Governor McKee, Newport and Middletown Kick Off Community Learning Center Construction
NEWPORT, RI — At the Florence Gray Center today, Governor McKee, local elected officials, and community partners kicked off a $7.5 million renovation effort to create a Newport and Middletown Community Learning Center. The 15,700-square-foot renovation will include an expanded welcome area and meeting space, as well as a computer lab and individual conference rooms. When completed, the center will offer not only Learn365RI out-of-school programming for area young people, but also adult education, job development, and workforce training. It will also offer health education and health monitoring programs for Newport and Middletown residents.
A McKee Administration signature initiative, 21 community learning centers around the state are being funded through $82 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus Capital Projects Funds.
“The Community Learning Center for Newport and Middletown is strategically positioned to help the Aquidneck Island community grow their skills, improve their health, and will help raise incomes across the board. In particular, the center is positioned to expand on our already successful Learn365RI initiative, which is creating out-of-school learning opportunities and improving academic performance for our young people,” said Governor Dan McKee. “I am so pleased to see a roomful of eager partners joining us in this important work.”
The Community Learning Center team plans to expand programming with its tenant agencies, such as Boys & Girls Club of Newport County, East Bay Community Action Program, Turning Around Ministries, FabNewport, Newport Health Equity Zone, and Women’s Resource Center.
The Center is also building new partnerships with community agencies such as Newport Mental Health, Community College of Rhode Island, and Salve Regina University. New programs in the areas of health monitoring, workforce development, and education are being developed with feedback from Newport and Middletown residents.
“Once construction is finished, the center will be implementing programs like trade school fairs, educational sessions on energy and the blue economy, as well as hosting visiting nurses who will help monitor residents and educate on specific health issues that impact our communities,” said Erin Hallene, program director for the center.
“The addition of the Community Learning Center for the Newport and Middletown communities will be a great benefit to all residents in need of this type of program,” said Newport Mayor Charlie Holder. “Education for our students and families must be an around-the-clock effort. Whether the needs are scholastic, about health information, or workforce training, the center will offer tremendous opportunities to those who wish to better themselves, and I look forward to seeing this project grow.”
“We’re extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with the City of Newport on this important project,” said Middletown Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown. “There are so many outstanding aspects of this project, which will make a real difference in the lives of so many in Middletown — and across Aquidneck Island.”
“The Housing Authority is deeply grateful to Governor McKee, the City of Newport, and the Town of Middletown for the incredible capital investment of $7.5M to transform the Florence Gray Community Learning Center into a 21st-century, fully modernized Community Learning Center,” said Rhonda Mitchell, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Newport. “What’s truly at the heart of this grant is its focus on improving education, employment, and health outcomes for Rhode Islanders. With our many wonderful program partners, including the Boys & Girls Club of Newport County and others, the Community Learning Center will provide access to resources that will result in community stability and economic opportunity for the residents of the Housing Authority and residents throughout all of Newport and Middletown for years to come.”
“The Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County has been the anchor tenant in the Florence Gray Center from its inception,” said CEO Kelley Coen. “It is natural that we would be partnered for the next chapter. The Governor’s priorities for the community learning center are closely tied to our mission, and the improved space will help us build capacity and programming.”
