VSC Celebrates Grand Opening of New Headquarters on Waterloo Road
Veterans and general public invited to opening festivities
Posted: 09/02/2009
AKRON, Ohio (Sept. 2, 2009) – The Veterans Service Commission of Summit County (VSC) will celebrate the completion of its new building with two days of grand opening events to take place Sept. 11-12 at its new headquarters, 1060 E. Waterloo Rd., Akron.
Summit County Executive Russel M. Pry will offer a special address during a program for invited guests on Friday, Sept. 11. The public, especially Summit County veterans, are invited to grand opening activities planned for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.
Saturday’s free events begin with a special opening ceremony to include the posting of colors and a dedication offered by VSC Commissioners. VSC Executive Director George Baker also will offer a special welcome to Gold Star Families of Summit County during the day’s events. Gold Star Families are relatives of soldiers killed in the line of military service.
The rest of the day features music, refreshments and tours of the new 16,000-square-foot building. Inside, visitors can view more than 100 of local artist Bill Rawling’s portraits of Ohio fallen soldiers donated to VSC to display in its new community room.
VSC broke ground on the $2.2 million building last July. The new building, completed two months ahead of schedule and under budget, is almost four times the size of the current two-floor office on Park Street in downtown Akron. The extra space allows for a larger, 90-space parking lot, a 3,000-square-foot meeting room and veterans learning center with computers veterans can use for job searches, education and completing applications for VSC assistance. The new facility is also handicap accessible and located all on one floor, where the 154-year-old former facility was troublesome to maneuver through for disabled veterans.
Baker said much of the credit for the dream of a new building becoming a reality is due to the partnership the agency enjoys with the current Summit County administration.
“The unselfishness of the County Executive and County Council is paramount in how this thing came together,” Baker said. “We met with Russ Pry during the first week of his tenure and within an hour we got all issues resolved and were on our way to a new building – something we couldn’t previously get done in 12 years.”
The Summit County Executive’s Capital Projects and Physical Plants divisions oversaw the building project. Brian Clark, the division’s deputy director oversaw the coordination between GDP Associates, the architects, and Harp Contractors, the builder, throughout the process.
“Leaving the old facility where I’d served for the past 19 years will be bittersweet, but we all look forward to new days of expanded services for Summit County veterans in our new, conveniently located headquarters,” said Baker. “Our veteran community has been very patient in waiting for a facility that is representative of the respect they deserve. I’m quite optimistic that they’ll be more than pleased when they visit on September 12.”
# # #
Veterans Service Commission of Summit County (VSC) provides comprehensive support services to Summit County residents who have served in any branch of the military. Veterans and their families who demonstrate need receive free financial, transportation and medical assistance as well as coordination and processing help with Veterans Administration (VA) claims and benefits. The agency was created in 1886 to aid veterans upon their return home from duty.