Concordia continues renovations

Published 11:06 pm Monday, August 22, 2011

It’s been a little over a year since Concordia College Selma first made plans to purchase the campus of the United Methodist Children’s Home in Selma, and since then the school continues to renovate and expand.

The 35-acre property, appraised at $3.5 million, sits between Franklin and Broad streets and includes cottages, a large office building, a chapel and a tennis court.

Having already renovated 10 cottages to use as dormitories, Concordia staff plans to tackle renovations to the front of the big, white-pillared building on Broad Street first, in stages.

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“We intend to get started and get grants along the way to do that,” said director of facilities Jeff Hesterman. “It will include a bookstore … with expanded inventory that will be open to the public along with Concordia students. We’re looking for a coffee shop, sort of like a Starbucks, and use parts of the building for classrooms.”

There’s also been discussion, Hesterman said, on including a child development center, a conference room and possible museum that includes both the history of Selma and Concordia.

In a previous interview with the Times-Journal, representatives from the United Methodist Children’s Home said the “institutional agency look” was no longer conducive to the current environment of childcare.

Hesterman said he believes the property is a great addition to the school. Having gained the additional acreage from its original 15 acres, Hesterman said the purchase was necessary.

“It gives an entry way between the community and the college,” Hesterman said. “We needed that land and we’ve outgrown the acreage we had before. We had an increase in students and we needed additional facilities (and) … the space to expand into.”

Concordia College director of communications Christine Weerts said the school also has a master plan for the entire campus. Representatives from Van Yahres Associates, campus planning and design of Charlottesville, Va., will aid in the project and tour the campus Aug. 25 and 26.

“We have moved admissions/financial development and the president’s office to the west campus,” Weerts said. “Overall we are very pleased to have tripled our campus size and are better prepared for future growth of our student body and academic programs.”

The Children’s Home works with child welfare agencies, churches and extended families to provide care for abused and neglected children.

There are locations in Tuscaloosa, Mobile, Florence, Scottsboro, Troy, Dothan, Andalusia, Milton, Birmingham, Crestview and Jasper.


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