First lease signed for Yancey School Community Center

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved the first lease agreement for space at the new Yancey School Community Center earlier this week.

The Yancey School Community Center is envisioned to serve as a community hub for Southern Albemarle, through a combination of Parks & Recreation programs, long-term lease tenants, and short-term rentals for special events and activities. The first long-term lease is for the Education Transformation Centre, which will join a series of short-term uses that have been utilizing space since early 2018, including:

• JABA Senior Center special events
• Community food pantry
• Parks & Recreation Open Gym program

Further, beginning September 19, the Jefferson Madison Regional Library Bookmobile will now stop at the Yancey School Community Center on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month from 12:30pm to 1:15pm. The Board of Supervisors expects to consider additional lease agreements with partner agencies in the coming months. Parks & Recreation will also expand fitness and wellness program offerings later this fall.

Supervisor Liz Palmer shares, “It is so positive to see the interest and excitement around the Yancey School Community Center. The County is glad to welcome organizations such as the ETC and the JMRL Bookmobile to the center, and will continue to encourage and foster positive collaborations, activities, and services in the area.”

The Yancey School Community Center can be reserved for special events through the County’s Parks and Recreation website.

The vision for the Yancey School Community Center was created by the BF Yancey Transition Advisory Committee, which was charged with recommending a strategy for long-term use of the building to the Board of Supervisors following the closure of the Yancey Elementary School in 2017. For more information on the committee, visit www.albemarle.org/yancey.

About the Education Transformation Centre (ETC)

The Education Transformation Centre (ETC) plans to provide an alternate education course and services for high school students from the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the surrounding localities.  ETC is a 501(c)(3) organization and alternate education course designed to prevent encounters with the justice system and reduce frequent instances of detention and suspension.

Says Dr. Dolores Carr, founder and president, “the Education Transformation Centre is excited to bring our unique brand of short-term high-impact intervention to the Yancey School Community Center. We are looking forward to partnering with the wider public and the other potential occupants of the Community Center in supporting this community.”