Nearly 40 years ago, the building on Livingston Avenue in Albany was home to a Boys & Girls Club. But after the closure in 1987, it was turned into a now-defunct warehouse for plumbing supply companies.
Come December, the site will once again be a space for residents to come together, with the opening of the new Albany West Community Center.
During a tour of the new facility Friday, Albany Common Councilman Jahmel Robinson said he expects the center to be a busy place when it opens on Dec. 2.
“We're open to all types of programs that will benefit the community and the city. I've been reached out to by a lot of community partners who want to get in here and get right to work and are trying to implement some programming. Our community is excited, our partners are excited, so we are going to be really excited to see what the type of programming is going to be once we get it open.”
On Friday, officials, including Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, and Albany Common Council Members Robinson and Joyce Love, toured the new facility's gymnasium and basketball court, art room, kitchen, exercise rooms and studios, and health clinic. An outdoor pool set is to open in the spring of 2026.
Martin Daley, Albany City Director of Infrastructure Management, credited the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the investment in the construction of the center. Albany has received $80 million in direct aid for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, of which over $12 million has been invested in the City of Albany’s projects and programs. $2 million of the ARPA grant was used to support the purchase and construction of the West Hill site. In August, Albany officials broke ground on a separate community center -- the New Albany South Recreation Center at Hoffman Park, which also received $2 million in ARPA funding.
On Friday, Daley said that the West Hill building is geared toward sustainability, with options for Albany residents to rent CDTA bicycles near the entrance area, and a reliance on green energy.
“One of the other neat things about this project is we've totally ditched fossil fuels. We're 100% electric on this facility, so everything is supplied by electricity. One of the sustainability goals in the city - we've been able to meet that with this project.”
109th District Assemblywoman Romero spoke of her hopes for the community center, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic left Albany residents isolated.
“I'm excited to see people of all ages use this space, young people being able to come here for games, for sports, but also seeing our older adults have an opportunity to come here and play, and also learn. There's going to be a lot of programming that's going to be in this space. We see time and time again, especially after COVID, that of all ages - our young people and our older adults - are feeling isolated.”
Reporting for WAMC, I’m Maryam Ahmad.
