SALT LAKE CITY - As bystanders cheered, a giant track excavator tore into an old home on at 46 South 700 East in Salt Lake City.
The Other Side Academy sees it as a metaphor...they're tearing down a building to make something better in its place.
That's what they do every day with adults who commit two years of their lives to live and work at the academy, rebuilding lives that had fallen into homelessness, crime, or both.
The Other Side Academy CEO, Tim Stay, says they've owned the property for two years and had lost in two attempts to get permission to tear down the old building. Despite the fact that it had fallen into disrepair, had partially burned, and suffered from the detritus left by squatters, the building was on the historical registry.
Ultimately, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski overruled the objections and gave the Academy the green light for demolition.
"She made the choice to say what was going to be put here was more important," said Stay.
The new building will include classroom and office space for the growing program.
"We just recently acquired the apartment building across the street. That will let us grow from about 80 students to about 160 students," said Stay.
The new building will include classroom and office space for the growing program.
The Other Side Academy is a self-funding non-profit. They raise funds running a moving business, a thrift shop, and a food truck that each provide training opportunities for students.
