MRDD renovates house for disabilities facility

A dedication and open house are likely to be in September.
& lt;a href=mailto:leigh@vindy.com & gt;By NORMAN LEIGH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- A $1.3 million facility to benefit people with disabilities is set for completion in the next few weeks.
Workers are putting the final touches on the renovation and expansion of a former five-and-dime store along state Route 45 north of Lisbon that will house the center.
The facility will be operated by the Columbiana County agency of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
"It will serve our needs well," Gerald Baker, MRDD superintendent, said.
The center was created using agency funding. The $1.3 million budget includes the $346,000 that was paid for the building.
The center will serve people whose disabilities are so severe that they are unable to do many other activities, such as be employed in the agency's workshops.
Senior citizens with disabilities will use the center for knitting, cooking, games and other activities.
Running the facility
A 2,896-square-foot addition will house MRDD administrative offices.
The center will be staffed by nine full-time workers who will be transferred from other MRDD facilities in the county.
A supervisor will be hired to run the new facility, Baker said.
The post, which will require someone with a master's degree, is likely to pay about $40,000 annually, he added.
The agency also will hire a full-time custodian.
The center will become operational by mid-August. A dedication ceremony and open house probably will be in September, Baker said.
The project is not being completed without a hitch, however.
Construction, which began late in 2002, was postponed for several months by a dispute between the MRDD and the state, which said the facility should have a sprinkler system in case of fire.
MRDD officials initially argued that the structure's size, its intended use and plans to install fire walls made sprinklers unnecessary.
But the MRDD dropped its protest in October and agreed to put in sprinklers to avoid delaying the project further.
Installing the sprinklers added about $20,000 to the cost.