LINDEN, Ala. — Gwendolyn Rogers remembers shopping for school clothes at the former Levy Department Store in downtown Linden in the 100 block of South Main Street, many years ago.

Today, Rogers is Linden’s mayor, and the former store’s location is now a beautiful centerpiece of Linden’s downtown. Known as The Terrace, the event space has been transformed throughout the past year from a location with crumbling walls and overgrown grass to a premiere event space with two large murals, a stage, seating, self-watering planters, more than 600 feet of overhead string lights and a large sign on stage that creates a sense of community.

“The Terrace is a beautiful addition to the center of our downtown that will draw people to it,” Rogers said. “I never imagined that we would have something like this here. I wish we could do something like this throughout town.”

Showing Pride 

Alabama Extension’s ALProHealth program provided guidance and funding for most of the improvements that were spearheaded by Pam Stenz, the Marengo County Extension coordinator, and Tammy Glass, the SNAP-Ed educator for Marengo and Choctaw counties. The goal for The Terrace is to encourage residents to get out of their cars and explore downtown Linden.

Stenz and Glass were part of a coalition made up of community stakeholders with a goal of creating a vibrant space downtown to foster a sense of community. Improvement projects were planned and implemented by local residents.

“We are just so proud of what our community coalition was able to accomplish,” Stenz said. “We were all able to do something really great for Linden.”

Rogers said Stenz and Glass were the visionaries for seeing the project to fruition, and the funding from ALProHealth made the project happen.

“Alabama Extension and the ALProHealth grant were the driving force behind getting this project off the ground,” Rogers said.

Community Driven 

Local contractors did most of the work at The Terrace, which was a priority for the coalition.

“As much as we could, we used local people because we knew they would have a vested interest in making Linden look great,” Glass said.

Banks Compton, a local mural artist, painted two murals at The Terrace. One mural has a giant butterfly with flowers and a blue sky that has been popular for selfies, according to Glass. The other mural depicts a large front porch with two rocking chairs and large trees in the distance. In addition to the giant butterfly, there are 10 small butterflies around The Terrace as an added scavenger hunt to provide an opportunity to keep people moving while visiting the space.

Compton had completed a separate mural in Linden before painting the two at The Terrace. His work has been the inspiration for additional murals in downtown Linden.

Sonny Breckenridge of Sunshine Partners, LLC sealed cracks in the concrete and painted the flooring at the site. Breckenridge also assembled a performance stage and helped hang lights that will allow for evening activities to take place. The ALProHealth grant funded the materials, and Breckenridge donated his labor.

Westbrook Welding donated labor to help set poles for lighting and secure outdoor furniture pieces. Charley Burl’s, a local florist shop in Linden, donated labor to install the self-watering planters that will reduce maintenance required to keep plants beautiful and extend time between waterings.

Satisfaction 

Stenz, who will retire from Alabama Extension at the end of September, said completing The Terrace project before leaving her post is a joy.

She said there were hurdles in completing the project, but the community came together to ensure a positive outcome.  The city and the Linden Industrial Board struck a deal to acquire the property from an out-of-town owner, and then there were concerns about the costs to repair the floor and stabilize the walls.

However, Stenz said the coalition and community partners stayed strong and committed to finishing the project.

“All of those hurdles make it more satisfying,” she said.

Glass said the effort is worthwhile when she sees families enjoying the space or school functions occurring in an area that had previously been a blemish for the community.

“We found a way to come together as a community to push through and make this project happen,” Glass said. “We had a dedicated group of volunteers, contractors, and government agencies who had a shared vision and put in the effort to make Linden a better place.”

More Information

ALProHealth is an obesity prevention and reduction program funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) High Obesity Program. Through creating safer places for people to be active and increasing access to healthier food, ALProHealth’s goal is to improve community health in Alabama counties with an adult obesity prevalence of 40% or greater.

For more information about Alabama Extension, visit www.aces.edu. To contact Stenz, call 334-295-5959 or email her at stenzpa@aces.edu. To contact Glass, call 334-295-5959 or email her at tgg0005@aces.edu.