Westgate residents impressed with newly renovated community center

Sep. 9—The deteriorating community center at Westgate Gardens Apartments apparently wasn't a popular place in recent years because very few residents of the Decatur Housing Authority complex said they took the short walk from their units to go there.

Pearlean Powers and her neighbors in the senior apartments on Adams Drive Northwest acknowledged that until this week they had never been in the community center built in 1967.

Now, they said, they're likely to return to the newly renovated community center after viewing it for the first time when the Housing Authority held a grand opening Wednesday.

"It's nice," Powers said. "I can walk here whenever I want. I live across the street, and I'll definitely come over here when I can."

Her neighbor, Dan Johnson, said he would occasionally get "curious" about what was going on at the old center across the street but never did check it out. Now he's impressed with improvements made by the Housing Authority, which operates under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"This is one thing the government has done nice," Johnson said.

Emma Jefferson was one Westgate resident who had seen the old community center before visiting the renovated version Wednesday.

"It was rough," Jefferson said of the old version. "I'm glad they finally did renovate it. Now it's beautiful. I really like what they did to the restrooms and kitchen."

"The community room is ready for use and we're proud of it," Housing Authority Executive Director Taura Denmon declared.

Miles Wright, chairman of the Housing Authority board, said the DHA administration started working on the project in June 2020, but a number of issues delayed it.

"We had to deal with the COVID pandemic and materials shortages," Wright said. "It took us a while, but we're finally finished."

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Donna Gibson said renovation of the center that's split into two small buildings cost close to $500,000.

In Building 1, DHA removed a kitchenette and turned the room into a small restroom while turning a second room into a handicapped-accessible restroom. A small kitchen area now dominates the building.

Building 2 is mostly a meeting area with a storage closet.

A new covered crosswalk provides a place for residents to gather outside and enjoy grilling out.

Both buildings got new windows, new lighting and new white paint. New central air conditioning units replace what Gibson called "old hotel units." They added a second parking lot with handicapped parking.

The renovation of the Westgate community center was one of several steps the Decatur Housing Authority agreed to take in 2020 after it was accused of racial discrimination involving tenant assignments to its three apartment buildings for low-income senior adults: Summer Manor, Jordan-Neill and Westgate Gardens.

In a voluntary compliance agreement with HUD, the Housing Authority agreed to end any discriminatory practices, make payments to victims of the alleged discrimination, renovate the Westgate Gardens community center and upgrade Westgate Gardens apartments.

Ken Free, state field office director for HUD, attended Wednesday's opening of the renovated Westgate community center, which he called "truly amazing."

"The last couple of years we've had to stay home because of COVID, but things are opening up so there will be a lot of events, memories and lots of parties," Free said.

Free said he made the trip to Decatur from Birmingham "to show that I like what I am seeing from the (DHA) leadership."

Much of Decatur Housing Authority's top leadership has changed since 2020. Denmon completed her first full year in Decatur in May while there are only two members left on the board of commissioners from that time.

Decatur is having trouble fulfilling its agreement to renovate Westgate apartments, which include renovations to kitchens and bathrooms for tenants in 46 units.

The renovation plans include redoing the kitchens and bedrooms with new flooring and painting and adding new appliances.

But the Housing Authority received only one bid of $3.2 million and HUD requires multiple bids on any project to move forward.

Free said HUD is trying to be understanding of the position the Decatur authority is in, especially after the agency rebid the project and still received only one submittal.

"We had to be good stewards of the people's money and that requires multiple bids," Free said.

Denmon said the Housing Authority will have to seek bids for a third time and this will likely delay the Westgate Gardens renovations until spring 2023.

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.