For Jessica Lambert and many of her neighbors in Paducah’s Farley neighborhood, the closure of Farley Elementary School in 2015 was more than just a difficult decision made by a few people sitting in a board room.
It was a wound that cut deep into the fabric of their community.
“I went to school at Farley Elementary, and so did my husband and his father,” Jessica recalls.
“Two of our kids went to school at Farley. It’s a generational thing for our family.”
“Many of us that are still in the community were very sad when it was closed.”
Jessica, who lives very near the site of the old school building, said that for her, the wound was reopened each time she passed.
“It was really sad to drive by every day and see it dilapidated and not used,” she says.
The feelings of sadness and dismay nagged and gnawed at Jessica until one day a metaphorical lightbulb went off.
“I just looked at the building and wondered if it could be turned back into an asset to this community,” she says.
She knew that many of her neighbors felt the same way, but she took to the internet to confirm her thoughts, posting a petition that read:
“We, the community and residents, believe that allowing a nonprofit to turn the property into a center and park for families to learn and recreate will help heal the damage caused by the closure.”
In its first month, Jessica says the petition received 500 signatures just from the Farley neighborhood. From that group, she was able to recruit a Board of Directors and begin the process of forming the nonprofit organization Farley Southside Community Development, Inc.
Once that process is complete, Jessica says work can begin on the Farley Community Center and Park. The group plans to negotiate with the McCracken County School District to purchase the property.
“The continuation of our project hinges on the support of the school board to sell us the property, so we are hopeful for that first step,” Jessica says.
Once that hurdle is behind them, the group plans to undergo fundraising and grant proposals to fund its renovation.
The renovation, Jessica says, will transform the old school building into a multi-purpose facility to meet many different community needs.
“We plan to have recreation rooms, some classroom areas, a computer lab/internet hotspot, a kitchen area to help serve as a community kitchen and food bank, and some space for other local non-profits that have missions that align with our community needs to provide their services,” she says.
“Outside, we plan to have a nice playground with a splash pad so there is a safe place for children in our neighborhood to play.”
More than the work that will be done to the facility, Jessica says she is looking forward to the work that will be done in the facility.
“Rosebower Baptist Church, one of our local community churches, recently completed a needs assessment for our community where they surveyed residents, looked at demographics and what was available for us,” Jessica says.
“That survey found that many of our residents are immigrants who need ESL classes and ways to help them intermingle with the rest of our community.”
“Much of our population lives in mobile homes so they have an issue with warming, cooling, storm sheltering.”
“The survey showed that there was need for a community kitchen and a food bank that is closer to our community.”
“Public transportation concerns were a big issue in the survey.”
“We want to use the Farley Community Center and Park to address all of those needs for our community, and many others. We believe this facility could be a place where we have programming for youth development, where we have opportunities for our immigrant neighbors, where we have food options for those in our community that are without and we can partner with other agencies to bring more opportunities to Farley.”
So far, Jessica says her dream has been met with much support in the area.
“People are very excited and our churches are very excited to help carry out some programs with us.”
Jessica says she hopes the formation of the nonprofit and the dedication of energy into the Farley Elementary building will be the first of many steps taken to help her community heal.
“We just want this to be the start of something that’s very positive for Farley Southside.”
Can You Help?
If you’d like to know more about the Farley Southside Community Development Corporation and their plans for the Farley Community Center and Park, please follow them on Facebook or visit www.farleysouthside.org.
If you’d like to connect with Jessica or another board member, email info@farleysouthside.org.
Can you help by donating to help fund renovation projects? If so, visit www.farleysouthside.org to learn how.
