Businesses pitch in to help build new facility for Children’s Home

LONGMONT — Volunteers from around Boulder County broke ground last fall on an ambitious philanthropy project that is nearly complete: a 6,000-square-foot administration building for the Mountain States Children’s Home (MSCH) just north of Longmont on U S Highway 287.

“Pratt would estimate the value of this project to be approximately $450,000 to $500,000,´ said Russ Wright, a production scheduler for Pratt Management Companies of Longmont. “That’s assuming an $80 per square foot construction rate at 6,000 square feet.”

The new facility has approximately six offices, a large meeting space and storage area. The cost of construction to MSCH will be zippo.

“We do have an administrative building, but we’ve outgrown it,´ said MSCH Executive Director Randy Schow.

Typically, MSCH helps teen-agers who are dealing with personal issues and prepares them to reach the goals of reuniting them with their families or preparing for independence after high school. MSCH also offers the resident children with a supervised 4-H horse riding program. The children attend local, public schools and live with “house parents” and other children in family-style housing.

MSCH is not an adoption agency, nor does it have an adoption license or receive state funds.

The new administrative building will provide MSCH with the opportunity to assist more children, Schow said. “It will allow us to build two more cottages. So, we’d be looking at another 12 to 16 children.”

The larger facility also will allow more room for parent training, family counseling and parent support group meetings. “The initial goal was to complete the entire building with donations,” Wright said. So, far that goal is looking like a done deal.

“It’s a volunteer effort that Pratt and many community members have undertaken,´ said Don Hostetter, a design and construction manager for Pratt. “We hope to have it completed this fall.”

The wood frame and brick veneer structure was designed to fit into MSCH’s residential setting, so that it wouldn’t look out of place, Hostetter said. Most of the volunteers have worked weekends for the past year. Lately, however, there has been a push to get the building done, and people have shown up to work days and evenings.

One of the main tools that has helped the project move toward completion is a newsletter that Wright created for Pratt and the other volunteers, which has been sent out to the community. One channel that has helped the newsletter reach its intended audience of business owners was the Longmont Chamber of Commerce, which distributed the newsletter to community leaders.

“We’ve gotten cash as well as materials from the community,” Wright said.

Some of the businesses that have contributed materials, money, labor or in-kind donations to the project include: Allstate Fire Protection, Inc., Alpine Lumber Company, Byrns Custom Gutters, Colotex Electric Supply Company, Del’s Masonry, Inc., Golden’s Companies, Graybar, Harding Glass, Jud Caissons Inc., Lawson Construction Co., Marrou Concrete Inc., Metalwest, Moats Concrete Pumping, Robinson Brick Company, Terracon, Today’s Flooring Installations, Western Disposal, Overhead Door and Neenan.

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