Opportunity Builders to open new facility in weeks

A few weeks from now, Opportunity Builders Inc.'s new Millersville location will be a hotbed of activity.

The developmentally disabled individuals who come to the agency for job training and placement will fill the building, working on projects designed to help them earn money and live more independently.

And Vicki Callahan, OBI's executive director, can't wait to see their faces.

Recently, she took a group of clients by the building on Veterans Highway, and their excited expressions were priceless, she said.

They're not the only ones who are excited.

"This has been a dream of OBI's for 25 years," Mrs. Callahan said.

On Jan. 21, the staff at OBI and the 300 clients they serve will move into their new home, which is about 30 percent larger than their current location in Hanover.

The 41,000-square-foot building has more room for computer training activities and other workshops, and the surrounding open space will provide a place for outside activities. Skylights illuminate the main hallway through the building, and yellow and soft blue tones brighten up its interior.

"It's a very comfortable, appealing atmosphere," Mrs. Callahan said. "The lighting within the building is great. Every room has natural light."

The end price tag was about $9 million, $3.4 million of which was state and county funding. Another $1.4 million came out of the agency's reserve funds and $750,000 was from private donations. The remainder will be paid through tax-exempt bonds.

"Five years ago, we said it was kind of now or never," board president Chet Lawrence said.

OBI board members searched for about three years for the perfect property before Mrs. Callahan stumbled across the Millersville lot by chance.

"I had gotten in the habit of driving wherever and looking for sale signs," Mrs. Callahan said. "Then I saw this."

The 14.5-acre property is right off Interstate 97 and near Routes 32 and 100, making transportation convenient. OBI serves clients from throughout the county, and van drivers pick them up at their homes every morning and bring them back in the evenings.

"We try to keep van runs to an hour at the longest, but it seems like the first person picked up in the mornings is always the last one dropped off," Mrs. Callahan said. "This central location minimizes the time clients will spend in the vans."

She estimates that will save OBI between 10 and 15 percent on fuel costs.

Building architect Cathy Purple Cherry, who has a disabled son, has built a career on designing buildings geared toward disabled individuals.

She also designed the new building for the Providence Center, an agency with a mission similar to OBI's. That building, just a few miles down the road, opened in September 2006.

"It's very easy for her to understand what benefits the individuals," Mrs. Callahan said of Ms. Purple Cherry's work. "There's a central loop around the building, which makes the building easy to navigate. She totally got all that. And when she walked through our building, she was instantly comfortable with the population."

Ms. Purple Cherry's son has a disability that falls under the autism spectrum. She also has a brother with Down syndrome, and he works in a facility in Virginia similar to OBI.

Designing buildings for the developmentally disabled is her passion in life, she said. "I think growing up with a disabled brother, and having a disabled son, has led me to be more observant and more aware of the issues that impact people with developmental disabilities."

The building is also certifiable under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. Green components include insulation made out of recycled denim and carpeting made out of recyclable materials.

Going through the LEED certification process, though, would cost the agency at least $40,000, so the board opted not to apply.

"We want to do what we can to be green, but we didn't want to spend money we didn't have to," Mrs. Callahan said.

Mr. Lawrence said his 38-year-old son, a longtime OBI client, is looking forward to working in the new building.

"He always asks me, 'When is it ready? When is it ready?' I remember telling him 'one year,' which is hard for him to understand," Mr. Lawrence said. "But now we're down to two weeks."

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house will be held on March 9 at the building at 8855 Veterans Highway, Millersville, in honor of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. OBI's annual Mardi Gras fundraiser will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 7, with tours of the building beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50. For tickets, call Leslie Prewitt at 410-787-0700.