Vestavia Hills school board votes to sell former Central elementary school

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education this morning voted to sell the vacant Vestavia Hills Elementary Central school on U.S. 31 for $1.25 million.

The buyer for the 8.15-acre property is a company called Wellspring Holdings, which has an affiliate nonprofit called Hub in the Hills that plans to turn the Central campus into a hub for educational nonprofits that will support needs in the community.

Hub in the Hills is the brainchild of Ammie Akin, a longtime educator, and her husband, Will Akin, a commercial real estate veteran — both of whom also have experience with numerous nonprofits and charities.

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education is holding onto the 12.15 acres next to Vestavia Hills Elementary Central that contain a track and soccer field because the school system and the city of Vestavia Hills still use those, Superintendent Todd Freeman said.

Vestavia Hills Elementary Central has been mostly vacant since 2019 after 30 years of use as a school for students in grades 4-5 in the Vestavia Hills Elementary East and Vestavia Hills Elementary West school zones, Freeman said. The property was acquired from Vestavia Alliance Church in 1987.

When the school system acquired Gresham Elementary School from Jefferson County and renamed it Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, all of Vestavia’s elementary schools became K-5 schools, and the Central campus was vacated. It has been used for some meetings, and the Vestavia Hills Parks and Recreation Department has used the gym, but the rest of school has gone unused, Freeman said.

School officials have been looking for a buyer for the property for some time and began conversations with Wellspring Holdings within the past year, he said. “It was a good deal for us.”

Freeman said he believes the buyer’s plans for the property will be good for the community as well.

Ammie Akin has 20 years of experience in education, including 16 years in school leadership roles. Her background spans from elementary to high school and college, and she has served as an administrator and assistant superintendent and most recently served as interim superintendent for Briarwood Christian School while the school looked for a permanent replacement for Stephen Steiner.

Akin completed her undergraduate training in the College of Education at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and continued her education by earning a master’s degree, educational specialist degree and a doctorate in educational leadership at Samford University.

In 2020, she joined the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies at the University of Alabama in 2020 as a clinical assistant professor of educational leadership.

She has been a member of the Leadership for Character Team, which is part of the Center for the Study of Ethical Development at the University of Alabama. She also assists with the Superintendents’ Academy through the University of Alabama and has been a leadership facilitator and developed programs for aspiring and current principals and superintendents.

But Akin’s passion for education extends beyond her professional endeavors. She has actively contributed to the launch of nonprofit organizations, including her service as the board chairwoman for Unless U, a nonprofit that supports adults with developmental disabilities.

She also is a member of the board of advisors for The University of Alabama Adapted Athletics, an organization that sponsors competitive college sports in men's and women's wheelchair basketball and tennis.

Akin’s experiences have given her a keen understanding of the distinctive needs of children and families, according to a statement from Hub in the Hills.

“Dr. Akin’s awareness of these unique needs fuels her commitment to creating meaningful and impactful initiatives that cater to the well-being and development of children and families,” the statement said.

Akin described the Central elementary campus as an iconic landmark.

“We feel privileged to have the opportunity to revitalize this space, ensuring that generations to come will continue to benefit from the rich legacy that Central Elementary represents,” she said.

Will Akin, an active real estate developer and investor who himself attended the Central elementary school, has had a focus on redeveloping distressed properties in Alabama and surrounding states.

He also is a past chairman of the board for Sav-A-Life Vestavia and has partnered with numerous local charities.

Ammie Akin said they have not yet identified nonprofits to be a part of the Hub in the Hills. “We’re not there yet,” she said. “We’re in a very early stage.”

Over the next several months, she and her husband will be working with architects, engineers and contractors to further inspect the property and develop renderings of how they want to redesign the space.

The purchase of the building is a personal investment for them, but not an investment like many people think about, she said. “It’s an investment in the lives of people — our most important asset,” she said.

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education in September voted to lease a two-story, 7,398-square-foot office building in front of the Central school to Impact Family Counseling for two years beginning Jan. 1. Wellspring Holdings will take over and honor that lease, Freeman said.

Wellspring Holdings also will have first rights to buy the track and soccer field property next to the school if the school board decides to sell it, according to the contract approved this morning.

The Akins expressed their gratitude for the team that represented Vestavia Hills City Schools, including the school board, Freeman, school board attorney Patrick Boone and Blake Crowe, the broker that represented the school system.

Anyone interested in more information about plans for Hub in the Hills can contact Ammie Akin at launchhub@hubinthehills.org.

Editor's note: This story was updated significantly with more information from the Hub in the Hills nonprofit at 7:10 p.m.