Help Center holds ground breaking

The Community Help Center in Union City held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new facility on Deerfield Road Wednesday afternoon. Construction should begin by the end of this month and is due to be completed in December.

The project will cost an estimated $600,000, including land purchase, architectural fees and permits. It will be paid for by a $525,000 grant from the Office of Community and rural Affairs and a USDA grant of $46,000. The Union City, Ind. council contributed $15,000 in left-over grant funds. Additional donations for the Center's match for the grants included: First Merchants Bank, Old National Bank; Randolph County Foundation, Darke County Rural Electric and many individual donors.

The building will be 7,200 square feet, which is 400 square feet larger than its current facility, which the Help Center rents.

The Community Help Center began 22 years ago. Its mission is to assist low-to-moderate income persons with food, clothing, medicine, utilities and other miscellaneous needs, such as loaning wheel chairs, crutches, canes, walkers and tub seats.

Ann Rumple, board member and grants manager, said, "The new building will allow the Help Center to function more efficiently as it will provide a more organized approach for storage of food and clothing. There will be space where clients can meet with the manage in a private setting and space to offer more services."

Four years ago Rumple began searching for information on ow to obtain a grant. Someone at the Randolph County Courthouse gave her the name of Kenna Consulting of Indianapolis.

"Donna and Kent Anderson and Christi Pappano have been great to work with and are always ready to lend their expertise and to use their knowledge for grant-writing. Without them, this ground breaking would not have happened."

Jamie, Tom and Allen Kerns, of Kern's Bros., Inc. made it possible for the Help Center to acquire the desired land. Randy Smith of Bonar Group, Ft. Wayne worked closely with Help Center officials on planning the building and other details.

Help Center board members and employees include: Carolyn Green, manager; Rosemary Rhodes, co-manager; Eugene Hime, Chairman, Joan Hime, treasurer; Norman Hampshire, vice president; Ruth Strait, secretary; Judy Shumaker, utilities director; Rosemary Rhodes, co-manager; Rumple; Gretchen Abel, Tom Livingston, Richard Barga, Peggy Patterson, Jim VanSkyock and Marie Hughes.

The low-bidder for the project was CPM Construction of Indianapolis. Sub-contractors include: Indiana Stoneworks, Union City; Grow Excavating, Ansonia; Lica Paving, Berne; Walls Brothers Paving, Greenville, Ohio; Graber Meadows, Pennville; Creative Enterprises, Greenwood; Momper Insulation, Fort Wayne; Glass Products, Wabash; Delaware Glass, Muncie; Worley's Wall covering and Painting, Greenfield; Dave Parker Drywall, Waldron, Ind.; Master Carpet and Tile, Indianapolis; B & W Plumbing, Heating and AC, Speedway; and Carroll Electric, Richmond.