Grand Rapids is soon to become the home of a new Special Olympics facility.

Earlier this week, members of Special Olympics Michigan announced that a currently vacant high school in West Michigan will be converted into a facility for the Special Olympics. What was once South Christian High School will soon become the Special Olympics Unified Sports and Inclusion Center. 

This plan to convert the school comes with a $20 million price tag, $7 million of which has already been raised. This new facility will end up being used for athlete training. The Special Olympics Unified Sports and Inclusion Center will also host regional, statewide, national, and international competitions.

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The old South Christian High School is built on 17 acres, consists of 127,000 square feet, has two gyms, three sports fields, and a 735-seat auditorium. The $20 million project will turn the building and its' grounds into a modern sports facility. On top of becoming a new sports facility, the old high school will be home to eight other organizations. Those organizations include Autism Support of Kent County, Brody's Be Cafe, Disability Advocates for Kent County, Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan, Far Out Volleyball Club, Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, and MOKA.

The project will begin construction soon and will hopefully be completed in late 2022. After the renovation, the site will include an athlete welcome center, unlocking inclusion exhibit, shared meeting rooms, a community collaboration center, an event plaza, life skills center, fitness center, a "Hall of Champions" area, multiple fields for soccer and flag football, a 400-meter track, beach volleyball courts, concessions, putting green, bocce courts, and much much more.

Source: MLive

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