GOOD HOPE, Ala. – Good Hope’s newest building is doing double duty, keeping residents safe when severe weather rolls in and giving the city’s seniors a place to gather every day in between.
The Good Hope Multiplex held its ribbon cutting Oct. 1, and on Monday, Oct. 5, it officially became the city’s full-time senior center under the direction of Renee Lee.
The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, which joined the city for the celebration, called the facility “a project that has been years in the making.” Plans for a multipurpose storm shelter and senior center have been part of Mayor Jerry Bartlett’s and the city’s vision for the community for several years, according to the Chamber.
The building can hold up to 300 people as a community storm shelter, and Bartlett said that role always comes first.
“First and foremost, it is a 300-person storm shelter that takes precedence over any other meetings during times when storms are in the area,” Bartlett said.
When the skies are clear, the building serves as the Good Hope Senior Center. Bartlett said the space will not be rented out.
“It will be used only as a full-time Good Hope Senior Center and community storm shelter,” he said.
Cullman County Economic Development praised the project in a post following the ribbon cutting, saying it “gives local seniors a place to gather while providing another resource for residents during severe weather.”
The construction bid for the project was $2,152,885. The city received a USDA grant for $1,313,885, leaving $839,000 paid by the City of Good Hope, according to Bartlett.
The ribbon cutting brought together community leaders and partners who helped make the project possible, including representatives from the North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments (NARCOG), USDA, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt’s office and Sen. Garlan Gudger’s office, along with former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. The Cullman Diabetes Center sponsored the ribbon cutting.
For more information about the Good Hope Senior Center, contact Good Hope City Hall at 256-739-3757.
The Good Hope Multiplex is located at 2941 County Road 437.
