Ypsilanti preps for Parkridge Community Center renovations

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

All has been quiet on the Parkridge Community Center front in Ypsilanti for the past few months, but that doesn't mean the institution has been given up for dead. Far from it, now that both public and private groups are making moves to improve the 65-year-old building.

The city is taking bids on replacing the center's roof and renovating its bathrooms to make them compliant with the American Disabilities Act. Local businessman John Barfield is getting closer to sealing a deal later this spring that could lead to major investment in the facility.

"We're getting close," Barfield says.

Barfield is a life-long Ypsilanti resident and chairman emeritus of the Bartech Group. The 81-year-old grew up with the Parkridge Community Center and held his wedding reception there. It has served as the epicenter of African-American life on Ypsilanti's south side for generations.

The Parkridge Community Center has fallen in disrepair in recent years and was even threatened with closure before Barfield stepped in with a plan to save it. He wants to renovate the current facility and add another 20,000 square feet of space that would be used both by the community and as satellite offices for local universities.

Under the current plan Washtenaw Community College would use 10,000 square feet to offer classes while the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University would utilize the other 10,000 square feet.

Barfield is still working with those universities, the city and the county to make the plan happen.

Source: John Barfield, founder and chairman emeritus of the Bartech Group and April McGrath, assistant city manager for Ypsilanti
Writer: Jon Zemke