John Hunt Park Armory to change into senior health heart

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – The Armory at John Hunt Park is transitioning from the military to a service for the elderly. The armory in John Hunt Park is undergoing massive overhauls.

It used to house the National Guard, but has been empty since 2017. This was part of the Alabama National Guard facilities master plan. It reported that it had chosen to consolidate several armories across Alabama to cut costs to meet the state budget.

It is transformed. A small part of this will be the new front office of the John Hunt Park Administration. Most of it will be a training center for the elderly with Parkinson’s. The Madison County Senior Center runs the Rock Steady Boxing program. It is a contactless fitness program specifically designed to treat Parkinson’s disease.

It ran the program from a smaller room that could no longer accommodate its program. The armory will be a much larger area and the city will rent it to them at a discounted rate. The City of Huntsville will pay for the renovation, but the senior center is currently accepting donations for equipment purchases.

“People live longer. You work longer in life. They enjoy longer pensions, says Hamilton. “Age has the implications that we must do to make sure we serve this part of our community. That is why there are senior centers. “

Huntsville city administrator John Hamilton says the armory may no longer be visible after the renovations. They plan to move the walls and add new toilets and office space. The exterior is also being improved. Hamilton says they need a new roof and will be making some aesthetic changes to the building.

He says it will cost around $ 6 million. It is funded in part by the American Rescue Plan Act. These are federal funds made available to communities to help them recover financially from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Hamilton says the design plan should be ready in about four months. The construction tender is due to come out in spring 2022, followed by the construction itself. Hamilton said he thinks it should take a year to build. He says the completion date will be sometime in 2023.

Copyright 2021 WAFF. All rights reserved.