Dickinson Center breaks ground for new St. Marys building
ST. MARYS - A project seven years in the making has come to fruition as Dickinson Center, Inc. (DCI) broke ground for their new St. Marys building in downtown St. Marys on Wednesday afternoon.
The ceremonial kick-off at the building site at 28 Railroad Street was attended by various city, county and state elected officials, community leaders, contractors, donors, community members, staff and board members from DCI and its affiliate Journey Health Systems (JHS).
The two-story 12,000 square-foot facility will integrate all of DCI’s St. Marys’ programs into one building. Once completed the facility will offer eight service lines which were previously spread out into three different locations. It is estimated the construction will take one year to complete.
Various individuals donned hard hats and wielded decorative gold shovels to celebrate the commencement of construction including: Jim Prosper, DCI executive director; Guy Signor, JHS president and CEO; John Robinson, MCF Architecture Senior Architect; Barry Andrulonis, Hallstrom Construction project manager; Joe Haines, DCI board of directors chairman and capital campaign committee member; Fritz Lecker, Elk County Commissioner; Bob Ordiway, DCI board member and capital campaign committee chairman; Joe Fleming, City of St. Marys manager; Lyle Garner, St. Marys mayor; Mike Armanini, Pennsylvania State Representative 75th District.
We are currently in the midst of National Library Week as it started April 7 and will continue through April 13, and the St. Marys area has many great libraries that are part of the community. In honor of National Library Week, we spoke to Ellen Stolarski, who is the librarian at the St. Marys Area Middle School and is very passionate about the role of libraries in the area.
Stolarski got her interest in the library system at a very young age.
“When I was a kid, I would show up for middle school library programs at my public library. Because of transportation issues, I was always dropped off early, so I started helping the librarian with getting the kids’ crafts set up and just kind of some of those minor tasks and realizing the creativity you need to have. And then when I was in high school, I volunteered to shelve books for our intermediate school librarian, and watching the lessons that she developed and focusing on specific parts of research skills, was mind-boggling,” Stolarski said.
When describing what makes a good library, Stolarski said that it “is that it meets the needs of its community, and all of our libraries across the district and the public libraries are all kind of structured differently.”
There are many databases that Stolarski uses to guide students.
“I love the power of the library databases that we have and help them find resources that are geared towards them. They also can access sources and get reliable information,” Stolarski said.
Following the ground breaking, attendees gathered at Gunner’s Restaurant where Signor, Prosper, Haines and Armanini all offered brief comments.
“This is a great day for Dickinson Center, Inc., the people they serve and the City of St. Marys,” said Signor. “This groundbreaking ceremony signifies more than just the construction of a physical structure; it embodies our unwavering commitment to our mission and the communities that DCI has served for 66 years.”
Signor thanked all the community partners, staff members and volunteers who have believed in making DCI’s vision a reality and without their unwavering support the project would not have been possible. He highlighted those who have helped make the project possible including the late Don Fleming for for his vision and the contribution of the property, Senator Cris Dush, State Rep. Mike Armanini, Congressman Glen “GT” Thompson, Frank Straub, Joe Haines, the administration of the City of St. Marys and Elk County, business donors and community foundations for their contributions, and the capital campaign committee led by Bob Ordiway and Bill Conrad.
“Thank you so much and this day is here,” Signor concluded.
Prosper said getting the project to where it is today has been a marathon with many obstacles along the way. He has been honored to be part of the growth of Dickinson over the years as they have been providing services to St. Marys for 25 years serving 1,200 children and adults as well as 1,500 elementary, middle and high school students in Elk and Cameron counties.
“I am grateful to see this seven-year journey become a reality. We are very excited for the improved access, environment and collaboration this new facility will bring to the community members we support as well as our staff,” Prosper said
The facility will not only improve service accessibility, but also increase organizational effectiveness while bringing a positive transformation to downtown St. Marys. Prosper noted they have seen similar success following a project they completed in Ridgway in 2012.
Funding for the project is comprised of federal and state grants, foundation grants, Dickinson Center operating funds, bank financing, and generous contributions from business, industry and individuals throughout the area.
A capital campaign committee was established and is actively working to lead the community-wide fundraising effort. More than $1 million has been raised toward the project’s $1.5 million campaign goal. To date the committee is working to achieve the remaining $380,000 goal.
“I am extremely pleased that we are able to move this project into the construction phase. I appreciate all the hard work from Journey Health System and Dickinson Center, Inc. in making this now a reality of a much needed facility that will be so beneficial to the residents of Elk and surrounding counties,” said Armanini.
Armanini noted the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development was instrumental in working with them in moving the project forward, which he said he is thankful for those efforts. He added he also appreciates the cooperation of fellow legislations Dush and Thompson.
“There were many challenges but we always were able to overcome them by having excellent correspondence with them,” Armanini said. “I will admit though, I think I had an Irishman guardian angel following me throughout this whole process making sure it got off the ground.”
Armanini’s poignant reference resonated deeply as a tribute to the late Don W. Fleming, a dedicated advocate for DCI. Throughout his lifetime, Fleming played a pivotal role in championing numerous community initiatives, including the mission and vision of DCI. His strong love of family and steadfast belief in Dickinson’s mission were vividly demonstrated through his long-standing partnership with the institution. Notably, Fleming’s generosity extended to the sale of the properties crucial to the realization of the St. Marys building project, reflecting his profound belief in the shared aspirations for growth and progress. Dickinson holds dear Fleming’s legacy and enduring spirit of philanthropy.
Armanini added he looks forward to seeing a new view when the downtown city camera shows the Diamond area with the finished DCI building.
Joe Haines, chairman of DCI Board of Directors, continued with thanks and gratitude
“I am truly excited to be moving forward toward building a stateof-the-art building that I feel will be a great addition to the landscape of downtown St. Marys,” Haines said.