A renovated office headquarters called the Hub for the local Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress could be renovated by July in the Doug Otto Center near downtown Columbus.
And the renovation of the 1,600-square-foot space at 1531 13th St. could be completed mostly by volunteers for an estimated $25,000 with funds already available, according to volunteers working on the project.
Just for reference and to demonstrate a sense of stewardship over city and county funds already given to ASAP for such work, Steve Ferdon of the volunteer construction group Mission Columbus estimated that using full-time professionals for the Hub renovation project would total at least $80,000 or even into six figures.
But the cost may depend on whether the project is done in a single extensive effort, or perhaps in two phases spread over a longer period, according to ASAP leaders and those leading the redesign effort. For several months, ASAP leaders have been working from a temporary office in Columbus City Hall.
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However, they also recently began meeting in the as-is space at the Doug Otto Center as they prepare for renovations.
“The community has put in so much work to get to this point,” said Nathan Walsh, who begins work as Hub manager on Monday. “Once this space is up and running and people grow comfortable with it, we have the potential to grow even beyond expectations. It’s exciting to see how motivated this community is behind all this.”
Even as Walsh spoke, a member of Mission Columbus hammered in the background as a crew looked over office sections and walls that might be removed for the new office design. Actual demolition work is tentatively set to begin the last week of March, organizers said.
Mission Columbus will serve as project manager of the overall work, Ferdon said.
Perhaps the Christian group’s most recent and visible public role was in the demolition and construction work, including construction site oversight, on the Brighter Days emergency housing shelter on Columbus’ east side.
But Mission Columbus volunteers, a part of Asbury United Methodist Church, also have worked on home repairs for local low-income residents, homes in flood-damaged areas such as Houston, Texas, and elsewhere. They say that their work is a visible means of showing Jesus’ love by serving others.
The actual length of the ASAP project largely depends upon volunteer availability, Ferdon said, adding that most helpers are working full-time jobs.
Partner groups that have joined Mission Columbus in the past on projects or those already connected to the ministry include volunteers from First Christian Church, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, and Petersville United Methodist Church. Plus, groups such as the Diesel Dogs Cummins Inc. retiree group, Cummins’ Every Employee Counts group and others have joined past local demolition and construction efforts.
“We want to make things easy and un-intimidating for folks to come here,” said David Doup, president of Taylor Brothers Construction Inc.
Doup will be doing the design plans with leading from Walsh and others about what is needed.
During an informal walk-through the space on Wednesday, a team of people from ASAP, Mission Columbus and Doup talked at length about upgrading a direct, outside entrance to the office so people can arrive without having to be uneasy about asking the office location from a building receptionist at another entrance.
“We know we’ve got a great space,” said Jeff Jones, ASAP executive director. “This is as good as it can get.”
The office, formerly the space for United Way of Bartholomew County, consists of about 1,600 square feet of space, according to Mark Stewart, president of United Way of Bartholomew County.
Last year, United Way moved across 13th Street to the renovated old firehouse No. 2, leaving its old space vacant in the center that it owns.
Besides providing resources that include referrals to existing programs, the Hub will also assist individuals in navigating the health care and insurance systems to provide addiction recovery. When necessary, resources may be provided that include the basics of helping the individual in recovery obtain food, housing and transportation.
If the construction and redesign is done in a couple of phases, as volunteer Darren Buffo and others suggested, work could be done more quickly on the main office to get staff moved in. And then added work could be done more slowly because of permits and such on adjoining conference room and employee break area.
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The volunteer construction group known as Mission Columbus will be the project manager of the Hub for Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress. And its leaders are tentatively planning to begin some of the demolition work necessary to make way for ASAP’s Hub space by the last week of March.
Steve Ferdon, a leader of the Christian nonprofit Mission Columbus, affiliated with Asbury United Methodist Church, said his group can use dozens of volunteers, including skilled workers for jobs as specialized as drywall and electrical. While Ferdon is willing to use paid professionals where they must be employed, he also is hoping some local professionals might be willing to donate time, expertise or materials for the work.
For now, plans call for volunteers to work on Tuesday evenings, all parts of Fridays, and Saturday mornings.
Information: [email protected]
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The Alliance for Substance Abuse Project Hub will be the place where men, women and families can get the information and support they need to start and maintain recovery from addiction, according to ASAP officials.
The Hub will help individuals and families navigate through the complexity of addiction treatment and recovery, help bridge gaps in treatment, assist with social services and provide a central location for anyone seeking sobriety or information about addiction recovery.
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The Alliance for Substance Abuse in Bartholomew County was launched in April 2017 to develop a community-wide response to the opioid crisis. The ASAP leadership team was established and Jeff Jones, a retired Cummins, Inc. executive, volunteered as ASAP executive lead. A group of local health care and criminal justice system executives agreed to a two-year commitment to lead action teams to identify the gaps in the substance abuse treatment system and to prioritize and implement solutions.
In October 2017, ASAP announced its strategy to address opioid addiction and substance abuse based on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.
To learn more, visit asapbc.org.
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