MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Wardcliff Elementary School has re-opened as the Wardcliff Abilities Center. This facility might be new but it is already expanding and impacting the neighborhood.

When Wardcliff Elementary shut down in 2010, it was once an area filled with laughing children and turned into a quiet, empty building, taking a toll on the community of the Wardcliff neighborhood.

"I think wherever, whether in a city or a neighborhood, when you have empty buildings that aren’t in use, they do tend to bring the neighborhood down," said Christine Beavers, Vice President of the Wardcliff Neighborhood Association.

Not only did it create a quieter setting but the neighborhood lost more than just the school. With the opening of the abilities center, the neighborhood has a lot more to look forward to.

"Because they opened it up again, Clerk Dreyfus was able to re-open it as our voting precinct," said Beavers. "And that had one of the other impacts on the neighborhood is when they closed the school, we lost our precinct."

The Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties found Wardcliff and thought it to be the perfect setting for their abilities center.

"We figured it’d be good for students, especially young children, because they would be used to coming to a school as opposed to a more sterile setting," said Pat Miller, Supervisor at Wardcliff Abilities Center.

After years of planning, the abilities center moved into Wardcliff in March and started seeing students in May.

We wanted to establish some things for teenagers and young adults with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities so I’m very excited," said Miller.

The new autism center at Wardcliff elementary gives students the ability to work on their motor skills, get some exercise at the gym, and even go to the calming room to get some rest. With all the new facilities, students are able to take a shot at whatever they like.

Wardcliff is planning on collaborating with Michigan State's Department of Psychiatry and Pediatrics as well as McLaren Health System for diagnostics.

I think just having another resource and a place where your children can come and get quality services is really going to be a huge benefit for the community," said Lehua Beamon, Senior Speech Language Pathologist at Wardcliff Abilities Center.

They welcome children, teenagers, and young adults to come in for occupational, speech, and language therapy and in turn have been welcomed by the Wardcliff Neighborhood Association.