Mixed reactions, including relief, greet news the Coast Guard is buying BSC campus

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The flag that will be planted on The Hilltop will be that of the U.S. Coast Guard, which has agreed to buy the former Birmingham-Southern College campus as the location of a new training center.

Upon the closing of the sale, the Coast Guard will take possession of the 192-acre campus in the northeast corner of Birmingham’s Bush Hills Neighborhood and will begin work to refit it as a training center for USCG officers and enlisted personnel.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a Thursday briefing that the project will bring 1,000+ jobs and future economic growth to the city’s western area.

“Although we will always grieve the closing of our beloved college in 2024, we believe the sale of our campus to the Coast Guard for this purpose — supporting the training, education, and ongoing development of the people who serve in our nation’s premier maritime protection force — is a terrific outcome for our city, our state, and the neighborhood we called home for more than 100 years,” the Rev. Keith D. Thompson, chair of the BSC board of trustees, said in a post on the BSC Facebook page.

“While getting to this point has been a long, sad, and challenging journey for everyone who loves Birmingham-Southern, the board of trustees is confident that this is the right decision,” Thompson added. “We welcome the Coast Guard to the Hilltop knowing they will bring significant value, vibrancy and security to our community.”

The Coast Guard was looking for a property that would accommodate up to 1,200 recruits with housing, classrooms, dining and medical care, according to information provided by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and was instrumental in securing approval of the project, The Coast Guard also was looking for a large pool, athletic facilities and meeting areas that could handle the recruits and office space for 400 staff members, all of which BSC has.

News that the campus was to be occupied again after having been vacant for almost two years was met with much relief, but also some sadness that it will not continue as a traditional college campus, as many had hoped.

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, joined the chorus supporting the BSC sale to the Coast Guard.

“This is great news for this area,” she said. “For the past two years, citizens and businesses in Bush Hills, Fairview, College Hills and other areas feared their neighborhoods would deteriorate like other sections of Birmingham when their economic engine shut down. The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to buy the Birmingham-Southern campus and use it for a Coast Guard training facility gives these neighborhoods new life and the very real possibility of sustained economic growth in the years to come.”

Dora Sims is vice president of the Bush Hills Neighborhood and a 1987 alumnae of Birmingham-Southern. She expressed comfort that the idle campus will once again be active.

“I am totally relieved now that we know this entity, the Coast Guard, is coming,” Sims said. “I think it would draw people to take a closer look at the Coast Guard (as a career choice) and what it stands for. Our young people have a firsthand (look) at this organization that now is right here in our neighborhood. You don’t have to go beyond to search for it. It’s right here at your door.

“My thoughts always were that (Alabama) A&M get the campus,” she said. “I thought it would really be a big plus for A&M to have a site here locally.”

Ralph Hendrix, BSC Class of 1972, called the move “distasteful.”

“It’s just a military training camp, and it’s just degrading,” the Clanton resident said. “It’s sad. It’s truly sad.”

He had hoped another local college would take the property, saying Miles College in Fairfield or Jefferson State Community College would have been better entities for the BSC campus.

“But the truly sad thing is that it even happened, that it went bankrupt to begin with,” he said. “The lack of financial oversight and overspending and that sort of stuff is what destroyed the school.”

Matt Dale was a biology major in the final graduating class of the college in 2024.

“I didn’t have that on my bingo card,” Dale said of the Coast Guard purchase. “I heard rumors about it so I wasn’t necessarily shocked. But I hate to see a place that beautiful and knowing what comes from it to be put to use in that way.”

“At the bare minimum and on a good note,” Dale continued, “I’m glad that it’s being put to some type of use. I hope that the Coast Guard doesn’t just let it go to waste.”

Daniel B. Coleman, BSC’s 16th and final president, expressed his thanks to Britt, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, who is a graduate of the college, for keeping the project a priority in Washington and to Birmingham Mayor Randall, the City Council, and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, in whose district the campus sits, for their support.

“This outcome is truly a remarkable win for Birmingham and for Alabama.”

During his briefing, Woodfin said the purchase is a testament to partnership and perseverance.

“We all know that this investment represents not only a new mission for this historic campus, but it’s transformational as it relates to the opportunity for economic growth, as well as so many other things around workforce development in this city,” the mayor said. “We’re talking about 1,000-plus jobs. That’s a big deal.

“This means a lot to the residents of Bush Hills but also sends a signal that City of Birmingham will continue to be intentional about growth, will continue to be intentional about reimagining sites (from) what they once were (and) can be repurposed for economic vitality.”

Woodfin was asked if neighborhood residents should feel safer with their new neighbor moving in.

“They should,” he said. “But this puts us in the position to listen and continue to get feedback from our residents. The first question (and) the last question was, ‘Please don’t let this sit dormant.’ Now that we know it’s not going to be dormant, we continue to listen to our residents in that footprint in the western quarter to say, What’s next? What are your other needs and concerns? We’ll continue to do that.”

The mayor acknowledged many involved in the project, including Coleman and Birmingham District 8 City Council member Sonja Smith, a BSC alumnus.

“What happened on this campus — it not remaining dormant — was extremely important to her, not just as a counselor but personally, having been on that campus for four years,” Woodfin said. “I want to publicly apologize to her for (her) not being able to be here, but I do want to acknowledge her leadership for being a part of this as well.”