The Village at Duval Community Learning Center

HISTORY:  This 21,000 sq. ft. structure is located in the Historical District of Quincy, Florida.  This building post in 1922 as the Weinburg Tobacco Warehouse owned by Henry Weinburg and his brother-in-law Berthold Ottinger.  Later, Ottinger left the Weinburg Tobacco Warehouse and went to work as a manager for Swisher and Sons Factory owned by Jonathon H. Swisher.  In 1970, the Weinburg Tobacco Warehouse closed. 

FUTURE:  North Florida Educational Development Corporation purchased the three (3) floor historical site in 2022.  The vision for this historical site is to renovate and transform it into a community learning center which will be named, "The Village at Duval Community Learning Center."   The learning center will serve underserved youth in grades K-12 in downtown Quincy.  

One of the greatest challenges facing many organizations and industries today involves creating and maintaining a community that reflects the rich diversity of our country. The case for diversity and inclusion is clear: a team is more productive and innovative when there is a diversity of skills, ideas, and experiences.  As the U.S. aquaculture industry continues to expand, we have the opportunity to build a community that reflects the stakeholders we serve, while impacting access to sustainable seafood, community health, and climate resilience. Aquaculture creates jobs and offers technical training to youth and young adults. Aquaculture currently accounts for 21 percent of the value of domestic fisheries landings. Doubling current production could result in tens of thousands of jobs in our communities. Farmed seafood products already make up half of the world’s seafood supply, but U.S. production lags behind much of the world, leading to a $16.9 billion seafood deficit in the United States in 2020. 

Our Four (4) Major Initiatives Are: To obtain, maintain and sustain an Aquaculture Lab.

1. School-aged children will be exposed to opportunities in learning about food science and safety.
2. To offer coursework in Aquaponics and agriculture.
3. To offer a more traditional vocational agriculture program that includes courses in plant science, animal science, agriculture mechanics, and veterinary science.
4. To provide summer jobs and internships.