The Center for Achievement is expected to become a hub of education and job training.
By JON WILSON
Published June 4, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - It's landscaped, trimmed in brick, a half-block long - and ready for business several weeks early.
Touted as a step in the revival of 22nd Street S, the Center for Achievement opened its doors Tuesday so officials and community leaders could have a first look at what they expect will become a hive of education and job training.
St. Petersburg College classes, a self-sufficiency program, a small business start-up project and child care for people attending center activities are among the enterprises set to open by next month.
The 10,000-square-foot, $1.25-million project is part of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority's Hope VI project, which aims to revitalize the greater Jordan Park community, which includes 22nd Street and the neighborhoods surrounding it.
"Turning back the hands of time to make this area a viable community," housing authority director Darrell Irions told about 60 guests.
The authority, St. Petersburg city government and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development worked together to bring about the center. Ground was broken last fall. The authority is leasing space to organizations at $7 per square foot, Irions said.
St. Petersburg College has plans to offer five dual-credit courses starting in August. The dual enrollment means means high school students can earn both high school and college credit. On the schedule are African-American literature, basic computer literacy, introductory composition, intermediate algebra and college success skills.
A Scholastic Aptitude Test prep course and an early childhood education class for teachers are also likely, said David Moore, the college's dual credit program director.
"We'd really like this to become a real campus, a mecca," Moore said.
The St. Petersburg Employment and Economic Development Corp. will establish the Southside Business Incubator to help beginning entrepreneurs with start-up help and networking advice, said Yate (pronounced YAH-tay) Cutliff, SEEDCO board director.
Partners in Self-Sufficiency, a Clearwater-based organization that works to get people off welfare, will offer classes in such areas as budgeting, computers, home ownership and life skills. The classes are open to any resident of Jordan Park, Jordan Court, James Park or Clearview Park. They also are open to anyone affected by the Jordan Park renovations.
The YWCA of Tampa Bay will provide a drop-in center where people who are taking classes can leave their children ages 2 through 5. Bonnie Touchton, the YWCA's director of child care, emphasized the program is not a babysitting service but a child-care amenity that will be staffed by professional teachers.
The center's conference room has been dedicated to the Rev. Mayjor Mason Walker, the late pastor who served churches in St. Petersburg and Tampa. Walker had served as a housing authority board member since 1996 and was a civil rights leader and community activist.
Walker died last month at age 53.
"Today he must be smiling down from heaven. This represents a portion of my husband's life and a part of what he believed in," said Delceda Walker.
