MORGANTOWN — PACE Enterprises has a vision for the future.
But in this case, the path forward requires looking back to where it all began — Pleasant Hill Avenue, Star City.
PACE Place is the working name of a roughly 9,000 square-foot, 12-unit independent living facility built to accommodate individuals overcoming disabilities.
“It’s kind of a full-circle thing that’s come around. The location where this will be built is the original location of PACE, which was housed there until the organization moved over to Mylan Park in 2010,” PACE Director of Marketing and Development Joe Lefkay said. “The founding families of our organization provided that building for us. … Those families now are going to donate that land to us.”
PACE is in the process of applying for federal grant dollars to assist with the project. The cost to PACE is currently estimated at $2.5 million.
“This is something that will be done. That grant will help us break ground a little quicker. If for some reason we do not get that money in December it may change the timetable but it’s not going to change the vision or the future of this plan,” Lefkay said.
The need is overwhelming.
Similar facilities in other parts of the country have waiting lists that stretch out for years. West Virginia leads the country in the percentage of its citizens with disabilities — about 25%, according to PACE.
Since 1972, the nonprofit, community-led organization has provided jobs and vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities throughout north-central West Virginia.
To provide those opportunities, the organization is always looking forward.
PACE Place is just one front in a three-pronged plan known as Vision 2025.
Another is the construction of an additional 5,000 square-feet of work and storage space at PACE’s main campus, located in Mylan Park.
Lefkay said PACE has reached a point where it’s starting to pass on contracts that would provide jobs ideally suited to its clients due to a lack of production space. This additional building, he continued, will bring more jobs to PACE and the community.
He said PACE employs between 100 and 150 clients at any given time, plus staff and administration.
Third, and maybe most importantly from the state level, is the PACE Trust Fund, the first and only pooled trust for West Virginians living with disabilities.
The trust allows individuals to receive a sum of money, like an inheritance, settlement or gift, without fear of losing means-tested benefits due to an increase in assets.
The trust is open to all West Virginia residents with disabilities, regardless of age or disability type. It can be joined with any sum over $5,000. The money in the accounts is available specifically for the benefit of the named beneficiary.
Lefkay said Vision 2025 is simply the continued evolution of an organization that’s served its community for more than 50 years.
“The majority of people in Mon County know of us. They know our mission and our cause,” he said. “This is just another step in our growth into the future — to be able to do more for our neighbors with disabilities and provide things they haven’t had available to them in the past.”
TWEET @DominionPostWV
