Space was a prized commodity at the
West Midland Family Center, and with none to spare. But thanks to a $3.5 million investment from community partners and foundations, WMFC has been able to fund some much appreciated renovations and a nearly 12,000 sq. ft. expansion.
The improvements are many. There are the recreational additions, like the installation of two bowling lanes, and there are the functional additions, like more classrooms and increased storage space. Each was made with the families in mind.
"The building expansion goes one more step toward meeting community needs," says Susan Love, New Initiatives Director for West Midland Family Center. "This is to make sure that everybody is going to have a good place to land."
WMFC has added new pre-school classrooms, allowing them to move the children from "the cottage," a structure located adjacent to the main building. They've added a multi-purpose room, a conference room, and new offices. Modern security measures have been put into place. A new well and septic and drainage systems have been installed. WMFC built a bus maintenance facility, too, allowing repairs to be made in-house, saving the organization money.
A new road sign was installed over the summer. With its electronic read-out advertising the WMFC swimming pool, Love suspects the new sign accounted for last year's increase in swimmers.
An open house is being held this Thursday, Feb. 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., to celebrate the completion of the project and to show off the improvements. Construction began in the late summer months of 2017.
"We want to give people the opportunity to walk through and take a look at the new spaces. Teachers will be in the classrooms to answer questions, and there will be a 'thank you' program," says Love. "This has provided us a better space that's more modern. It provides consistency between programs."
"The after-school program never really had its own place to call home. Now it does."
West Midland Family Center is located at 4011 W. Isabella Rd. in Shepherd.
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