CLEVELAND — News 5 viewer Nathan R. contacted our newsroom Thursday evening with video of flooding taking place at the former Case Elementary at E. 40th St. and Superior Avenue in Cleveland.
Our news team began reaching out to various people to learn more about the situation.
Friday, we learned the nonprofit New Bridge Cleveland owns the building, and despite the damage from flooding, it’s not letting that deter its plan to transform the building into a one-stop for education and training.
"I opened the doors yesterday to find five inches of water in our building,” said Bethany Friedlander, president and CEO of New Bridge Cleveland and the Central School of Practical Nursing in Independence.
“I had a potential tenant with me and opened the door — while I was watching water run out from underneath it,” Friedlander said.
The City of Cleveland’s Division of Water said the following in an email:
The leak is on the internal plumbing inside the building, not the fire line. A Cleveland Water crew was on site this morning to assist and shut off the building’s water. The broken pipe inside the building will need to be repaired by the property owner.
Friedlander said while the situation is damaging, it’s not stopping future plans.
"You have to be resilient. You just have to be,” Friedlander said. “I can't ask my students to be something that we can't be ourselves. We've got it covered now. We're re-secured, and the water has stopped.”
New Bridge Cleveland is excited about bringing vibrancy and purpose back to the property.
“We're really building the career district where families can come and get off the bus and know that there's something here, whether you're an infant or you're 65 years old,” Friedlander said.
The nonprofit offers Cuyahoga County residents free education and workforce training in the healthcare field. There are programs for middle school students and high schoolers that introduce them to various careers and skills.
For adults, there are programs to train future medical assistants, phlebotomy technicians, and sterile processing technicians.
Friedlander said they currently serve about 300 people each year.
The $10 million plan to build a career district will transform the property into its headquarters.
“And then we have about 20,000 square feet in this building where we are looking for additional like-minded tenants,” Friedlander said.
The former school, along with another nearby building, will create expanded space to educate and train more people.
“And you guys really see yourselves as a mecca for this area in boosting people's lives?” I asked Friedlander.
She agreed and said, “and making sure that people know that there's one place, one safe, dependable place, where you can go and get what you need."
Which is why on-site daycare is part of the plan.
“Because we know that that's a huge reason why people are not able to complete training,” Friedlander said.
Clarissa Day was driving through the neighborhood and stopped to chat with me.
“It’s a lot of empty buildings around here that they need to do something with,” Day said.
When I told her about New Bridge Cleveland’s vision, it was welcomed news.
“That makes me feel good that the community is trying to do something for our neighborhoods,” Day said.
Day told me that her sister works in healthcare, and she believes more young people need exposure and encouragement to see what’s possible in the field.
“Kids are interested,” Day said.
Friedlander said fundraising is underway.
“We have an application in with the Economic Development Administration. That's federal grant money,” Friedlander said. “We're also lobbying for state capital right now, and we will have a capital campaign that will start shortly.”
Right now, the goal is to be moved into the new space by the end of 2027.
Friedlander said community support thus far has been important, and they want people to know they’re committed to helping change lives.
“Keep your eyes on the building and know that something really good is coming, and we're working as fast as we can,” Friedlander said.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
