The former John P. Franklin Middle School will be renamed the Southside Professional Center and will be the site of a semiprofessional summer basketball league, business incubator and job training center, said property owner W.C. “Bud” Helton.
“It’s going to be a pretty busy place,” Helton said. “The gym will be for youth camps. We’ll use the auditorium for different kinds of entertainment, concerts, gospel sings and theatrical work.”
Helton, a former environmental consultant for Hamilton County Schools, and Bethlehem Center officials will announce plans for the building on East 37th Street at a news conference Tuesday. The Bethlehem Center, a nonprofit community center in Alton Park founded by the United Methodist Church, plans to operate some programs out of the facility.
“That building is going to be a tremendous opportunity to stimulate the community,” said Dwan Austin, who will be the site manager. “It’s going to bring life.”
The Bethlehem Center is one of few service providers in the Alton Park community and the needs of the community are great, said the Rev. Lurone “Coach” Jennings, the center’s executive director.