the Recreation Department as well as seniors.
Activities include exercise, nutrition, music, sewing and quilting, games, arts and crafts, computer classes, a library, and community meetings. An adjacent city park was modified for adult use by providing a walking trail, benches, lighting, wheelchair accessibility, and improved parking. CDBG funds, County and City funds, Recreation Department funds, private donations, and fund raising worked together in a multi-million dollar project to adapt a property that was once a potential liability in a struggling neighborhood. The Center is now a stabilizing influence and provides services to approximately 1,200 people annually.