Comprehensive Plan

 

In Brief:

Our Community Place evolved out of the Free Food For All Soup Kitchen and became a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-deductible organization.

 

In an amazing grass roots community effort, OCP raised about $100,000 through music festivals, dinner theater, yard sales, community financing, adopt-a-window, newsletter communication, a jar on the counter at The Little Grill, large donations, small donations, and more....to buy the building and start renovations.

The building, located on the corner of Johnson and Main, sits on a 3/4 acre lot, and is a cinderblock shell with no plumbing, heat etc.

An all-volunteer board coordinated and completed, as time and money permited, some preliminary and necessary renovations: asbestos removal, exterior (blue) paint, water and sewer connection, new windows, and a new roof.

A community garden, a concrete basketball pad, and a sand volleyball court, and horseshoe pits are now in the yard.

Instead of continuing to do one renovation project at a time, the board decided that it was necessary to devote its time and energy to the development of a Comprehensive Plan for the renovation of the building.

A friendly volunteer with years of commercial renovation experience is a part of our team and willingly contributes his time, know-how, and sweat; guiding us through the process of designing and helping us to communicate in the foreign land of of engineers and city planners. He set the goal for renovation completion at Thanksgiving 2005.

So here we are! One year away from our goal. It's hard to believe we have already knocked down walls and are ready to put in the kitchen!

 

Items we need:

Demolition of interior walls was our first project, which we made fairly good progress on in January and February thanks to the help of volunteers. (Est. cost $500.00)

Plumbing and electrical work: Any donated materials would be welcome. Professional plumbers or electricians who are licensed to work in the City of Harrisonburg will be needed for much of the work as well as helpers. (Est. cost $15,000)

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System. (Est. cost $10,000)

ADA Compliance. (Est. cost $10,000)

Kitchen and Bathroom equipment. (Est. cost $15,000)

Doors, Permits, Other. (Est. cost $10,000)

 

Financing

The OCP was purchased through community financing. A number of community members gave loans of $1000 each for a total of $22,000, with the promise of repayment at the end of two, three, or four years at a chosen rate of between zero and five percent.

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