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May 2024 | Volume 12 | Issue 1
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VESTAVIA CITY CENTER
Hub in the Hills Vision for transforming Central Elementary coming into focus By LOYD McINTOSH
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See HUB IN THE HILLS | page 27 Ammie and Will Akin stand in the former library and media center at the new Hub in the Hills at the former Vestavia Hills Elementary School Central building. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Sponsors.............................4 News.....................................6
Business..............................8 Community.........................11
The Next Round remains committed to home By KYLE PARMLEY
he former Vestavia Hills Elementary School Central building could begin a major transformation as soon as this summer, the purchasers of the school say. Ammie Akin, an educator with more than 20 years of experience, and her husband, Will, a principal of Capital Growth Real Estate, this past fall agreed through a company called Wellspring Holdings to purchase the property from the Vestavia Hills Board of Education for $1.25 million. Ammie Akin said she hopes to give the school, to be called Hub in the Hills, a second act after serving the children and families of Vestavia Hills for 30 years. While her ultimate vision for the property is still coming into focus, Akin said she wants Hub in the Hills to be a vibrant resource for learning, connecting and service for the entire community. “It’s going to be a place where connections happen and people gather together, help each other and support each other because of the things that are in the building,” Akin said. “There are going to be wonderful things in the building, and I don’t know what they are yet, but they’re going to be wonderful.”
INSIDE
From left: Vestavia Hills natives Reade Taylor, Scott Forester, Sean “Rockstar” Heninger and Taylor Korn at The Next Round. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Show merchandise from The Next Round has been spotted in parts of the world thousands of miles away, even in parts of Europe. There may not be many regular listeners of The Next Round across the pond, but it does serve as an example of the digital show’s constantly increasing presence. The Next Round is based in Birmingham and is live from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, led by the trio of Jim Dunaway, Lance Taylor and Ryan Brown. The three of them, along with producer Sean “Rockstar” Heninger, have been together for well over a decade, joining forces on the radio side in early 2011. They primarily talk sports, but they mix in a little bit of everything along the way out of their studio in the Blue Lake Center. They branched out in 2021 and took a leap of faith to start their own venture, what is now Disrupt Media. It’s been a steady climb ever since. Things have evolved, grown and changed plenty in just a couple years’ time. But one thing has remained pretty constant, even as the show’s reach has increased, and that’s a commitment to the Birmingham area. Out of the 12 people currently on staff, 11 of them hail from the area. “That’s why we’re such a good, tight-knit family,” Dunaway said. “We can reference little things like James Spann in his suspenders on a stormy day, and everyone knows what we’re talking about.”
See THE NEXT ROUND | page 26
Schoolhouse......................14 Events.................................16
Sports.................................18 Opinion..............................24 facebook.com/vestaviavoice
The Art of Place
‘Crunch Monster’
Artist Claire Cormany captures beauty in the world around her.
Vestavia Hills resident Lou Scripa has been inducted into the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame.
See page 12
See page 18
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