“When you look at the history of West Grand, the school has always been a hub, and you look at the school’s history, it’s always been a hub of information and gathering and celebrating and learning together.”
Executive Director of the West Grand Neighborhood Organization Annette Vandenberg says Grand Rapids westside residents near Stocking School want to see it transformed into a community hub. The city’s school district is selling the now-vacant elementary school.
“I think the community wants a decision soon about what’s going to happen with the schools that are vacant, and it’s really important not to let them sit vacant because they become magnets for bad activity.”
West Grand would see Stocking integrate housing, health and wellness supports, workforce pathways, food systems, and collaborative nonprofit space, creating a long-term community asset.
“More than 50% of the population that’s in those census tracks live in poverty, and so the best way to help with poverty is to teach people how to grow their own food, how to be more self-reliant, how to stretch those dollars and budget them.”
Vandenberg hopes residents will attend the next GRPS board meeting at the district’s headquarters on Martin Luther King Jr. Street this Monday at 5 p.m., where board members may ask questions and vote on the group’s plan.
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