An Augusta elementary school that closed in 2023 could become one of the area's newest personal care homes for adults and children.
Evans resident Shelley Parker-Mack has applied to the city for zoning approval to establish what she described in her proposal as an adult day program for clients with "developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses," and an afterschool program for "special-needs children and at-risk youth" ages 12-17.
If approved by the city, the facility would occupy the former Terrace Manor Elementary School at 3110 Tate Road. The property is still owned by the Richmond County Board of Education.
Parker-Mack founded Macksimum Alliance Home Care Service
and Lizzy’s Adult Community Service Center, operating under the umbrella of MackLander, a limited-liability company she started.
She considers the shuttered school "uniquely suited" for her proposal because of the campus' layout and location.
Approving the request "will allow transformational empowerment" and meet community needs for the potential clients described in the proposal, according to Parker-Mack.
"The proposed program will strengthen families, improve educational outcomes, promote independence, reduce gaps in community services and provide a safe and supportive environment for vulnerable populations throughout Richmond County," she said.
Terrace Manor Elementary opened in 1965 to serve pupils in the surrounding Terrace Manor neighborhood, developed in 1954.
The school could accommodate about 550 pupils but in recent years became poorly maintained, and lower student numbers created underused space. In a "rightsizing" plan, the RCBOE closed the school at the end of the 2022-23 academic year and reassigned its pupils to Wheeless Road Elementary School.
The Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the rezoning request at its Oct. 6 meeting.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Closed Augusta school could become care center for adults, youth
