School to open on old tire store site

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- The wheels are rolling along on expansion at an urban Providence school -- in the spot where an old tire store, closed and abandoned for years, once stood on the edge of Federal Hill.

The Urban Collective Accelerated Program celebrated the start of construction Tuesday morning on a new dynamic learning center further down Carpenter Street from its main location. The old Engle Tire Co.'s green and brick building -- bridging Broadway, Service Road and Carpenter -- was torn down last month, after standing for decades next to I-95.

Building the new facility is expected to cost $4.6 million, funded entirely by private and corporate donations, according to UCAP. The new building will have a science lab, art studio, meeting space, and a gym.

The project is still raising money in phases; for details about how to donate, go to the school's web site at http://www.ucap.org.

UCAP is the only public school focused on helping middle school students catch up to their peers in public school after they've been held back at least one grade.