Plans were being made for the future of the former Burton Elementary School following the finalization of its sale.
According to Gary N. Horton, director of the Urban Erie Community Development Corporation, he hopes to attract anchor tenants who want to invest in a neighborhood where almost 50% of the residents are children and almost 30% are single-parent households headed by women.
Sale finalized on former Burton Elementary School
His vision included a new health and wellness center on the west end of the building that would serve children and women, six after-school programs that he currently runs at other locations, a financial literacy training center, a Wabtec presence with STEM programming and more.
“We think that vision will counter what we know has taken place in this neighborhood. The violence and the trauma,” said Horton. “We don’t want that to be the narrative in our neighborhood, so we’re looking to create smart investment to counter that.”
The Erie School Board approved the sale for a reported price of $110,000.