Springfield aldermen have approved the purchase of property to serve as the home for the city’s planned Teen Empowerment Zone.
The center is intended to reduce youth gun violence by giving teens an outlet for more positive activities, including job training, financial literacy, music, arts, and more. The city is purchasing two parcels that had been owned by United Cerebral Palsy at a total cost of $400,000, of which $300,000 is covered by a state grant. That purchase price doesn’t include the cost of expected renovations and improvements to the buildings on East Jefferson and North 16th Streets.
Some aldermen questioned the cost of the acquisition and renovations, but only Ward 7’s Joe McMenamin ultimately voted against it.
