It
’s showtime Monday morning when ground is officially broken for
Morgan Hill’s South County Dayworker Center.
It’s showtime Monday morning when ground is officially broken for Morgan Hill’s South County Dayworker Center.
The hiring hall will be located temporarily – for five years or so – on Depot Street where it meets East Main Avenue on land leased – for $1 a month – from Weston Miles Architects. The firm is renovating the old Isaacson’s Grain Co. building into offices for itself and commercial space but will not immediately need the extra vacant land.
Julian Mancias, head of the St. Catherine’s Dayworker Committee and instigator behind the formal center, said he expects construction to take about three months.
The center will be run by the SCDC, which is forming the center’s board of directors. Mancias said Tuesday that the board, which now numbers 12 – they need three more – will provide overall guidance and oversight. Community members are encouraged to apply.
Weston Miles is the largest, but not the only group, donating time, money or materials to the project, which has been in the works by the SCDC for more than two years.
Mancias said help is still needed.
“We do need volunteer contractors to help with construction,” Mancias said. “We are trying to mitigate installation of the parking lot – possibly using baserock and less asphalt to save money.” He said the committee is definitely looking for donations of time and material.
A grand black and white ball, planned for this New Year’s Eve, is expected to raise even more.
In the meantime the workers, out in the rain and cold, have hope for the future.
The name “South County” was chosen over “St. Catherine’s,” Mancias said, for a reason.
“We feel very strongly that this is a community project.”
South County Dayworker Center groundbreaking, 9:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 1, Depot Street at East Main Avenue. Details: 779-7271.
