10
community
march16
2017
Construction on Senior Center and Food Bank
Center had been working on plans to
relocate since the fl ood that damaged
their building in 1996. “My very fi rst
responsibility as Executive Director of
Vernonia Cares, when I was fi rst hired,
was to attend a ‘building meeting’ to
discuss a new facility for both Cares and
the Seniors,” said Welch. “That was in
2001, so I’ve been working on this
for over 16 years.”
In 2010 planning for a
shared building began again when
the City of Vernonia and Oregon
Parks traded land in exchange for
maintenance of the State Parks Lin-
ear Trail coming into the City of
Vernonia. The newly acquired land
south of the new West Oregon Elec-
tric Co-op building would be owned
by the City and was identifi ed for
use by social service agencies.
“The goal was to have this space
be used as a social services hub that
was located on high ground,” said
Vernonia City Administrator Josette
Mitchell in a recent interview.
“The Senior Center was the
fi nal FEMA buyout of our local so-
cial services and this will complete
the move of all our social services
to high ground so citizens can ac-
cess them during all times of the
year, and especially during emergen-
cies,” said Mitchell
According to Mitchell, because
of previous uses on the site and concerns
about possible contamination, the City
acquired a Brownfi elds grant from the
Environmental Protection Agency and
completed required testing on the site.
The City received clearance, paving the
way for future development of the prop-
erty.
Due to the complex nature of
food bank and senior services, a CDBG
specifi cally designed for a shared facil-
ity was the best option to fund the devel-
opment and construction. “The City ap-
plied for the CDBG because municipali-
ties are the only ones who are allowed
to apply,” explains Mitchell. “We were
able to apply for $2 million, which was
the maximum amount, because this was
a joint facility, and we were awarded that
in December of 2015.”
Both Welch and Mitchell feel
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continued from front page
fairly confi dent the project can be com-
pleted as designed within the budget they
are working with, although fi nal costs
are never assured until bids have been
secured and construction is underway.
“From the bid we received six months
ago, this design was going to work,” said
Welch. “Of course, it can cost more the
Donations that were made to
Vernonia Cares after the fl ood specifi -
cally designated for a high ground lo-
cation have been held in a restricted
fund. These are now pledged to the new
building project. The money the seniors
received from FEMA are similarly re-
stricted and pledged. Because the 1996
fl ood also affected the Senior Cen-
ter, its board began to raise funds for
a new location. Those monies are
also being applied to this project.
Both groups are working together
to make the new single building,
divided by walls internally with
separate entrances, as operationally
effi cient as possible. There will be
a walk-in cooler and freezer, sepa-
rated in the center by a metal gate,
shared by both entities to save en-
ergy costs of running many home-
sized units. Dishes, tables, chairs,
kitchen equipment and other items
have been stored at various senior
board members’ homes and other
locations around town to reduce the
cost of outfi tting the new center.
Through a competitive bid pro-
cess, the joint boards selected archi-
tectural fi rm Scott|Edwards Associ-
ates. The exterior will have simi-
lar features to the Vernonia Health
longer you wait to build, so now we are Center and the West Oregon Electric Co-
looking for real numbers.”
operative headquarters building to har-
While the project is being de- monize the design of the area. The two
veloped for use by the Vernonia senior boards recently approved the fl oor plan,
citizen community as well as the local and a competitive bidding process will
food bank, ultimately, the building is the be underway soon for the construction
city’s project. “The City of Vernonia phase. All phases of the project require
owns the land and will own the building, approval by the State’s CDBG oversight
and the two agencies will be co-tenants,” staff to ensure that all rules are being
says Mitchell. Mitchell says both groups followed. A representative from Com-
will sign a lease agreement, similar to munity Action Team, the county’s aging
the agreement the City has with Verno- services coordinator, will oversee the
nia Health Center, and will pay a mini- project, especially in the construction
mal fee each year for use of the building. phase to ensure strict adherence to cost
Both groups will be required to pay for controls. The City has also contracted
their own utilities and will also contrib- with a grant administrator familiar with
ute to a maintenance reserve account for the myriad of CDBG requirements to
upkeep of the building.
help assure compliance.
As is true with any federal grant,
Both organizations are looking
the “free money” comes with many forward to being on high ground in spac-
strings attached. The senior center will es that fi t their operations better. “This
only be allowed to serve people 60 and is pretty exciting,” said Mitchell. “The
older for its fi rst fi ve years of operations seniors have been waiting a long time
and cannot house a thrift store open to and Vernonia Cares has been preparing
the general public. The Vernonia Se- to evacuate every time there is a threat of
niors’ thrift store, Bargains on Bridge high water and are ready to be in a place
Street, is the primary source of opera- where they can set up their shelves and
tional funding. It will remain in its city- not worry about fl ooding.”
leased space at least for the next fi ve to
six years.
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