When Ypsilanti Township resident TC Collins first heard about the sale of the former Cheney Elementary School at 1500 Stamford Rd. to make way for the future Eastern Washtenaw Community and Recreation Center, he was excited to see his long-vacant alma mater being put to good use.

"I'm very happy that we will have a community and recreation center on our side of town," says Collins, who lives in the adjacent Willow Run neighborhood. "It's long overdue and I welcome it."

Collins – a former student of Cheney Elementary's namesake, teacher Johney Cheney – fondly identifies as "once a Flyer, always a Flyer." He believes Willow Run is chronically underserved and often forgotten, with many pieces of the community's history being lost to time. He says that Johney Cheney, the first Black teacher in the former Willow Run School District, "would be very proud" that the school she taught at for 35 years was ultimately replaced by a community center.

Washtenaw County finalized its purchase of the 26-acre site in early September, with demolition of the school beginning on Oct. 21. Built in 1970, Cheney Elementary has been largely vacant since its closure in 2012. Designs for the forthcoming $30 million community and recreation center have not yet been finalized, but will more than likely include a "60,000-square-foot building" with meeting rooms, a youth center, and a pool. A variety of  youth-centered programming is being discussed as well.
Doug CoombeTC Collins.
"We wanted to be thoughtful about the community voices we heard that wanted a community center on this side of the county," says District 5 Commissioner Justin Hodge. "This has been a strategic investment on our part, since this part of the county hasn't had the same level of investment."

Officials from Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) have been deeply involved in county conversations regarding how to best utilize the building and the parcel of land it sits on. The school closed following the consolidation of Willow Run and Ypsilanti schools, when the then-new YCS district inherited over $18 million in legacy debt. YCS Treasurer Jeanice Townsend says that when the debt was forgiven, after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's signed School Aid Fund supplemental funding into law last year, the district could focus more on how to put the defunct school building to its best use. 

"As a school district, we needed to think about how to best utilize this space to properly serve our students and our families," Townsend says. "'Stronger together' means we are listening to the people we serve, and we want to make sure we maintain a strong commitment to the community and put positive things into it."

Hodge says the community center initiative "has had starts and stops," but current officials at the county and YCS have been crucial in finally getting it off the ground. 
Doug CoombeWashtenaw County District 5 Commissioner Justin Hodge.
"What's different about this time is we have the right set of officials in place to make this project happen," Hodge says. "The groups of people involved at this time work well together, and want to work well together for the betterment of the community."

"This has been something that has been discussed for about 20 years, with little steps along the way with previous leadership, which has gotten us to this point," Townsend says. "With our current leadership, we were able to take it to another level to get to this goal, with past and current leaders all agreeing this was something that needed to occur."

Many area residents hope to see the future community center continue to explicitly honor Johney Cheney's legacy. Collins remembers Cheney's work in the classroom fondly. He says her teachings about her life in her home state of Georgia and her dedication to her pupils were formative for him as a student. He also credits her lessons on the Underground Railroad as one of the catalysts for the Underground Railroad Garden program he leads through his nonprofit farm, Willow Run Acres. 

"Johney Cheney was a good woman who always made sure we had a book in our hands, and always spoke out for her Black students," Collins says. "All of the teachers did, and all of my teachers were special, but she had such a strong voice and I loved the way she taught."
Doug CoombeThe former Cheney Elementary School.
Collins says he'll "welcome [the community center] even more" if the community can "get Johney Cheney's name on that building."

"When you look at the landscape of the county, we have a lot of buildings named after white members of our community," Collins says. "It hurts to see a building torn down because of the memories associated with it, but once a name is taken down and named something else, it doesn't feel the same."

Townsend echoes Collins' sentiments, hoping that the county considers upholding Cheney's legacy by naming the new community center after her.

"Even though it has an Ypsi address, Willow Run has its own unique style and presence in history," Townsend says. "It's very important that we still cultivate the history from Willow Run because that's a part of the history of Ypsilanti's community as a whole."
Doug CoombeGroundbreaking at the future Eastern Washtenaw Community and Recreation Center.
Hodge says there will be numerous engagement sessions with community members on the community center, but the county's current focus is on completing construction before making decisions on the center's name. He says he wants the community to have continuous input on the center to ensure it is a worthwhile resource for all residents.

"We want to make sure we're respecting and honoring Johney Cheney's history," Hodge says. "We haven't quite decided how to do that yet, but we want to make sure the community is able to weigh in on that decision as well."

Hodge believes that demolition of the building should "optimistically" be complete by Thanksgiving. You can stay up to date with the progression on the Eastern Washtenaw Community and Recreation Center through the county's website and Facebook page. 

"I see every day as the program coordinator for Parkridge Community Center how a community center makes an impact on people's lives just by being here and being able to provide resources," Townsend says. "If everything is done the way it was planned to be done, this is a major win for this community. The kids and families on this side of town really need a win."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photos by Doug Coombe.