Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
With area builders pitching in to renovate the old Smart & Final store near the Las Vegas-North Las Vegas boundary, the folks at the MASH Village will have about half a million dollars more to spend on homeless services.
That's the projected savings for the facility at 1581 N. Main St. that will become the MASH Crisis Intervention Center and house numerous homeless service organizations.
"The crisis intervention center is the heart of MASH (Mobile Assistance and Shelter for the Homeless)," said Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, noting that the city purchased the building four years ago.
"Builders have pitched in before on projects like the Shade Tree Shelter, but the savings (on construction costs) for this job will be huge (compared to past projects)."
The renovation plans were unveiled at a Tuesday news conference at MASH.
Since the shelter portion of the facility opened three days before Christmas 1995 with the help of city and Clark County funding, the administrative and crisis intervention services have been housed in cramped quarters at Catholic Charities' St. Vincent shelter across the street from MASH.
"It has been extremely tough as we've had to double up agencies in the rooms," said MASH Program Manager Linda Lera-Randleel, noting a "tremendous savings in rent" by moving to the new building.
The old Smart & Final building has about 13,000 square feet. The 300-bed shelter nearby is 40,000 square feet.
The renovated building will serve as a starting point in the process to help homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless achieve economic and social self-sufficiency.
Among the programs offered by the facility are case management, children's activities, self-esteem classes, adult basic education, family literacy, job skills workshops, career counseling, an addiction recovery program, support groups and parenting classes.
Lera-Randleel said there will be more breathing room not only for the various agencies -- state Welfare will have a full-service office at the site, for example -- but also for the needy seeking services.
"In February, we saw 1,598 people, and we really do not have an adequate reception area (for so many)," she said.
Plans for the renovated facility include a huge reception area and a special waiting room for children whose parents are seeking assistance.
While area businesses, led by general contractor Real Property Services Corp., are donating materials and labor, the Rev. Joe Carroll, MASH president, said it won't be a totally free ride.
"We expect to have to come up with about $200,000 in private donations to cover some of the costs," said Carroll, past recipient of the United Nations' World Habitat Award and ex-President George Bush's Thousand Points of Light No. 42.
"But that's not bad when you consider we will get more than $3 donated for every $1 we raise. Also, we expect the job will take six months to complete because the labor is volunteer. They will be working mostly on weekends and between jobs. "
Carroll reckons it would take four months to complete the renovations if MASH had footed the entire bill for the work.
Arnie Stalk, vice president of RPS, who has worked with MASH since its inception, said while it may take a little longer to complete the crisis center renovation, nothing will be shortchanged in the materials and skilled work departments.
"We will be using first-rate materials -- nothing used -- including glass block and other donated services like plumbing," he said. "Right now, we are desperately in need of (volunteer) carpenters and drywallers.
"When we are done, I think people will be surprised at what they see."
Along with RPS President Allan Bird, Stalk was able to secure donations from several companies and agencies, including Allied Flooring Services, Brown Masonry, Certified Fire Protection, Desert Plumbing, Earlybird Supply, Kevin Mercier, Larry's Refrigeration, the Mechanical Contractors Association, Paco's Painting Service, Project Spotless and the Pipe Fitters Union.
Donations can be made by calling 388-0141.
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