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Concord opens new neighborhood community center
CONCORD, Nov 28, 2009 (Independent Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Concord city officials recently opened a $395,850 technology center on Salem Street to give City of Concord Housing Department residents access to computers and the Internet.
The goal is to give residents the access to technology that could help them improvement their ability to succeed at work or to advance to a new, better job, according to Angela Graham, director of housing for the city.
The new Neighborhood Network Technology Building, located at 265 Salem St. Logan Community near the Cabarrus County Health Alliance in the Logan Community was dedicated recently in a presentation that involved city officials and housing department residents.
The Housing Department had been using a 50-year-old building on Lincoln Street to offer classes and other programs to residents. But that building had no computer lab and was not large enough for all of the programs the department offers.
The new 3,000-square-foot building houses a computer lab with eight computers, printers and Internet access. The building also has conference room, multi-purpose room that can be separated into two separate rooms with sound proof barriers, four small offices, and a small kitchen, Graham said.
The new building was funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Residents Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency Neighborhood Network grant along with additional federal funding. Lorenz Architecture designed the building and Ike's Construction built the facility.
"Every child and adult must become familiar with computer based technology to succeed," Mayor Scott Padgett said during the recent dedication of the building.
The Concord Housing Department also plans to move a program that teaches its clients about home ownership, repairing their credit and preparing for jobs to the new facility.
The new facility also will work to improve the literacy of housing department residents, according to city officials.
In addition to computer training, the following services will be available:
--Employment related services and workshops including resume assistance and interview coaching
--Internet Safety workshops for children
--Open lab time for computer and Internet use
--Financial management workshops
--Entrepreneurial workshops on "How to Start a Small Business" in conjunction with the Small Business Administration
--Tax preparation assistance
--Voter registration
--A home buyer's club that will provide information about purchasing a home
--Health education
--Physical fitness information
Contact reporter Karen Cimino Wilson: 704-789-9141.
To see more of the Independent Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.independenttribune.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Independent Tribune,
Concord, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For
reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or
847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group
Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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