North Range Behavioral Health plans new building

GREELEY – North Range Behavioral Health is moving this year to consolidate some of its mental-health services – spread among 15 different service locations across Greeley and one in Fort Lupton – by building a new outpatient and administration facility in north Greeley.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new $5 million, 33,000-square-foot building at North 17th Avenue and M Street is set for May 30, but construction is expected to begin sometime before that, said Debbie Pilch, executive assistant to North Range’s executive director, Wayne Maxwell.

“It’s been a long time coming – about two years,” Pilch said. “It’s a huge deal for our county and our clients. They deserve quality and efficiency, and I think we can provide that for them with this new building.”

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And then there’s a staff overcrowding issue that’s been a growing concern for the organization. “We’ve got folks crammed into many of these places,´ said John Rattle, chief financial officer. “We’ve added about 12 to 15 staff in the last couple of years.”

Move offers savings

Rattle said North Range has a plan for funding the new building that includes lease savings on offices and buildings that will be vacated when it opens and the sale of some properties the organization owns. “We could sell anywhere from one to four buildings, depending on our utilization (of the new facility),” he said.

Also included in the financing plan is $1.5 million set aside by North Range’s board of directors for the project and up to $2.5 million from tax-exempt financing over the next 20 years.

The only public assistance for the project comes in the form of five acres of land donated by the county. “We had to improve the land and remove an operating (gas) well,” Rattle said. “That property was really unusable as it was.”

Rattle said the new building will help North Range expand its treatment capacity by an estimated 150 to 175 additional clients. The new facility will include an on-site pharmacy, room for medical offices and space to continue growing.

“It will house more than 110 staff, so it’s big,” he said.

Accessible center

The new building will be located near other county services buildings and is on the city’s bus route. “We work with Island Grove Treatment Center and that’s right across the street and the bus goes by there,” Pilch said. “Things just kept falling into place to make it the perfect location.”

Architect for the project is Hauser Architects PC and the general contractor is Roche Constructors, both Greeley firms. The building is scheduled for completion by January.

Rebecca Koppes Conway, president of North Range Behavioral Health’s board of directors, said the new building marks a “huge” milestone for the organization.

“This will allow us to rejuvenate our mission and provide services even more efficiently and with better quality than in the past,” she said.

“I think it’s going to be easier for everyone to use,” she added. “It’s going to be a change for many people and hopefully a very positive one.”