Northwest Auburn community members can expect several new amenities at the Boykin Community Center with upcoming additions and renovations.
At the State of the City address on Oct. 29, Mayor Ron Anders discussed the relocation of the Environmental Services and Public Works Department to provide additional space for an expanded Boykin Community Center campus.
The expansion project will include a black history museum and the community’s second public library. Residents requested these new expansions at various town hall and City Council meetings last year.
A new food pantry, computer lab and medical clinic are to be built within the existing infrastructure.
The community center campus, housed at 400 Boykin Street near the intersection of Bragg Avenue and Donahue Drive, is home to the Auburn Day Care Center, Auburn Senior Center, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lee County and Joyland Child Development Center.
Recreational amenities at the facility currently include a 24-hour basketball court, the Boykin Community Center gymnasium and a fitness center.
“[Boykin Community Center] used to be thought of more as a recreational facility, but I think as we move forward, it’s going to become more of a community service facility,” Community Service Director Al Davis said.
Davis said having the Auburn University Health Care Clinic and Education Center in the building, in particular, will provide major value to those individuals who are uninsured, underinsured or prefer to access health care in Northwest Auburn.
The clinic will be managed by the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy with clinical participation of other University programs.
The clinic is set to hopefully open sometime next year, Davis said.
“We are very excited about this partnership with the City of Auburn and the opportunities we have with the Auburn University Health Care Clinic and Education Center,” said Dr. Richard Hansen, dean of the Harrison School of Pharmacy in a press release.
However, Auburn residents are not the only group that will reap the benefits of the expansion.
“It’s not just one facet of the community that will be impacted by this project when it’s done,” Davis said.
Several Auburn University students live in the nearby neighborhoods and enjoy services provided by the Boykin Community Center.
“Auburn University students are a part of the community too,” Davis said. “I look at it as a tremendous plus.”
The expansion will begin after the relocation of the Environmental Services and Public Works Departments.
The Environmental Services and Public Works Department building is currently located near the Boykin Community Center campus at 356 N. Donahue Drive.
Anders said the community center has become a true hub of the City’s community service efforts, a sentiment echoed by Davis.
“We attract a lot of people to this campus for various services and programs,” Davis said. “We are here to serve. Everything that we add to that mission of service to the community makes it truly what our purpose is — to provide quality services to the citizens of Auburn.”
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