Construction crews are working daily to open the Change Center, a new and safe place for teens and young adults in East Knoxville.
The project started in early 2016, and is now projected to open in spring of 2018.
According to the city, the project has been delayed and is expected to open in June.
The center will be a safe place for students and teens to come to after school or during their free time. The idea is that the center will pull kids off of the streets and enable them to have opportunities such as job training, entry- level jobs within the center, and access to a brighter future.
A summit of young adults and teens in the Knoxville community voiced this idea, explaining that the neighborhood needed to find a way to decrease gang related violence.
The building was donated by Overcoming Believers Church and funds were donated by The Haslam Family Foundation, Pilot Corporation and Cornerstone Foundation of Knoxville. Many other organizations and have also donated to help with the project.
Some of the features of the facility will include rock climbing, roller skating, educational opportunities, job training, a movie wall, basketball hoops and a pizza parlor. The Change Center will have free admission with small fees for some activities and concessions.
The project was predicted to be finished by late 2017, but is now being pushed into the spring of 2018.