The Bridge hosts kickoff cleanup event for Eco Village on MLK Day

HARRISBURG, Pa. — On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteers assisted with cleanup efforts at the former Bishop McDevitt High School. The Bridge is working to transform the area into a sustainable and self-contained Eco Village.

“It’s been getting more and more dilapidated. A building like this you can’t sell off like a house, so I was really excited to see something like this coming back to Harrisburg,” said Volunteer Brandon Basom.

More than 200 workers cleared scrap metal and fallen branches, picked up trash, and scraped paint. “We need to be engaged. We can’t wait for somebody else to come along and make things better. We need to do it ourselves, and that is certainly the spirit of MLK,” said Volunteer Beck Joyner.

The mixed-use area will meet the needs of Allison Hill. “I think it just goes to show that the community wants something done with this beautiful structure,” said Garry Gilliam Jr. Founder & CEO of The Bridge. “We’ve gotten people who want a fitness center; people want an area for their pets A yoga studio and obviously an area for copy machines, computers, etc.”

It will also focus on urban agriculture including indoor and outdoor gardens plus education centers and entertainment.

Gilliam said while people felt compelled to volunteer, it was also easy to get others to pitch in financially. “A lot of my friends happen to be millionaires, athletes and entertainers, who also like to give back to their communities.” They invested, but this project is built on a public and private partnership. The Bridge is looking to take advantage of government funding and grants. “As well as institutional money from corporations, so we’ve been in communication with them as well CEO’s of a lot of these corporations. And it’s been great. It’s something that will enhance the community,” said Gilliam.

MLK Day was the beginning of the three-phase project, and they hope to be done in less than two years. Organizers said their timeline depends on the desires of residents and being able to accommodate those amenities.

Gilliam believed hosting the event on the holiday embodied the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “There’s black, brown, white people all working together for the common good of humanity if you will. You know this is something that’s for the people by the people,” said Gilliam. “This is amazing. I’m truly inspired by everyone who came out. You know some people came from an hour and a half away, three hours away, some people flew in from Detroit some things like that so it’s definitely amazing to see.”