CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Updates on two exciting projects were served Wednesday morning as part of the Blueprint Community Breakfast.
(Pictured above: Eric Funk)
It was a tasty breakfast with a dash of optimism for those wanting information on a new senior housing project and the new full-service Clarion County YMCA now under construction.
Construction of a $13 million senior housing project along South Fifth Avenue in Clarion Borough is scheduled to start this October, and a long-awaited $11.8 million YMCA in Monroe Township will open before the end of the year.
Eric Funk, of Clarion Blueprint Communities, welcomed attendees to the first breakfast, an attempt to revive community breakfasts held by the Clarion University Relations Committee.
“Clarion was fortunate to be one of the six communities to be chosen to be part of the Commonwealth Blueprint Community Program in 2015,” Funk said.
“Our mission is to strengthen and revitalize commerce in the commercial district and enhance the quality of life here in downtown Clarion. Blueprint is a collaboration between Clarion Borough and Clarion University.”
Regency Commons just for seniors
Listen to Kelley Coey discuss Regency Commons here.
Kelley Coey
Regency Commons, by Hudson Properties of Hermitage, will be a four-story senior housing project with 42 units at a total project cost of $13 million.
The project is financed through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and a tax credit program.
“Regency is a 42-unit senior housing project for age 62-Plus, around 45,000 square feet, two elevators in the building, including 39 one bedroom and three two-bedroom units. The project will include six fully accessible handicap units,” said Kelley Coey, Development Coordinator at Hudson Properties, at breakfast.
The PHFA tax credits allow a reduction in costs to make the apartments more affordable for seniors, although the building is not HUD Section 8.
Hudson market studies show that there are over 1,046 eligible seniors for senior living. The rental rates are based on a percentage (50 or 60 percent) of average income in the Clarion area. A 60 percent income level for a senior would be $22,040 and PHFA changes that every year.
“For example, monthly rental rates for a one bedroom at 60 percent rent is going to be around $563, and for a two bedroom it would be around $628,” Coey continued. “Utilities are not included, but estimated utilities are $57 for a one bedroom and $72 for a two bedroom.”
There is no extra charge of amenities, and Coey said there would be plenty and more are in the development stage.
“We have a community center, a fitness center, and laundry on each floor. We are pet-friendly and decided to add a dog washing station, a little room for seniors who have pets. We also decided we would like small couples areas on the second and third floors and we decide to turn one of those into a small movie room with recliner-type lounges. On one of the levels, it’s going to be a multi-purpose room where it will be more crafting and card playing and things like that.”
“Our projects are not just senior apartments. We do our best to provide amenities to our seniors that are conducive to what they like to do. We have a part-time supportive service that assesses the senior’s needs to formulate programs and things like that. One of our big components in our facility is the smart classroom. We call it our innovation lab with smart classroom technology, and it’s located near the community center. It can stream classes.”
Coey said she was in contact with Clarion University about formulating programs for seniors, and Thiel College is also a partner.
“The programs can be endless for the seniors—as much as they want to be involved,” Coey said. “It will be tailored around what those residents want to learn. On the healthcare end, Primary Health Care is one of our big partners. Primary is donating time and physician assistance for nurses to come to the facility for health coaching, nutrition, and education for our seniors. It’s really about options for seniors.”
The new YMCA: A total Clarion County effort
Listen to Jesse Kelley discuss the new YMCA here.
Jesse Kelley
Jesse Kelley, branch director of the Clarion County YMCA, told the breakfast crowd details about the new full-service $11.6 million YMCA scheduled to open by the end of the year.
The facts tell the story of an amazing community accomplishment.
Approximately $10.7 million was raised in the building campaign after a consultant’s assessment predicted no more than $2.5 million. Growth in membership from 760 in May 2008 to 1.653 members in May 2018 — a 117 percent increase. Awarded the largest state grant ever for YMCA that so far has totaled $3 million. Hopes are still alive for an additional $2 million for finishing the new Y with an extensive childcare facility.
The new building will include:
• A full gymnasium with a separate running/walking track;
• A swimming pool with an equivalent of five lanes;
• Wellness Center;
• Office space for outpatient rehabilitation;
• An Outdoor athletic field;
• Multi-purpose rooms to support seniors in the mornings and children and teens after school; and
• Support spaces, including a lobby, reception, café, men’s and women’s locker rooms, family locker rooms, bathrooms, and storage.
Those are the basic facts, but for many, the heart is starting to take over when looking at the Clarion County YMCA. It has been quite a journey for Kelley who came to Clarion from working as a trainer for the Auburn University, national football champions in 2010.
Kelley offered these observations from his heart.
“We are confident that we will have a Y that is state-of-the-art, and we’ll be able to drive membership and sustain membership. As a YMCA not-for-profit, we are open to all races, all genders, all income, and all backgrounds. No one is turned away due to financial reasons, so everyone can be a member of the YMCA and have a healthier opportunity in life as well.
“We talk about building a brighter future, and my son is going to be able to grow up in a community with a full-service YMCA, and so many other families and children are going to be able to enjoy the opportunity, where many before them did not. We are very thankful for that. I think the YMCA is one pillar, and we have more to put it into our community, but this is a good start and we are headed in the right direction.”
“It’s what the YMCA does — it does everything from aquatics to childcare. You got to be able to change and meet the needs of your community from now. The next branch manager 30 years from now when I’m gone might have different community needs then our community needs and what we’re facing today.”
“I tell you that young professionals come here to the YMCA. The first two years I was here, I was looking for a way out and the next rung on the professional ladder. I wanted to move and get back to strength conditioning training — whatever it was going to be.
“This project rooted me and kept me here. I know I’m just one story, but we’re going to have that ability for many other young people to move here and stay here because of this anchor in our community. This is only the start of where I believe we’re going to go.”
“Now that we got this, we can check that box off, and you know we can stand shoulder to shoulder, eye-to-eye with anybody. Nobody in western Pennsylvania, whether it’s Erie or Pittsburgh, is going to have a building like this we are going to have a Clarion County.”
“When I first moved here in 2011, it was down and out. The glass plant had just closed, and I was getting a crash course in Clarion County history and how everything was so negative.”
“I think things are turning around, and I’m proud to be living in Clarion County, and I’m not looking for a way out anymore. This is where I work and where we’re raising our family, and hopefully, this is where our son will come back for Thanksgiving and Christmas and bringing his grandkids here as well.”
