Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Groundbreaking held for Surprise Community and Resource Center; Maricopa County pledges $18 million
Summary
Local leaders marked the start of construction on the Surprise Community and Resource Center, a planned 35,000-square-foot facility funded in part by an $18 million contribution from Maricopa County to serve seniors, veterans, people experiencing homelessness and nearby residents.
Local leaders and officials broke ground on the Surprise Community and Resource Center in Surprise, Arizona, where Maricopa County contributed $18,000,000 toward a planned 35,000-square-foot facility, organizers said.
The center is intended to provide services for seniors, veterans, people experiencing homelessness and health-care connections for residents of Surprise and the surrounding Sun Cities, organizers said. A staff member at the ceremony described the facility as “a huge new 35,000 square foot facility that will help with senior citizens, veterans, homeless, health care for the people in the surrounding community, including Surprise and the Sun Cities.”
The project drew remarks from local officials highlighting the city’s growth and the need for centralized services. Mayor Kevin Sarter said the center comes at “the perfect time” given recent population increases in Surprise. A local leader at the event added, “We're really excited because it's actually some of the very first heads or classrooms ever to go in the city of Surprise. It's a shining example of how governments can work together. Can work together.”
Organizers framed the center as a resource that community organizations can use to refer residents in need. A resident who spoke at the event said, "It will help us because always churches get benevolent pleas coming to them, and we're not always able to fulfill, the pleas that come to us, but to have a resource bank that we can refer." Another attendee said, "We all strive to help our veterans and and do what we can in that. And to get the support from your city is is awesome. It it'll give us a central place to meet, to send people to."
Officials present shared funding and scope details at the ceremony but did not specify an opening date for the center. Other logistical details, including the project timeline, construction contractor and ongoing operating funding sources, were not specified during the remarks recorded at the event.
The groundbreaking follows requests from community members for easier access to social-service referrals and centralized meeting space for veterans and faith-based organizations. Additional updates, including construction milestones and an opening date, have not been announced publicly as of the ceremony.
