Ypsilanti’s Parkridge Center project takes new turn

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

Plans to redevelop the Parkridge Community Center in Ypsilanti are taking another turn. Gone are ideas of renovating and expanding the facility on the city's south side by partnering with local universities. Coming are plans to raze and rebuild the building with the help of the Boys & Girls Club in Ypsilanti.

Spearheading the effort is John Barfield, chairman emeritus of the Bartech Group who grew up utilizing the Parkridge Community Center. The facility has served as the epicenter of African-American life on Ypsilanti's south side for generations.

"We would like to merge the Boys & Girls Club with Parkridge and to have Parkridge become the headquarters for the Boys & Girls Club of Michigan," Barfield says. "It makes a lot of sense for us because we're both providing the same services for the same kids in the area."

He wants to tear down the existing building and rebuild a 31,000-square-foot structure in its place. The new $6 million Parkridge Community Center would also serve as the home of the Boys & Girls Club in Ypsilanti.

"Parkridge has a magnificent park and a building that is better than theirs," Barfield says.

The plans are still tentative, but provide a fresh breath of life for the 66-year-old facility. The aging building has fallen into disrepair as the city fights to manage its finances. Barfield hopes to start fundraising for the project within the next 3-4 months.

Barfield originally planned to redevelop the building into both a space for the community as well as a satellite office for local universities. Those plans didn’t materialize, allowing for the Boys & Girls Club of Ypsilanti to fill the void.

Source: John Barfield, founder and chairman emeritus of the Bartech Group
Writer: Jon Zemke