A welcome to Magee was the theme of a reception held at the Magee Community Center Friday.
The reception was hosted by the city and CGS, Inc., to welcome Five County Child Development to their new center of operations at the former Magee Elementary campus.
CGS, Inc., is a not for profit corporation formed by Calvary Church of Magee. The leadership of Calvary has worked for years to make a positive impact in the community, said its pastor, Rev. Darnel Moffitt.
The old elementary facility is located in the heart of the community, and it was important to the community members that the facility be maintained and benefit the area after it was abandoned as a public school last year.
Magee City Alderman Patrick Brown spearheaded the city’s effort to land the campus as a city property so that the area Headstart, which is operated by Five County, could relocate their facility from Jeff Davis County to Simpson County.
The relocation of the facility to Magee stands to benefit the community in a number of different ways.
First the old campus facility will be occupied and its maintenance will not be a drain either to the school district or the City of Magee.
Secondly, it will provide job opportunities for those who are working with Five County Child Development.
It will positively impact the future of the children who participate in the program.
Dr. Jonathan Bines, director of Five County, said that renovations for the Magee facility will be in the $3 to $6 million range but are being broken down into smaller projects. Bines, who is originally from Simpson County and a graduate of Mendenhall High School, said they are hopeful that the facility will be operational by January 2019. He did add, however, that they are working through federal programs and “sometimes that takes longer than you would like.”
When operational the facility should meet the needs of 200 children from Simpson County.
