Edgewater Collective hopes to convert former Molholm Elementary School [Video]

EDGEWATER, Colo. — The Edgewater Collective, a nonprofit that helps connect Jefferson County’s Latino community with economic and educational resources, is hoping to purchase the now closed Molholm Elementary School in Lakewood’s Two Creeks neighborhood to turn it into a community center.

Since 2021, Jefferson County Public Schools has closed 21 schools, including Molholm, due to low enrollment.

Joel Newton, Edgewater Collective’s executive director, said the nonprofit found low enrollment was linked to rising rent prices.

“I think who it impacted most was Latino students and families that live in apartments around the Edgewater area around Molholm. As gentrification really pushed families out, and especially during the pandemic, we talked to families and they hoped to move inside the neighborhood, inside Lakewood but couldn’t find anything. A lot of them had to move east to Aurora or even out of state, and that was really sad to us, because our families were a key part of …