Neighbors near Birmingham-Southern push college to accept offer to buy campus soon

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

Community leaders used their signs and voices to persuade Birmingham-Southern College to take action Friday. This comes after the college closed exactly two weeks ago, and now alumni and business owners are pushing the board to accept an offer to purchase the campus as soon as possible. Neighbors near the old BSC campus were out showing their support for Alabama A&M University. . They are urging the board of trustees to accept the university's offer before the neighborhood falls into disrepair. Other colleges and businesses have also expressed interest in purchasing the campus, such as Miles College. WVTM 13 spoke with a BSC spokesperson who said the college continues to have conversations with several interested parties but there is no final agreement yet. Neighbors hope the BSC board will pick up the pace, accept one of the offers and keep the 192 half-acre campuses from being dilapidated. BSC alumnus Kamau Afrika believes A&M is the best option to take over the campus and maintain it. “As a businessman, I know the property will continue to deteriorate if they continue to wait, and the value will decline,” he said. “You're going to see more of what you see here. I have lived in this neighborhood for 67 years. My family has been here since 1939. I have never seen it so dirty and trashed with trash. » Susan Diane Mitchell is the president of the Dynamite-Hill Smithfield Community Land Trust. The organization provides food security, housing and civic education to many neighbors near campus. She also believes A&M is the best option to take over before the area gentrifies. It's a totally different story,” she said. WVTM 13 also reached out to Alabama A&M, but was told it would not comment on the details of its offer at this time out of respect for the process, but its talks are ongoing.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Nearby neighbors of the former BSC campus were out, showing their support for Alabama A&M University. They are urging the board of trustees to accept the university's offer before the neighborhood falls into disrepair.

Other colleges and businesses have also expressed interest in purchasing the campus, such as Miles College. WVTM 13 spoke with a BSC spokesperson who said the college continues to have conversations with several interested parties but there is no final agreement yet.

Neighbors hope the BSC board will pick up the pace and accept one of the offers and keep the 192-acre campus from falling into disrepair. BSC alumnus Kamau Afrika believes A&M is the best option to take over the campus and maintain it.

“As a businessman, I know the property will continue to deteriorate if they continue to wait and their value will decrease,” he said. “You're going to see more of what you see here. I have lived in this neighborhood for 67 years. My family has been here since 1939. I have never seen it so dirty and trashed with trash.

Susan Diane Mitchell is the president of the Dynamite-Hill Smithfield Community Land Trust. The organization provides food security, housing and civic education to many neighbors near campus. She also believes A&M is the best option to take over before the area is gentrified.

“If it's prime real estate for condominiums, boutique hotels or different institutions that are more marketable to the new wealth coming into the city, then we're going to have a totally different story,” he said. she declared.

WVTM 13 also reached out to Alabama A&M, but was told it would not comment on the details of its offer at this time out of respect for the process, but its talks are ongoing.