The Meadow River Valley Association took a big step forward in the groundbreaking of the Rupert School Project at the former Elementary/High School property. In May, MRVA partnered with Woodlands Development Group to rehabilitate the former school site into low-income senior housing units with a public health clinic on the first floor.
The Woodlands Group is headed up by Dave Clark of Elkins, West Virginia, with Dustin Smith acting as the project manager. The Woodlands Group has more than 25 years of experience revitalizing and building community projects, including low-income housing, senior housing and community centers. Typically, Woodlands focuses its efforts in the Elkins/Randolph County area but could not resist the opportunity to provide community development for the Meadow River Valley.
Dustin Smith notes, “We really want to expand our impact to other areas of the state. MRVA is a perfect partner for reaching areas that need support.”
Woodlands and MRVA established the Rupert School LP and are in the process of applying for state and federal funding. Once complete the former school will house 10 one-bedroom units, four two-bedroom units, a health clinic, elevator and landscaped grounds. The project is part of the Meadow River Valley Community Center, which houses the Rupert Volunteer Fire Department, The West End Youth Sports League, and The Meadow River Valley Early Learning Center which includes a garden and cafeteria.
The target ground-breaking for the Rupert School project is early 2022.
