 |
|
LOCAL NEWS |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
On hand for the check presentation were (from left) Dick Krieger and Ann Heringhaus of Senior Independence, AOA President Billie Johnson, developer Sylvester Gould, Vision Empowerment Board Vice Chair Marty Sumlin Turner, Warren AME Pastor Otis Gordon, AOA board Chairman Phil Walton, the partner agencies’ legal counsel David Arnold, and Karen Harris, a member of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s Toledo staff. |
|
|
|
Senior center construction to begin soon
By: Journal Staff
The Toledo Journal
Originally posted 7/30/2010
Construction is to begin in mid-August now that the ''final piece of the puzzle'' has been secured for the Warren AME Senior Services Center.
Officials gathered last week at the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio for the presentation of a $75,000 check from Senior Independence, the state’s largest home health care and hospice agency.
''We’re thrilled to be part of this group and this collaboration,'' said Ann Heringhaus, executive director of Senior Independence/Toledo.
About $1.5 million has now been accumulated, enough to cover the cost of the $1.35 million facility that will be built behind Warren AME Church and associated expenses, said Sylvester Gould, CEO of Gould Development.
''This project has taken a while to come to fruition but we’ve got so many different agencies,'' Mr. Gould said. ''And now we’ve got the final piece of the puzzle coming into play.''
Construction was to have begun last December and be completed by this past April. Assistance also has come from the state, the City of Toledo, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which through U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s efforts approved a $100,000.
By far the biggest contributor is the Area Office on Aging, which has dedicated $700,000 to the project.
''Our board didn’t have to think too long and hard about setting aside those capital dollars,'' said Billie Johnson, the AOA’s president and CEO. ''We feel that it is a strong project, has strong partners and ... this brings new resources, new energy and new possibilities not only for the current generation of older adults but future generations of older adults. These programs will be sustained.''
The center will house the J. Frank Troy Senior Center, Senior Independence and Progressive Therapy Alternatives, the latter which will become the first physical therapy agency to operate in the central city, Mr. Gould said.
The Warren AME Vision Empowerment Board, composed mostly of church members, will be owner of the 11,000-square-foot building.
Rev. Dr. Otis Gordon, Warren AME’s senior pastor, was among those participating in the check presentation.
''It’s great to see that it’s finally happening,'' Pastor Gordon said. ''We’ve got a project for the community that I think will benefit senior citizens. Our church in particular has always had an interest in serving seniors.''
|
|
|
 |
|
