Salvation Army building rises at W. 44th and Clark
by Chuck Hoven
The Salvation Army is replacing the community center and church that once stood at W. 44th and Clark with a newer, larger building. The $2.6 million dollar church/community center will face W. 44th Street and the building will have a South American or Mexican design. Salvation Army money will fund the entire project; no city or county funds are involved, says William V. Bowen, Jr., Director of Professional and Community Services of the Greater Cleveland Salvation Army. "We know that it is going to be a good investment, " he says.
Bowen says the Ohio City Corps of the Salvation Army, once housed at Clark and W. 44th, now resides in rather cramped quarters at Lorain and W. 32nd and will remain there until the new building is completed.
The new Salvation Army Church/Community Center will have a multi-purpose room that will seat 120 people and also serve as a gym. The new site includes the area taken up by the old Salvation Army building, formerly a funeral home, plus the lots of two houses on W. 44th that were bought and demolished. The Salvation Army hopes to eventually buy Henry' Bar, just west of the site on Clark Avenue to allow for additional parking or green space. In the interim Medic Drug has agreed to designate ten parking spaces for Salvation Army use. Bowen expects the completed building to be ready for a grand opening by January of 2000.
Programs in the new Salvation Army Center will be target people in the immediate neighborhood. There are 82,000 people living within a two mile radius of the center, says Bowen. According to Bowen, of the 82,000, 14,000 are Hispanics, 25,000 people are unchurched and there are 2,800 female headed households. Bowen says the Salvation Army hopes to work with existing organizations and churches to expand the spiritual outreach to the neighborhood through its church. Staffing the church will be Lieutenant and Mrs. Ricardo Fernandez.
The Salvation Army will also establish a Learning Center at the W. 44th and Clark Community Center. Bowen says he hopes the Learning Center can attract families with the educational needs of children, parents and grandparents. He envisions an after school learning center with remedial and tutoring programs with an element of recreation.
The new Salvation Army Center will also offer a Comprehensive Family Support Program. Bowen sees the staff at the center helping families with everything from getting the water turned back on, to home repairs, to services to help seniors stay in their homes such as grass cutting and snow shoveling. The center also hopes to offer respite care for single parents taking care of children and grandparents. "Whatever we can do to keep families together and relieve stresses," says Bowen. The center will also have a Food Pantry to help people who run short on food at the end of the month.
Bowen says he would also like to see the a Creativity Center develop at the site with both a drama and music program.
Besides Lieutenant and Mrs. Fernandez, Bowen sees the center having a Licensed Social Worker, a Learning Center Director, a receptionist and some program people. Bowen says a Social Service Worker at the Food Pantry will help with referrals to other services.
At the March meeting of the W. 44th and Clark Neighborhood Club, Councilman Nelson Cintron, Jr. welcomed the Salvation Army Center to the neighborhood. Bowen asked residents attending the meeting, what services the center should emphasize. One person asked if the center could have a recreation room where a handicapped person could stay for an hour or two while their care taker went shopping or to a meeting.
Rick Nagin, council aide to Nelson Cintron, Jr. urged the center to develop a close relationship with Mrs. Lora Garrett, Principal at Thomas Jefferson. Nagin says, "The real problem is what kids do after school." Bowen says that while most current Salvation Army programs are geared at 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, the center will see what it can do to work with the Middle School population at Thomas Jefferson.
Another resident asked if the community center could be available to help with curfew sweeps late at night. Bowen said that a representative of the Second District is on the Salvation Army's advisory council and he would bring up the matter with the representative.
Residents with ideas on how what services they would like to see at the new Salvation Army Center can call Bowen at 623-7484.