Rezoning paves way for boarding school to support young Black men in Wilmington

A recent Wilmington rezoning will allow for a boarding school that intends to transform the lives of young Black men who have dropped out of school.

The boarding school will be called the Hisan J. Polk Transformation Academy and will be operated by nonprofit L.I.N.C. Inc. It will take in 12 Black teens ages 15 to 18 and provide them with housing and education.

Roberts said the plan for each student will complete a 14-month term where they will earn their GED as well as many other life skills to become contributing members of the community. Frankie Roberts, L.I.N.C. co-founder and executive director of L.I.N.C., said students will also have construction or technology trade training to go along with academics.

Roberts said the boarding school will partner with Cape Fear Community College to provide the construction portion.

Students will also participate in community service, such as doing yard work for neighbors.

"Certainly our goal is to restore the positive influence of young Black males," Roberts said, and "above all supporting young men in becoming the leaders in communities that we believe and see that they can be."

The boarding school will be located at 3933 Princess Place Drive and was previously Wilmington fire station 3.

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During a recent city council meeting, council member Kevin Spears brought up concerns from local residents about safety as well as the feeling from community members that historically Black communities are becoming the hub for fixes in society where the same isn't happening in other communities.

"There's some younger residents from the community that are paying attention as well and they want to know that they're going to continue to be safe," Spears said, "that their community is not going to be disturbed or disrupted because of this boarding school."

Roberts said there will be 24/7 support at the school and he feels that it's the responsibility of the Black community to support and build positive, strong leaders in the community and the boarding school aims to do that.

"I am them and they are me," Roberts said, speaking from his upbringing going to an academy before he went to public school. "That built the foundation of me being the best me that I can be."

The property takes up eight-tenths of an acre and the former fire station has been vacant since 2019. The city transferred the property to L.I.N.C. Inc. in 2021.

Surrounding the property to the north and the east is R-10 residential zoning, multifamily to the west, and office and institutional to the south.

The location has sidewalks on both sides of Princess Place Drive and along Barclay Hills Drive. There are also public transportation stops along Princess Place Drive and Market Street.

The Wilmington City Council unanimously voted for the rezoning from R-10 medium density single dwelling to O&I office and institutional zoning district under the requirement that the property be used for an approved public purpose.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington fire station to become boarding school for young Black men