Tools & Resources
[Tools & Resources]
Carrie McGee (right) had a vision when she, and a group of mothers, founded the Whole Children program in 2004. The program was created to meet every child at their skill level in the most appropriate environment for that child, offering afterschool programming and classes from toddler through teens with a range of abilities, and operated on a volunteer basis until 2010 when they joined Pathlight.
Since that time, the program has grown exponentially, with additional programs spinning off to meet the needs of participants as they aged. The Inclusive Community Center’s old location in Hadley, MA was no longer meeting the needs of the growing programs and Carrie, Vice President at Pathlight and Director of the Whole Children, Milestones, and Whole Selves programs, knew it was time for an upgrade.
“We had been in our old space for 10 years. We had outgrown it and wanted to find a space that was more aligned to our mission: better accessibility, in a location that allowed for more community integration and accommodated our growth,” explained Carrie. Another goal for the new space was to bring together Pathlight’s Autism programs, which had been in Easthampton, thus creating a more robust community center housing five Pathlight programs in total: Whole Children, Whole Selves, Milestones, Family Empowerment, and Autism Connections.
“There are so many moving parts in a project of this scope, and when it’s not something you do regularly, it is easy to get overwhelmed and go wildly over budget.”
Enter CIL
Pathlight didn’t need the financing solutions offered through CIL’s traditional development model to make the Inclusive Community Center happen, but they knew they needed an ally to navigate the real estate, design, and construction coordination, so they reached out about development consulting services.
“I had worked with Chris Canna [CIL’s Vice President of Real Estate Development] on a space in Pittsfield for Autism Connections and Family Based Living services,” explained Carrie.
“I was so pleased with the quality, integrity and ease of working with Chris and CIL, that it was a quick decision to ask for help again.”
CIL Assistant Director of Real Estate Development Diana Deng kicked off the project by facilitating the selection and hiring of an architect to conduct a space needs analysis. CIL managed correspondence with the architect’s, led project meetings, and renegotiated the architects initial fee and scope, resulting in over $10,000 of savings for Pathlight.
From there, CIL began site search and evaluation based on Pathlight’s analysis and vision. CIL coordinated walk-throughs of possible locations with the realtor and architecture team to determine which space would best meet their needs.
The location that was selected has a bit of a poetic feel to it, the sense that a loop is being closed, that something is fully being made whole or right. Pathlight’s new space sits on the spot of the former gatehouse that led to the Northampton State Hospital, where those with mental illness were held in poor conditions away from their families. Now that spot will come to signify an inclusive space where a vision of community is being realized.
An exciting gym room, complete with a rock climbing
wall & ball pit!
CIL teammate Diana shows off her rock climbing skills
“[There was] this chemistry that really characterized the team; we worked like a well-oiled machine. And yes, challenges and unpredictable things with the pandemic certainly were thrown at you guys, and you just ‘kept the course and stayed the course’ as they say,” said Ruth Banta, Pathlight’s recently retired Executive Director (and one of CIL’s newest Board members!)
Grace flashes a smile for us before enjoying group lunch
Jac strikes a pose while Andy & Dorothy help finish making lunch
Once the location was acquired, the project moved into the renovation phase, which included the fit-out of the 16,448 SF building for use as office and programming space. Construction included upgraded flooring, lighting, room reconfigurations, kitchen and copy room renovation, and painting.
“We have really appreciated [your] expertise! In fact, when we renovated our headquarters 11 years ago, I wish we knew CIL did this level of consulting. We’ve spent so much time [renovating] a whole bunch of spaces really by the skin of our teeth, and [doing it] this way it feels like we’re not on our own, that we’ve really got a good consulting partner.”
— Ruth Banta, Pathlight Executive Director (Retired)
A Look Inside
On a sunny fall afternoon, we were lucky enough to tour the new space to take photographs while programs were in session. When we walked through the doors, students at Pathlight welcomed us right away.
“You guys did a really great job! I really like the space!”
- Andy, a Pathlight Day Program Student
View the full Photo Essay Here
