Chelan County Hosting Open House For Newly-Renovated Veteran Services Office
Chelan County is hosting an open house to showcase its newly-renovated Veteran Services Office next week.
The single-story home at 428 Orondo Avenue in Wenatchee was built in 1950 and purchased by the County in 1995 to house its Veteran Services department.
The County began working on the upgrades last November when it temporarily relocated the Veterans Services department to its administrative offices at 400 Douglas Street.
Chelan County Commissioner Shon Smith says the retrofit was largely done due to a need to modernize the building and bring its spaces into compliance with current standards associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"This is a 75-year-old building that was converted to office space over twenty years ago. We used about $250,000 in COVID relief monies from the American Rescue Plan Act to pay for the renovations, so it didn't effect our general fund at all. And that was an allocated expense for that which was within the County's uses."
In 2023, the County conducted an ADA facilities assessment which identified its Veteran Services Office as the most in need of renovations among its numerous buildings.
Smith says the improvements were completed earlier this summer and also included many that were not required to make the more ADA friendly.
"We had a new wheelchair ramp installed and doorways were made larger accommodate wheelchairs. The bathroom is now fully ADA compliant, and we also made electrical upgrades for safety and efficiency. We even installed energy-efficient doors and windows and made updates in the kitchen. And put fresh coats of paint on the outside and inside. It all just makes the building a lot more accessible and welcoming to the people that we serve."
The County employed seven local contracting companies to complete the renovations, all of whom donated materials and discounted labor to the project, according to Smith.
The open house will happen on Thursday, Sept. 25 from 1-3 p.m.
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Gallery Credit: Kevin Miller