Capping off nearly four years of planning and construction, VTC Enterprises proudly unveiled its new Quality Life Services Building in Santa Maria on Sept. 29.
Approximately 250 people gathered to see the new facility, a brightly colored, 18,300 square-foot building, which is expected to house programs for occupational training, work experience, and other services to roughly 100 local residents.
Following the building’s grand opening, VTC Enterprises CEO Kirk Spry told the Sun he sees the building as the start of a new era for the organization.
According to Spry, the new facility will serve the program’s most severely disabled clients, many of whom rely on wheelchairs and require additional assistance. Services unique to the new building include a ceiling-mounted tracking system, which operates much like a harness, to help transfer people dependent on wheelchairs from their chair to other areas more safely and gently, and will place less physical demands on the staff.
The new building also includes an interior courtyard, allowing clients to enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment, Spry said.
Perhaps most important, Spry said, was the “ample space” the building provides. He said he was pleased that, even with more than 200 people inside during the Sept. 29 tour, there was space to spare.
“When we saw everyone inside, and it wasn’t crowded, we said to ourselves, ‘Hey—we’ve done it,’” Spry said.
He said his organization couldn’t take all the credit for the new building, however, and pointed to the collective hand provided by local designers Palacios Architects and contractors Diani Building Corp. and Smith Electric—all located in Santa Maria.
“We made the decision very early on that we wanted to stay local and that we were going to ask the community for help,” Spry said. “I can’t tell you how supportive they’ve been in this effort in keeping our costs down.”
The total cost of the project came in at roughly $3.9 million, most of which was raised by VTC through private donations. The organization took out a bridging loan for the remainder.
Spry said the facility isn’t officially open at full capacity, however, as the second phase of construction—which entails demolishing obsolete structures and installing an access road—is expected to be complete by spring 2012.
The VTC currently serves 350 people with developmental disabilities and other barriers to employment in Northern Santa Barbara County and Southern San Luis Obispo County, and has been doing so since 1961. The program is set to celebrate 50 years in operation this year.
This article appears in Oct 6-13, 2011.
