The weather was perfect; a balmy 70 degrees, the sun was out and the mood was cheerful. This was the backdrop for the Village at Delmar Place grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, April 15, 2016, at 10 AM.
Rise entered into a joint venture developer relationship with Efficacy Consulting LLC, an emerging women-owned minority business enterprise, to assist in growing their capacity in planning and development as part of MHDC’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)*/Women Business Enterprise (WBE)†Mentor/Protégé program, The result of that relationship is The Village at Delmar Place.
The list of esteemed speakers included:
Sal Martinez
Master of Ceremonies
Stephen Acree
Executive Director and President of Rise
Yaphett El-Amin
Executive Director of Efficacy Consulting LLC
Jamilah Nasheed
Missouri State Senator of the 5th District
Karla May
Missouri State Representative of the 84th District
Mary Ellen-Ponder
Chief of Staff for Mayor Francis G. Slay
Frank Williamson
Alderman of the 26th Ward
Joe Palm
Democratic Committeeman of the 26th Ward
Sheryl Butler
Missouri Housing Development Commission
Joyce Roberts
West End Neighborhood Council
Louise Howard
Village at Delmar Place Resident
The ceremony also included a dedication of the Technology Center by Alderman Frank Williamson in memory of Mrs. Thelma M. Williamson. The Technology Center is located in the new office and Community Center. The highlight of the ceremony was comments from Louise Howard, a resident at The Village of Delmar Place. She expressed her gratitude to everyone involved in providing an affordable, safe home for her and a welcoming environment for her grandchildren when they visited.
The ribbon was cut around 11 AM and guests then enjoyed food and refreshments at the Community Center. Everyone in attendance was very pleased to see a development contributing to neighborhood stabilization in the area.
