KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A community center in East Knoxville is facing unexpected expenses after drainage and sewer pipes burst throughout the property. The Bottom on East Magnolia Ave. is undergoing a major renovation.
On Tuesday, the nonprofit’s employees reported that all the plumbing was backed up and overflowing. Once the plumbers arrived, they soon realized this wasn’t going to be an easy fix.
“If you see us out on the streets, come give us a hug because this has been stressful,” said Annastasia Williams, The Bottom's bookstore director.
The Bottom community center is named after one of Knoxville’s historic Black neighborhoods. It includes a bookstore with Black-affirming books and books by Black authors.
“We work really hard to be a pillar in the community,” said Kalil White, The Bottom's executive director. “This building has been here for almost 100 years, close to it. It’s been here for a while. A lot of this is just infrastructure that needs to be fixed.”
Turmoil quickly turned into a hefty $15,000 bill from the plumbing company. The Bottom said a partial inside drain repipe and a full sewer repipe are necessary.
“As a non-profit organization, you can imagine that is an astronomical amount that we weren’t expecting to come out of our operations budget this year,” Williams said.
They had to hit the pause button on several programs. The Bottom hosts adult literacy and art programs, but their summer revolves around youth programs. Their "Sew It Sell It" program, which teaches children about entrepreneurship and sewing, and their "Black Outside Youth" programs moved to the Change Center for now.
“We do youth programming throughout the year, so we want to make sure we have this space to provide that for our community. There’s not a lot of black institutes in Knoxville and sustainability of those spaces is so important,” White said.
The Bottom’s goal is to reopen next week and continue providing a cultural hub for black people.
Anyone who wants to donate to the nonprofit can donate through the center's website. They are also available through PayPal, Cash App and Venmo with the tag "thebottomknox."
