LEIGHTON– The Leighton-Colbert Cooperative Improvement District Board of Directors will
attend the Leighton Town Council meeting to announce plans for Leighton Training School renovations
and its location as the proposed site for the new Leighton Senior Center. The meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 6:00 pm at Leighton City Hall.
Leighton Training School served generations of students, including prominent alumni entertainers Percy
Sledge and Jimmy Hughes. Built in 1929 with funds raised, and on land purchased, primarily by the
local African American community, Leighton Training School was placed on the Alabama Register of
Historical Landmarks in 1977. While the original school closed in 1970, it was later reopened as
Leighton Middle School, which then closed at the end of the 1993-94 school year. Leighton Training
School Students hold bi-annual reunions to celebrate its heritage and legacy.
A joint venture between the Colbert County Commission and the Town of Leighton resulted in the
formation of the Leighton-Colbert Cooperative Improvement District (“LCCID”), the purpose of which
is to make capital improvements. The first project undertaken by its Board of Directors is to assist with
revitalization of the community with the renovation of the Leighton Training School building, which has
been badly vandalized but is structurally sound. Proposed usages include not only the senior center, but
also a museum for the school’s memorabilia, areas for workforce training, a community hall, a possible
clinic, nutrition classes, and more.
Renita Jimmar Hall, president of the LLCID, said “The possibilities are endless, and we hope to partner
with others who can see the vision to transform Leighton Training School into a site that can help the
town and county improve economic development, and to help future generations.”
Leighton Mayor Derick Silcox, Vice President of LCCID, said that he looks forward to the school again
being a place where citizens can come to learn. Colbert County Commissioner Tori Bailey said it has
long been her dream to see Leighton Training School as a resource that will serve residents of the
Leighton Community and those from other nearby towns.
Media Release/LEIGHTON-COLBERT COOPERATIVE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
