Mosaic CCDA may have found a new home for Cafe Mosaic, but it still needs a place to put its other ventures, and Director Rick Pawloski says 200 Paw Paw Avenue in Benton Harbor would be perfect. He made the case Monday to city commissioners, talking up the benefits of the Jobs for Life training program, with backup from some graduates. Pawloski told WSJM News Mosaic is making a difference, and it wants to expand.
“People are finding the hope and the opportunity at Mosaic, and it’s not just Jobs for Life,” Pawloski said. “Jobs for Life’s the gateway, but it’s the-on-the-job training, it’s the sense of community. It’s the sense of family.”
City Commissioners have previously voted not to sell 200 Paw Paw, which was built as a business incubator in 1988. It sits vacant, and Mayor Marcus Muhammad told us he wants to explore all options.
“As the mayor of the city, what I would not allow to happen is for 200 Paw Paw to sit and rot, and in five, ten years, we’d be looking at what we see now, with the Mercy building being knocked down.”
Mosaic has to move its non-cafe programs by July of next year, so time is running out, and Pawloski told us they’re looking at several options. By the way, Cafe Mosaic’s new location will be at 325 West Main, where King Kong Express used to be. Pawloski says they hope to close on the property this month.
