HART - It was a proud day for Oceana County Friday as dozens of community members and stakeholders celebrated the grand opening of the Oceana County Education Center (OCEC), located at 710 S. State St. in Hart, the former Gale’s IGA grocery store.
The 24,650-square-foot facility sits on a 2-acre lot and is home to six unique community-centered satellite locations: Lakeshore Food Club, Michigan Dyslexia Institute, Michigan Works! West Central (MWWC), Mid-Michigan Community Action Agency, Stella’s Coffee House and West Shore Community College (WSCC). MWWC and WSCC are already utilizing space at the center, with the remaining tenants set to be operating there full-time very soon.
In addition to the specific space for each of its tenants, college classrooms, a computer lab and an apprentice lab are all available for use by nonprofit organizations who wish to reserve them. The only cost for the use of these spaces would be if technology or maintenance services are needed. Businesses and for-profit institutions may reserve the same spaces for a nominal fee. “This truly is a community space, and we want people to know it's available,” WSCC Vice President of Administrative Services Mitch Foster said.
According to Foster, funding for the $6.5 million project came from the following sources: a $1 million Michigan Service Commission and Department of Labor (LEO) community center grant; a $1.9 million new market tax credit allocation from Michigan Community Capital; a $400,000 grant from Michigan Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential; $150,000 from the Hart Tax Increment Finance Authority; and approximately $3.5 million from WSCC.
The OCEC is the second of WSCC's satellite education/community centers, with their satellite in downtown Manistee being their first. WSCC President Scott Ward said in his opening remarks Friday, “We saw what it did for that community, how it served the community and brought partners together. I envisioned the same here. I had high expectations; those expectations were blown away.”
As Ward named and thanked many local people for their vision and support of the project, he also shared an important personal observation, “As I work across the state, I have to explain where West Shore Community College is. Whether I'm in Lansing, the Detroit area, (or) at conferences, I have to explain. But when I'm working with state officials or others across the state, Oceana County is known…when I mention Oceana County, it's immediately recognized and discussed at the state level. We have people in the community that have this belief in Oceana County. I will say this, Oceana County is better than many of you believe it is. Oceana County is more powerful. Oceana County is more recognized. I'm hoping this kind of facility helps build the confidence in Oceana County to the level that other people see Oceana County across the state.”
Ginna Holmes, of the Michigan Community Service Commission and the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, expressed how proud Oceana should be of this accomplishment, saying, “I want to acknowledge the Michigan legislators who chose to provide this incredible opportunity for community centers across Michigan. When the initiative was first announced, it was thought that there would only be about 100 applications, but the program generated such tremendous interest that there were a thousand applications requesting over $1 billion. The center should be very proud that it is their hard work and collective vision that reached and resulted in this project receiving $1 million.”
Outlining their organization’s nonprofit mission to provide jobs, housing and healthy foods to Michigan communities, Michigan Community Capital Vice President Liz Alexandrian emphasized how the project qualified because of its location in a census tract and being located in a USDA food desert. Alexandrian added that Michigan Community Capital was pleased to be able to offer new market tax credits and see so many community services together under one roof.
WIELAND construction company project director and higher education sector lead Chris Rudolph gratefully recognized the many subcontractors involved in the construction of the center and shared his personal excitement about working on projects of this kind. “Speaking of Michigan Works!, WIELAND cannot do our jobs without our trade partners. And great organizations like Michigan Works! are paramount in providing access to workforce training, especially for the building trades. It's no secret that the trade contract or workforce is aging, and backfilling these jobs of new tradespeople is critical for the industry in the coming years.”
The energy and excitement of those gathered filled the air Friday. City Manager Nichole Kleiner may have said it best, “Many people here in the audience remember when (this building) was part of their everyday lives, a place to work, shop, and run into someone you know. Today, we celebrate giving it a new purpose. In 2023, when we discovered that LEO was offering a community center grant, we had just 10 days to apply. (Now) higher education (and) workforce training (are) all closer to home (with) community organizations like Michigan Works!, working alongside each other, making services and resources easier to access. We're especially thrilled that this campus includes Stella's Coffee House - what an awesome opportunity for a local business to have a second location. And Lakeshore Food Club brings access to fresh, healthy food, with the dignity of choosing what works for your own family. There's something especially meaningful about seeing a former grocery store, once again, help feed this community. For our residents, having all of this here means fewer barriers and more possibilities. It means education can fit more easily around work and family. It means support is close when it's needed. This building has been part of Hart’s story for a long time. Today, because of your commitment, its next chapter begins.”
MWWC occupies the front desk area of the new center and will have staff available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist visitors. There is no website for the center; rather, individuals should contact each organization’s unique website or social media for more information.
