Last year was a long year for our top-notch facilities team. They take care of dozens of buildings, cottages, and staff residences across two large campuses. It’s a job that never ends, and we don’t know what we’d do without them.
Renovation of Day Treatment Spaces
In Winston-Salem, there were several major projects completed or nearing completion in 2019. The first was a refurbishment in Lewis Building, home of our Day Treatment program. The work included painting, new flooring, light fixtures, and furniture. The building now accommodates both our Day Treatment staff and students in a bright and fun space that enables our students to work towards their goals.
Additionally, a gift from Mrs. Shirley E. Watson enabled us to design and create a butterfly sensory garden outside of Lewis, which spilled over to Wrenn, the building next door. Part of this work included a large butterfly mural painted on the façade of the Lewis Building. Landscape architect, Kristen Haaf, of Roots First, created a beautiful design that has now become a calm and peaceful place for our children and staff.
Hanes Cottage Renovation
The largest project on campus has been the complete renovation of Hanes Cottage and the attached dining hall. On the cottage side of the building, Hanes was completed gutted and all asbestos and lead paint abated. The interior of the cottage was then rebuilt to include two staff rooms, seven bedrooms, an office, kitchen, laundry room, dining room, and living room. Our oldest youth recently moved into Hanes and are loving the new digs. The Cottage Parents in Hanes say that the new cottage has a very homey feeling. Their favorite part is the kitchen and bedrooms. They say that the students have adjusted well to their new space, and are enjoying the new freedom that has come along with it.
On the dining hall side of the building, which was also gutted and abated, we now have a fully operational commercial kitchen with all new appliances. The dining hall has a seating capacity of 80 and will be used for meals, meetings, and staff training. It is a great place for all of the Winston staff and children to be together (when all of this social distancing is over!), similar to the dining hall or covered shelter community spaces on our Avery campus.
A new kitchen and commissary!
Additionally, part of the original cottage was a large open room at the end of a long hall. This room has been closed off from the cottage and outside access was added. This is our new commissary with a commercial freezer, cooler, and dry storage space. The commissary is where cottage parents pick up their groceries and supplies for their cottage each week.
I.L. Long was the general contractor for the Hanes job and worked in conjunction with Kenny Cook, Crossnore’s Chief Facilities Officer, and Stephen Nakagawa, Director of Facilities. The project also included new power lines to the Hanes building with a new generator and a transformer with underground power lines. This sets up a solid infrastructure for the future when other lines can be moved to below ground. Stephen Nakagawa said, “We are grateful to I.L. Long for their work on this project. This is our third major project together and they are easy to work with, well-organized, and cover all their bases.”
When our campuses open back up to the public, please call any of our locations to schedule a tour and to find out more about our work. We’d love to have you!
