Tuscaloosa YMCA Said To Have Leaking Roof, No A/C & Other Issues

It's time for Tuscaloosa residents to come together and help improve facilities for our children. The Benjamin Barnes Branch YMCA is said to have missing windows, no air conditioning, no hot water, and a leaking roof. This facility still has our kids in the building for a summer camp with all of these issues.

I came across a post on Facebook highlighting the need for drastic improvement at the Benjamin Barnes YMCA. The post calls for members of the community to contact the YMCA Board and community leaders to make them aware of these issues.

I also scrolled through my Twitter feed and came across a tweet from Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox about the Benjamin Barnes Branch YMCA. Mayor Maddox stated that the City of Tuscaloosa appropriated $1 million in funding years ago that could be used to build a new YMCA and said that "We need a new BB YMCA and we needed it several years ago."

Tuscaloosa residents have started a petition calling for equal funding, and a new Benjamin Barnes YMCA. The petition compares the Benajmin Barnes YMCA to the downtown YMCA branch and mentions a new building that was built downtown.

"When they had issues with their air conditioning and noted that repairs were needed, a brand new YMCA was built blocks away to replace the old building. They now have a brand new state of the art facility, hot water, new equipment, and NO kids attending Summer Camp there at this time. Meanwhile, the Barnes Branch is begging for basics and the community is having to pitch in to protect our children from the heat related illnesses that they are exposed to in a scorching, Alabama facility that's meant to keep them safe. "build healthy spirit, mind, and body" ... HOW?"

The petition has a goal of 2,500 signatures and is well on its way to reaching that goal. If you'd like to sign the petition click here.