Lifelong Access hosted a Golden Hammer event on Tuesday to update the public on the former Pantagraph building the agency is renovating.
The open house featured comments from people representing Lifelong Access, Chestnut Health Systems and the Regional Office of Education. The latter two also will be tenants in the building anticipated to open in 2026. Lifelong Access is expanding services to the new site without leaving its current location on Jacobssen Drive in Normal.
Most of the funding for the $26 million project is coming from a $21.7 million grant via partnership between the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services and the Illinois Capital Development Board. Erik Zdansky, grants and quality assurance manager at Lifelong Access, said he is working to secure other grant money for the project. Donations to help fund the project were encouraged during the event.
The remodel was allowed to retain some existing features because of the S-4 Historic Preservation District overlay that was applied to the property at 301 W. Washington St. earlier this year. Features range from an elevator shaft that will receive improvements rather than being replaced, to the overall foundation of the building.
“A lot of the walls on the exterior of the building are going to be able to stay in place,” said Dan Ramos, executive vice president of operations for Lifelong Access.
Bidding for abatement and demolition work has been done, said Karl Kopp, chief executive officer for Lifelong Access. He said other bids will be coming as work continues. Demolition work and abatement should begin in late September. Kopp said that would put the building on a timeline to be "white boxed," meaning all non-essential interior finishes and debris fragments are removed, by December.
“Then the other trades can come in and do their work,” said Kopp.
The Regional Alternative School will take up the west side of the building. Mark Jontry, regional superintendent of schools for the Regional Office of Education, said the space will allow for more kids to be served. Some prospective students, said Jontry, have needed to be placed on waiting lists in the past.
“This space will allow us to provide more recreational opportunities for those students, it'll allow us to provide more STEAM opportunities for those students, and most importantly it will allow us to do some more hand-offs for critical care that they need, both social services and other health-related services,” he said.
Chestnut Health will take up several different portions of the building that has three floors, including a basement.
“We are very excited by the idea of offering pediatric primary care, dental wellness and adolescent behavioral health treatment,” said Puneet Leekha, Chestnut's nchief operating officer. “And this may just be the beginning.”
The trio of organizations had worked together to plan a site that could house all three in June 2024, before a purchase of the former Pantagraph building was official.
“Collaboration has always been one of Chestnut Health’s strongly-held core values,” said Leekha. “I know one organization alone would not have been able to bring this level of investment to our downtown in one fell swoop.”
“The idea is that you can bring your family to one spot and then be referred for a bunch of different services,” added Zdansky.
Other speakers at the event included Sharon Chung, state representative from the 91st House District, Dan Brady, Bloomington mayor, and Cody Hendricks, Bloomington City Council member.
