24-05-2025
Erwin Montessori Elementary School property's future tied to hope in East Greensboro
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Erwin Montessori Elementary School is no more.
It was demolished earlier this year after sitting dormant for years, but the future of the almost 10-acre property means a lot to the future of East Greensboro as a whole.
East Greensboro is disproportionally low-income, high minority and high crime. Community members and representatives want more for the area.
On Friday, FOX8 walked alongside them as they shared information with the neighborhood about the next steps for the EMES property.
'We can't just put something on this site,' said Kesha Dockery, with the Erwin Steering Committee. She's also a local.
The campus formerly sat on the side of East Bessemer Avenue, which is not far from East Market Street. It was damaged beyond repair in the 2018 tornado and finally demolished earlier this year.
The ESC held a walk on Friday afternoon that was led by Zanzella Zavoy Dockery.
'This means a lot to me. We are talking about fixing up areas. People don't want to live over here,' said Dockery.
The frustration among locals was apparent. One man stopped our crew to say they deeply need a grocery store. East Greensboro is considered a food desert.
'We have nothing over here, and they never put nothing over here,' the man said. He told us he'd lived there for decades.
Councilwoman Goldie Wells agrees. She said the area must be cleaned up.
The future is in the community's hands.
'You can't take a diamond and put it in the middle of a trash heap. We can't take a lot of money, invest it over here if we aren't thinking about the surrounding neighborhood and the people who live over here,' Dockery said.
The conversation about East Greensboro has been happening for decades, and the now vacant EMES property holds the power to spark change.
FOX8 walked up East Bessemer Avenue, Elwell Avenue and up to Sunnycrest Avenue and back, talking to neighbors with the committee members and two Greensboro police officers helping to hand out fliers.
'We're still trying to talk about what's happening over here. We know that will affect you,' Dockery told a group of people living near the property.
There's a trio of stores on the corner of Elwell Avenue and East Bessemer Avenue. Just beyond that, a shooting in late April claimed the life of a man. It was the city's 13th homicide of the year.
'When that incident happened over there, it's been closed down since then,' Wells said.
Wells walked around the block, taking notes about things that were out of place, like a couch abandoned in a tree line across from a cleaners she uses.
She also complimented a duplex and said, 'We want to have more duplexes' as a nod to affordable housing.
The walking crew told people to participate in a meeting about the future of the old EMES land. They have ideas for housing, a multipurpose center and other community amenities.
One member said the Revolution Mill area could serve as inspiration to have a place to live, work and play.
The county owns the land, and it's up to them to make the final call.
The county awarded consultant Sadie Blue $20,000 in April to get community feedback about the Erwin Redevelopment Project. She is hosting a community meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Islamic center across from the property, and there will be free fried fish and hot dogs, with all stakeholders welcome to come.
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