Allison Flynn • allison@rutherfordweekly.com
Thursday, November 3, 2016 10:50 am

The Grahamtown Community Center is officially open for business.

Located at 129 First St. in Forest City, the new community center location will be a place for the GTeam but will also provide a location for seminars, classes, youth activities and small business office space.

"The Grahamtown Team (GTeam) has been around for about 10 years," said Kisha McDowell, board secretary. "Some of the projects the team has undertaken is lighting and weatherization of homes, putting in sidewalks, community beautification and neighborhood cleanups."

As the board began to make plans going forward, members decided to take a focus on health living and active lifestyles. Those who lease office space in the building will be those businesses who also offer similar programs.

Healthy living youth education has already begun with students from local schools coming to the Grahamtown Community Garden to learn about where their food grows.

"During the summer and breaks from school we'd like to offer classes for the community on preparing foods in a healthy way," McDowell said.

A food pantry for the community will also be housed at the community center.

A computer lab with space for 12 computers is in the works, and there will be a board for presentations and teaching, McDowell continued.

"We will have different things we will offer, and it is all geared toward the community," she said.

McDowell said she envisions the center as being similar to one in the community where she grew up.

"It provided a gym and structured programs during the day," she explained. "That's our hope for summer - that there will be reading, crafts, gardening and then healthy meals. When there was no place else for kids to go, there was the community center."

Cooking classes at the Grahamtown Community Center are set to begin in January. Other planned classes include debt management and criminal record expungement.

For more information on activities offered at the Grahamtown Community Center or how you can be involved, call 828-229-3380.