The transformation of the former Grissom High School into the Sandra Moon Community Complex came one step closer to completion with the approval of a construction contract for the project’s second phase.

On Thursday, February 10, the Huntsville City Council voted unanimously to allow Mayor Tommy Battle to enter a $4.37 million construction services contract with Consolidated Construction Company.

Phase 2 work on the project will involve an interior renovation to the existing 110,000-square-foot community center, as well as new fire suppression and alarm systems, building code upgrades, and ADA compliance modifications. Additionally, the City will renovate existing offices and rehearsal space for Arts Huntsville.

The contract states that work must be completed no later than 300 days after the notice to proceed is issued.

District 3 City Council Member Jennie Robinson said that the new Sandra Moon Community Complex will invigorate the surrounding neighborhoods in the same way the Johnson Legacy Center brought new life to the old Johnson High School site.

“When Grissom High School on Bailey Cove Road closed and the new school opened on the west side of Memorial Parkway, some people said we were taking away the heart of the neighborhood,” she said. “The Sandra Moon Community Complex will bring heart and soul to the Bailey Cove area again as it provides a much-needed home for performing arts groups. These groups will be able to collaborate in a shared space and then perform together in the renovated auditorium. It will be a gift to the whole community.”

The site of the former Grissom High is also home to the new state-of-the-art South Huntsville Public Library, which opened in the north end of the complex in September 2021. The former school’s gymnasium now hosts Huntsville Parks & Recreation’s Youth Basketball League along with 12 pickleball courts.

Following its completion, the complex will feature spaces for a wide variety of activities, including theater, musical performances, athletics, and meetings. The Sandra Moon Complex Master Plan can be viewed here.