Albany city officials are celebrating the construction of a new community center.
At a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Mayor Kathy Sheehan says the Albany West Community Center on Livingston Ave is being built especially for the needs of West Hill.
The Democrat says the neighborhood, sandwiched between Central Ave and Henry Johnson Boulevard, deserves the investment.
“We know that this neighborhood has seen violent crime in the past, and so people want a place where they can feel safe, where their children can go and play, where seniors can go. And what we heard over and over again is they want a place where they can go and feel safe,” Sheehan said.
Sheehan says putting the community center in the former Boys Club supports one of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in the city.
The mayor, who is not seeking a fourth term, says she wants her successor to support the long-awaited community center.
“It is my expectation that the community will continue to demand that of whoever the next leader of the city is so that this remains a place and a space that continues on and reflects the growing and varying needs of this community,” Sheehan said.
The project, slated to cost more than $20 million, is supported by federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
Albany Common Councilor Jahmel Robinson, whose 5th Ward includes the community center, says it was local involvement that helped make the project a reality.
“It will be a place where children will grow, where families will come together, and where individuals will find resources, support and a sense of belonging, from after-school programs to fitness classes to job training and cultural events. This center will serve as the heart of our community, a place where lives can be enriched and dreams can be nurtured,” Robinson said.
City recreation commissioner Jonathan Jones, a longtime neighborhood resident, says the envisioned space will offer more than just space for public events and recreation.
“We'll have an opportunity to have our health clinics here, so that when people need the services that they may can't get to right away because of a situation, they can have a space right here, not too far away from their homes, we'll also have an opportunity to enrich our young people and provide them with the tools that we know they need to be competitive in this new century,” Jones said.
109th District State Assemblywoman Pat Fahy, a Democrat will represent Albany in the State Senate after she is sworn in next month, says, as a former Boys and Girls Club board member, the organization holds a special place in her heart.
“I always reflect when we're launching something like this, if we've learned nothing from COVID, we have learned that community matters, showing up, being present, being a part of a community. It's not about phoning it in. It's not about being in your bedrooms trying to learn it is about being a part of a community,” Fahy said.
Albany County Legislator Carolyn McLaughlin, a Democrat representing Albany’s South End who is running for mayor, says what benefits West Hill benefits all of Albany.
“Hopefully, there'll be opportunities for seniors, from young people to seniors you know, to get educated, to have fun, to do community activities and a gym, oh my god, something that's needed in the neighborhood to keep our kids off the street and an opportunity for everybody to get a little bit of exercise,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin says the South End once had similar amenities, including a teen center on Schuyler Street, that have since closed. She adds she wants to see them back and throughout all of Albany’s neighborhoods.
The center is expected to open by early 2026.
