Reviewed by: Michael Seale
Carrie Matthews Recreation Center in Decatur gets new life with $1.87 million bid approval
Reading time: 3 minutes
The Decatur City Council approved a $1.87 million bid on Monday, May 4, by Building Construction Associates (BCA) to restore Carrie Matthews Recreation Center, which has been shuttered since 2019.
In November 2025, the council approved spending up to $2.5 million to restore and renovate the center after an assessment over the summer concluded the building was structurally sound.
Two other companies bid to complete the work, with BCA coming in well under budget. With the bid approved, work is expected to begin this month, and the center could reopen as early as this fall.
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Quick reference
About Carrie Matthews Recreation Center
The center has been a staple in Northwest Decatur since it opened in 1969, two years after the passing of its namesake, local civic leader Carrie Matthews, at age 33. City leaders closed the center in 2019 primarily due to the safety hazard created by its sinking gymnasium floor, along with other issues that appeared to be structural.
The center offered programming for all ages through Decatur Parks & Recreation for many years before being transferred to Decatur Youth Services in 2016. It has also served as a general-purpose community center, hosting meetings, family events, dances and many important life milestones.
About Carrie Matthews Park
Although the center closed, the surrounding 6-acre Carrie Matthews Park has remained open and includes:
💦 six-lane pool
🎾 tennis courts
🎈 pavilion
🛝 playground
🏀 basketball goals
Who was Carrie Matthews?
According to her obituary, Carrie Matthews was only 33 when she died on April 9, 1967, after a long illness. Matthews graduated from Decatur Negro High School on Church Street in Decatur (more recently Horizon School) and was within months of earning a degree from Alabama A&M before her passing.
Matthews helped found and directed Sterrs Day Care Centers in Decatur, and was active in many community programs, including Girl Scouts, the Alabama Association for Children Under Six, the League of Women Voters, LaBelle Femmes Social Club and community parks. She was a lay leader in her church, Jones Chapel, as a Sunday School teacher and youth counselor.
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