Raising the curtain on the Sandra Moon Community Complex
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The Sandra Moon Community Complex will host its first performance at its 600-seat theater Sept. 25. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
The Sandra Moon Community Complex on Bailey Cove Road is officially open following a ribbon cutting Tuesday morning.
Why it matters: The long-awaited transformation of the former Grissom High School in South Huntsville aims to offer something for everyone.
Catch up quick: City officials gave the media a sneak peek at the renovated school site earlier this summer, highlighting its 618-seat Performing Arts Center, which fills a niche in the city.
- Within the total 34-acre campus is a library, a playground, pickleball and tennis courts, multi-use fields, two gymnasiums, rentable meeting spaces, multimedia and gaming studios, and a 600-seat auditorium.
What they're saying: "The challenge was turning an old school that was built and designed to be a school — and built and designed to not be anything else — and turn that into the great facility you see here," city administrator John Hamilton said Tuesday.
- He described the complex, with its diverse offerings, as a "mosaic … that fits into the larger mosaic across the city."
Context: A focus of Tuesday's festivities was the complex's namesake, former District 3 City Council member and the first female president of the Huntsville City Council, Sandra Moon, who died in 2013.
- Mayor Tommy Battle and current District 3 Council member Jennie Robinson both referred to her as a mentor during their remarks. Moon spearheaded the effort to establish a library at the former Grissom site after she left council.
Zoom in: Moon's daughter, 1996 Grissom grad Kelly Moon Crutchfield, was on hand Tuesday to cut the ribbon, saying her mom "had a master's degree in library science and believed that a vibrant and accessible library was the heartbeat of a thriving community."
- Crutchfield spoke of her mother's work in the community, saying the complex "has been named in the spirit of selfless and enduring public service."
Driving the news: A highlight of the complex's offerings is its 600-seat theater. Arts Huntsville has office and rehearsal space at the facility, with a ribbon cutting of its own set for Sept. 25.
The bottom line: "Come back, try something you haven't tried before," Parks and Recreation director James Gossett told the crowd.
- "Bring your children or grandchildren. Meet a friend for a walk. Sign up for a program. Play a game. Rent the event hall. Find your reason to be here."