Education

DETROIT, May 18 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The area's first bilingual driver training school is set to open today, May 18, helping an often ignored but growing population and also bringing much needed development into the Delray neighborhood in Southwest Detroit.

Legal Technologies Road Testing and Driver Training will operate out of 6350 W. Fort Street in Detroit's Delray neighborhood.

"It's very helpful to this area. We have a Hispanic community that's really growing, and we need to give them a chance to get their driver's permit and help out their families," said Edgar Ruiz, the school's instructor. "But it's not just the Spanish community; we want to get everybody involved."

The Southwest side's population, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, increased by 6.9 percent between 1990 and 2000. Of that, the Latino population increased by nearly 19,000 to 47,000. Southwest Detroit is approximately 50 percent Latino.

The school will offer students the opportunity to receive both a Segment I and Segment II Certificate, both requirements for earning a driver's license. Classes will be offered Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m. The site's first 50 applicants can get a discounted rate.

While serving an underserved population is critical, Owner Terrence Hicks said that the site's impact on restoring one of Detroit's most challenged neighborhoods - Delray - is equally important. The area is located between Fort Street and the Detroit River, and from Livernois to the Rouge Bridge.

A 1999 Detroit News article showed that approximately 50 percent of the area's population lives below the poverty level. The area has also long been overrun with vacant buildings and blight.

The new school occupies what once was a former insurance agency which sat vacant for three years. While Hicks has invested approximately $200,000 of his own money to refurbish the building, dollars from Wayne County's Turbo Plan and Land Bank helped cover costs of upgrading the facility.

"The other part of the story is despite this tough economy, it is possible to find money to start a business," Hicks said.

Classes begin May 18. For more information, contact 313.345.3777

SOURCE Legal Technologies Road Testing and Driver Training