On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, members of City Council and City Manager William E. Johnson, III joined 40 year Petersburg resident, Marlow Jones in the opening of Blandford Community Center located at 836 East Wythe Street.
City Manger Williamd E. Johnson, III stated, “Opening this community center today is a clear demonstration of Mr. Jones’ commitment to investing in resources to enhance the future of our children in Petersburg. It was very exciting to see the smiles on the children and the community as a whole, and we want to sincerely thank Mr. Jones for this center.”
“I am honored to open to this community center in Petersburg and want to thank the city of Petersburg for their support.” said Jones. “Understanding that sometimes government resources are limited, residents should take the initiative and not wait to start programs and services that benefit everyone.”
The center includes a free arcade room, weightlifting area, music studio and classroom where trainings/classes will be held. The center will feature classes like defense for women, HVAC, paining, auto body, carpentry, business and finance, realty, stocks, computer networking, CPR-First Aid and more. The Blanford Community Center will also be the new home of the Petersburg Boxing Team.
Mr. Marlow Jones is employed by the City of Petersburg Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services as an Assistant Fire Marshal. He is a graduate of the 2012-13 Law Enforcement for Fire Marshals School, where he received training from various agencies to include the FBI, Secret Service, Virginia State Police and Virginia State Fire Marshals. Jones has been a outstanding Petersburg resident for the last 40 years and has worked for the past twenty years with the youth in Petersburg as a mentor, coaching football, basketball and boxing. He is an avid advocate for the city’s youth and their environmental and community well-being.
For more information about Blanford Community Center, please email blandfordcommunitycenter@gmail.com. For more information about Petersburg, visit www.petersburgva.gov.