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City of Marion partners with Marion High School to bring new homes to troubled neighborhood

MARION, Ill. (KFVS) – The City of Marion is looking to rejuvenate a troubled neighborhood on the south side of the city with a new unique partnership.

The Midway Court neighborhood in Marion has been riddled with crime and falling apart for decades.

Now, the City of Marion has teamed up with Marion High School to breathe new life into the community.

Coy Halleran is a senior in the building trades program at Marion High School.

He’s excited about the opportunity to build two new homes with his classmates as part of the city of Marion’s Midway Court revitalization.

“Two houses at once. It’s definitely a lot different than in the past. I’m excited to work with new junior students this year,” said Halleran.

Cody Moake is the Chief of Staff for the City of Marion. He says it’s more than cleaning up the neighborhood. It’s about supporting the promising future of Marion.

“Over the last few years, we’ve really focused on cleaning up the crime in that neighborhood. Our goal is once those homes are complete – we will sell them below market value to support Marion’s growing workforce,” said Moake.

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Moake says to support the over 1,000 new jobs coming thanks to the new Star Bonds developments, the city has to be ready.

“It’s hard conceptually to improve our workforce if we don’t have the support system in place like affordable housing, public transportation, and childcare,” said Moake.

Marion High School Building Trades instructor Lester James says the hands-on experience, plus the ability to contribute to the future of Marion is a monumental achievement.

“They will be part of a revitalization project for the entire city and for years to come, they will take their loved ones by these houses and say hey, I built that in high school,” said James.

Construction of the new homes on Midway Court is expected to begin this spring.

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