| Name | Reginald |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Smith |
| Home Address | 200 WEST 38TH STREET Chattanooga, TN 37410, TN 37410 United States |
| Organization Name | United Methodist Neighborhood Centers, Inc DBA The Bethlehem Center |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Executive Director |
| Organization Address | 200 WEST 38TH STREET Chattanooga, TN 37410 United States |
| Website | https://www.thebeth.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4232661384 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 4233141195 |
| Email Address | rsmith@thebeth.org |
| Alternate Email Address | boardchair@thebeth.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Back in 2019, the Beth received community feedback informing us what we already knew about our ageing facilities. This was spurred by plumbing incidents, HVAC malfunctions, and the general disrepair and challenges that occur with heavy traffic. In addition, there was another call-to-action to attract quality early childhood care to Alton Park, something our current facilities cannot accommodate. To this end, The Bethlehem Center engaged with an architectural firm and other partners to put a plan to paper to better serve the community. The Bethlehem Center respectfully requests funding for two specific cost items that fall under the interim final rule. These items are necessary infrastructure projects to directly support our ability to “respond to the public health emergency and its negative economic impacts.” The two items are: The Bethlehem Center Energy Efficiency, Code, and Interior Upgrade to make our space safer, cleaner, climate resilient, and more inviting during COVID-19 response. Creation of The Beth Early Childhood Learning Center with the goal of becoming a Head Start location to provide a quality childcare option in Alton Park More technical project information is available in the link provided below in the “Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project?” In addition, we have other reports that are available upon request. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | As first responders and human services providers, everything we do is to help build resiliency, address public health inequities, and break cyclical poverty. Our requested capital improvement project will help us continue—and expand—programs to operate more safely in a pandemic environment. We believe that our application aligns with the priority area of “... respond to the public health emergency and its negative economic impacts” in the following ways: Public Health Uses COVID-19 mitigation and prevention: As identified in the interim final rule, vulnerable communities are adversely impacted due to space limitations. Proposed infrastructure improvements will provide a mechanism for social distancing and the ability to use barriers to separate people. In addition, the work will improve the climate for learning through plumbing upgrades, better climate control, more efficient lighting, and other environmental improvements. An example of a program that could likely return in the future is virtual school. The Beth hosted virtual school for children who could not attend class from home and/or did not feel safe at their assigned school when in-person instruction was offered. Improve the design and execution of health and public health programs: With additional space, we are able to better host partner programs that directly mitigate the spread of the virus. This includes testing, vaccinations, and other health education efforts. Public health and staff safety: A 5,800 sq.ft. early education building will include additional office space for staff. Due to overcrowding, staff currently are on a remote work rotation to reduce the spread of the virus. Loans, grants, or in-kind assistance to implement COVID-19 prevention or mitigation tactics, such as physical plant changes to enable social distancing, enhanced cleaning efforts, barriers or partitions, or COVID-19 vaccination, testing, or contact tracing programs: In addition to those listed in the interim final rule, The Beth needs more space so that case management can take place in settings that allow for social distancing. Addressing Educational Disparities: This includes improved space to host virtual learning centers for Hamilton County Schools students as needed, extending learning/enrichment programs, as well as compliant space in which The Beth can offer an early learning service, such as Head Start. Promoting Healthy Childhood Environments. Our programming provides safe and affordable care for vulnerable children who have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our project is clear, defined, and impactful. With our new data tracking system in place, we feel certain we can show you the investment outcomes. |
| Where would your project take place? | ONn site at The Bethlehem Center 200 West 38th Street Chattanooga Tn, 37410 |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 4893879 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 12-18 months |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Percentage of completion of the construction and renovation project reported from the contractor. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | In our full proposal, we propose a higher compliance officer and bringing on Croy Engineering for Compliance and Reporting to oversee the project from an accountability and transparency standpoint. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The Beth serves as a community hub and point of resource for South Chattanooga, Alton Park, and the surrounding communities. We are located at the center of several inner-city communities, including the Emma Wheeler Homes, Alton Park Villages, Piney Woods, Oak Hills, and the Alton Place apartments, which house over 1,100 children, families, and adults. The Alton Park zip code of 37410 ranks within the 98th percentile for socio-economic deprivation in Hamilton county. The community is predominately Black (88%) with a growing Hispanic/Latino population. The average income for these communities is $19,000 and the unemployment rate is 25%. Sixty percent of the households are headed by single parents, and 95% fall below the poverty line. These families have fewer resources available to them than the county at large, and they experience various inequalities which further hinder them. The American Community Survey indicated that among this group, 12% of people are over the age of 65, and 23% are raising their grandchildren. In addition, 23.7 % of the community reported a disability. Of those reporting a disability, 16.3% are under 18 years old, 23.7% are 18 to 64, and 42.2% of those were 65 and older. In addition to its primary service population of 37410, The Bethlehem Center’s reach extends to the residents of 37407, 37408, and 37409. This project allows for us to respond to the needs of our community and support them during this rebuilding stage post-pandemic. As we move into uncharted territory post covid, the community needs access to spaces that provide safety, security, access to resources, and information. These facility upgrades allow for better utilization of existing spaces to provide more impactful community programming while adding new spaces to build on the work currently taking place and allow for expansion in the future. Additionally having spaces that both adults and children can utilize in close proximity supports our 2Gen Approach that allows for building family well-being by intentionally and simultaneously working with children and adults in their lives together. 2Gen or multi-generational family approaches center on the whole family to create a legacy of educational successes and economic prosperity that passes from one generation to the next. Anecdotally, these upgrades also improve South Chattanooga residents' quality of life as it gives them a safe place to live, learn, and play. Reimagining these spaces with modern building codes and the appropriate safety enhancements allows for better outcomes for the community as a whole and are is aligned with the City of Chattanooga's One Chattanooga Plan as detailed in the full report. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | A term-limited employee, Special Projects Manager, will be hired to ensure that our community is engaged throughout this process using best practices. Buy-in is not an issue as our community has been engaged in these conversations. |
| Name | Reginald F. Smith, II |
| Contact Information | rsmith@thebeth.org |
| Name | Croy Engineering - Russell Moorehead |
| Contact Information | rmoorehead@croyeng.com |
| Name | Tyson & Associates Construction James Tyson |
| Contact Information | james@tysoncon.com |
| Name | Workshop: Architecture Wayne Williams |
| Contact Information | wayne@workshoparch.net |
| Name | COMMUNITY CONSULTANTS, LLC - Stefanie deOlloqui & Christa Mannarino |
| Contact Information | Stefanie@communityconsultants.co / Christa@communityconsultants.co |
| Name | River City Accountant - Jamie Barbeauld |
| Contact Information | info@rivercityaccountant.com |
| Name | Community Consultants Latino Outreach Angela Garcia |
| Contact Information | Angela@communityconsultants.co |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | The full proposal with justifications, programing, construction budgets, timeline, and blueprints are available with the links below. Direct link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-x-AD13A5S-en8Za8l5cGKSaccLWFqyD/view?usp=sharing |