MANSFIELD — It may not look like there’s been much change at the community center at 486 Springmill Street.
But behind the scenes, work to transform the building into a state-of-the-art facility continues.
The North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) purchased the property in 2021. The organization plans to transform it into a larger, more modern community impact center through renovations and additional construction.
NECIC’s board publicly announced its vision — an $8 million project facility that would fill the void left by the closure of the former Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center — in March 2022.
The proposed facility will include resources like a community room, gymnasium, theater, classrooms, a computer lab and leasable space for businesses — just to name a few.
Despite some fundraising hurdles last year, the team at NECIC said the project is still moving forward — just on a different timeline.
“The center is the culmination of 20 years of planning. This isn’t something we just came up with yesterday,” said interim CEO Tony Chinni.
NECIC has already begun the first phase of the project, which has a total fundraising goal of $4 million. The non-profit has raised and spent $1 million for phase one.
Most of the funds have been used to lay the groundwork for the rest of the project, according to development officer Melissa Drozda.
“Money that’s already been expended has been on things like environmental assessment, civil engineering, architectural planning, pre-development fees,” Drozda said.
The rest of phase one will include renovations to the existing building, the creation of an eSports lab, installation of a commercial kitchen, development of an art gallery and upgrades to the community meeting space.
Green renovations projected to cut utility bills by at least 40 percent
Many of the renovations — including changes to flooring, insulation and the addition of energy efficient windows — are focused on making the facility environmentally-friendly.
“(As of now) it will be the most green building in Richland County when it’s done,” Drozda said. “It’s a little bit more pricey upfront, but we’re going to reduce our utility (bills) forever.”
Per NECIC’s architect, FiELD9: architecture, the facility’s green renovations should lower its energy bills by at least 40 percent. It may also open up addition grant opportunities for the building.
“There’s tons of green energy grant money out there under the IRA, which is the inflation Reduction Act, and so it gives us access to those dollars as well,” Drozda said.
In addition to raising $1 million for the project’s first phase, NECIC has also raised more than $800,000 for future phases of the project.
Drozda said that’s because some donors and granters earmarked their contributions for specific aspects of the community impact center. One example is a grant NECIC received for its planned medical clinic.
“We’re continuing the fundraise for the whole project as we’re fundraising for phase one. So any unrestricted dollars that come in will go to phase one,” she said. “However, I’m still looking at those big energy grants and all of those.”
Drozda said the organization hopes to complete phase one by the end of 2025. Fundraising progress will ultimately determine the timeline.
What about ARPA funds?
Mansfield City Council voted to designate $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the project in May 2022.
The city pulled back those funds recently, since NECIC won’t be able to meet ARPA deadlines. All ARPA-funded projects must be complete by the end of 2026. The funds have since been reallocated for other projects, including concrete walkways along King Street and in Johns Park.
Richland County Commissioners denied a request from NECIC for $2 million in ARPA in February 2023.