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BIRMINGHAM — The Eagle covered a variety of community-centered stories in 2025 that featured local voices. Here are some updates to a couple of the stories from last year.
Playground improvements
“We’re continuing on throughout the city with playground improvements,” Parks and Recreation Manager Carie Laird said.
In May 2025, the Eagle spoke with Laird about updates to Pumphouse Park and West Lincoln Well Park. These were both opened and installed in November 2025.
The next playground to be updated is Poppleton Park, which will be a fully inclusive playground. The Eagle covered the upcoming improvements for Poppleton Park in August 2025. Plans were approved by the City Commission in November. Laird said the improvements are expected to come in this spring or in the early summer months.
Poppleton Park will feature wheelchair accessible equipment and a solid-surface ground to make it possible for wheelchairs to use. The approved budget is approx $1.7 million.
In December 2025, the city put out a survey on Engage Birmingham to receive feedback from residents about concept designs for Pembroke Park. The approved budget for this playground is approximately $600,000 at this time.
“At the February parks and rec board meeting, an updated draft plan based on the feedback received so far will be presented to the parks and rec board,” Laird said.
Ultimately, it will go to the City Commission for a decision.
In the next fiscal year, the city plans to continue working on playground updates. Up next are Crestview Park, Howarth Park, Kenning Park and St. James Park.
400 E. Lincoln property updates
In August 2025, the Eagle covered plans for 400 E. Lincoln property. At the time, a motion for a $36,640,000 bond proposal for the Birmingham community and senior center failed at a Birmingham City Commission meeting.
City Manager Jana Ecker provided an update on this community topic. To provide background, she clarified what she said is the misconception that the city is “kicking the YMCA out.” She said the city did not do that, and the decision to sell the property was made by the YMCA in 2023.
The city purchased the land and has a memorandum of understanding to put Next Senior Services into that building.
However, when leadership changed, the YMCA made another effort to keep a presence in Birmingham. Ecker said the city spent two and a half years discussing whether there was any way the YMCA and Next Senior Services could be incorporated in the existing building. A study was done on the building, and the commission decided that they wanted to tear down the building and build a new facility that would house both services.
“The price tag came in very high after all of the tariffs and so on, and they decided that it was going to be too much money, and so they pivoted,” Ecker said.
The YMCA has since decided that it will focus on its Royal Oak location and will expand that one — welcoming all Birmingham YMCA members to the Royal Oak facility.
“Now we’re back to using the existing building and we’re studying how we can use it just for Next Senior Services, which, obviously, makes it easier, because if it’s just that one use in there,” Ecker said.
This topic will be discussed on January 26, 2026. To see meeting information and updates, visit bhamgov.org.
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