New Wings Community Partnership
The New Wings Community Partnership project is a multi-use development designed to enhance the capacity of Middle Way House and the women and children it serves. It will provide housing and employment options, services for victims of violence, including childcare and youth programs, and serve as the focal point for a new community food sustainability endeavor at the former Coca-Cola Bottling Co. plant.
The project involves restoration of the historic brick structure and partial re-use of the metal warehouses (now removed). The first floor of the two-story portion of the historic building will be renovated into a kitchen facility and retail space for Food Works, Middle Way's employment program for formerly battered women facing multiple barriers to employment. The first floor will also house the newly funded US Department of Agriculture local food security project. The second floor will be renovated to provide six one-bedroom apartments for former clients. The attached, one-story brick warehouse will be developed as a child care facility. A new three-story structure will house Middle Way's administrative offices, crisis intervention and supportive services, and shelter. The development will render MWH services more accessible, enable business expansion and provide additional employment opportunities, and increase the organization's efficiency by consolidating operations. The new facility is expected to expand usable space by a factor of five.
Solar Electricity
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Middle Way House received a $25,000 Alternative Power and Energy grant from the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development to install solar thermal and electric systems, a 40% subsidy of the upfront cost of equipment and installation. The solar thermal system will provide almost 100% of the domestic hot water for the project via the 5 solar collectors on the roof (visible from the ground, heating two 120-gallon tanks in the basement. The solar photovoltaic electric system will generate up to 10% of the project's need with 36 flat, flexible panels attached to the roof, collecting energy from the sun. The inverter then changes the sun rays to an alternating current and feed it into the electrical panel that distributes the power throughout the building. A web-based monitor allows Middle Way House to follow the progress of the system.
Read more about how Middle Way House's solar energy system works in this Herald Times article. |
We would like to extend our thanks to the Indiana Office of Energy and Development for making this project possible!
Construction in Progress
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In July, Middle Way hired Weddle Bros. Building Group LLC as Construction Manager for the project.
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In September, the green, black and yellow terrazzo floor was restored to its former beauty by Santarossa Mosaic and Tile Co., Inc. and three of the original glassblock windows were rebuilt and restoration on the brick exterior finished by Whaley Construction Co., Inc.
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In November, the deconstruction of the metal warehouses was completed by the American Development & Excavation Co.
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In November, solar panels for hot water and electrical were installed on the roof of the historic structure by Mann Plumbing, Inc.
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Wall panels will be set in September and the
three-story building will begin to rise in stages, be sheathed in masonry
and finished on the inside throughout the fall.
Rehabilitation of the historic Coca-Cola Bottling Co. plant includes
selective demolition of the dropped ceilings, strengthening the roof
structures, installing new electrical and mechanical systems and building
out the new commercial kitchen, child care classrooms and six affordable
apartments. |
Contributions of services, products and equipment for the project are welcomed. Please contact Cynthia Brubaker, Project Development Coordinator for more information at (812) 333-7404.
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MWH is a United Way agency.