MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — When Barrett Township bought the former Barrett Elementary Center near Mountainhome in the fall of 2022, it was in rough shape.
"There was massive vandalism. There was painting on the walls, ceiling tiles ripped down, 60 broken windows. It needed a lot of work."
Now, it's the Barrett Township Administrative and Recreation Complex.
Pamela Gardsy is the township administrative and operations director. She says the building underwent a $2 million overhaul to bring services and activities together under one roof.
"Being a rural area, it's hard for people sometimes to get transportation for different activities or appointments they'd like to attend, so having everything in one location really helps the people," Gardsy said.
Now that renovations are complete, the township is ready to welcome the community.
Groups like Friendly Community Center are able to offer activities like chair yoga in a much larger space. That class is just one of many it offers.
"Now we have more than 30 programs and are growing weekly. We are hoping to add a self-defense class in the future, more programs for seniors, more programs for children," said Nicole Abrams, Friendly Community Center executive director.
The township is gearing up to host an open house to showcase the progress made and discuss the future of adding services.
"We would love to add a fitness center, an urgent care or a doctor's office. We are in talks with people for those things, but if anyone is interested in opening those things, we have a location for them," Gardsy said.
Gardsy says the whole project was funded through community donations and grants.
The open house will be held on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.