West Side organizations have selected a general contractor team to build the Sankofa Village Wellness Center in West Garfield Park.
The general contractor team Leopardo Construction and UJAMAA Construction Joint Venture has been chosen to build the 60,000-square-foot facility that will include resources such as a gym, health center, childhood development programs and support for small businesses.
The project is expected to break ground this summer.
The Sankofa Wellness Village Center aims to bring services such as healthcare workforce development, financial support and a business incubator to the Madison Street and Pulaski Road corridor.
The four components of Sankofa include the center, the MAAFA Center for Arts and Activism — a spot for workforce development and arts inside the New Mount Missionary Baptist Church on West Washington Boulevard — the business incubator “K” Entrepreneurship Development Hub, and the Community Grocer Initiative, an effort to bring healthy food to West Garfield Park.
In January 2023, the Pritzker Traubert Foundation awarded $10 million to the West Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, the Community Builders, and the MAAFA Redemption Project — Sankofa Village Wellness Center’s ownership team. About $8 million will go toward the Sankofa Wellness Village Center, while the other $2 million will help fund the rest of the village’s initiatives.
Sankofa’s ownership team chose Leopardo Construction and UJAMAA Construction Joint Venture after a competitive bidding process in which they analyzed factors such as the applicants’ experience, commitment to diversity, environmental experience, and project schedule.
On May 1, there will be a virtual event for subcontractors to bid on the Sankofa Village Wellness Center Project to contribute the likes of asphalt, painting and elevator installation. The second meeting will take place May 9 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at 4239 W. Washington Blvd., and the general contractor will choose the subcontractors.
“We want to ensure that we are communicating to as many subcontractors in Garfield Park and the surrounding neighborhoods as possible,” said Kemena Brooks, the director of development for the Community Builders. “Hiring subcontractors from the community and the surrounding neighborhoods, hiring minority- and women-led businesses, are very important to the general contractor.”
The Sankofa Village Wellness Center is expected to open in the fall of 2025.
