officially opens for community

By JAINE TREADWELL

Features Editor

What, at one time seemed just a dream, is now reality for the residents of Brundidge.

On Nov. 27, the Brundidge Station officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by city and county officials, representatives from the Area Agency on Aging and local residents.

The main function of Brundidge Station is to house the Robert E. Barr Nutrition Center but it will also serve as a community facility, said City Manager Britt Thomas.

Such a facility had been on the city’s drawing board for several years before it was made possible through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

The state grant was in the amount of $250,000 and the city picked up the tab for the additional $175,000 needed to complete the project, Thomas said.

The 40×80-foot building

includes an all-purpose room which will seat up to 175, a kitchen, restrooms and storage area.

The Brundidge Station’s design is similar to that of the town’s depot that was torn down in the late 1960s.

"When the council was working on plans for the multipurpose building, we considered the fact that it would be located on the backside of city property near the railroad," said Mayor Jimmy Ramage. "The location of the building would also be in close proximity to the former train station. Because of those two factors and, because the city is using the antique city theme throughout our town, we decided a depot-type design would work well with other improvements the city has made, such as the sidewalk project and lamp post lighting in our downtown area."

Ramage said plans are to further enhance the area by landscaping the grounds and adding a windmill and, hopefully, a caboose.

"We haven’t had any luck locating a caboose, yet, but we aren’t giving up on the idea," Ramage said.

A covered "porch" completely around the building provides an ideal walking exercise area for participants of the nutrition program.

"The Brundidge Station is something we have wanted for a long time and I know how excited our seniors are to finally have a place of their own," Ramage said. "It is a beautiful facility and we are looking forward to expanding our seniors’ program. We hope to offer a variety of activities for our seniors and we also plan to make the facility available to other groups a little later on."

Thomas said the idea is to have activities planned and organized for the city’s general population after nutrition center hours.

"Brundidge Station will also be available for rent but that won’t be until after the first of the year," he said. "Since we have just opened, we haven’t had a opportunity to set policies and procedures and establish rules for leasing the building. We also have to determine a fair rental price. When we get all of that done, the facility will be made available to the public."

For information about the services offered through the Robert E. Barr Nutrition Center, contact Brundidge City Hall at 735-2385.