Rain damage postpones LCCAA Head Start relocation

LORAIN — The Lorain County Community Action Agency's move into its new Head Start offices has been delayed. Wind, snow and rain over the past month at Central Plaza, 1949 Broadway, caused minor damage to the roof of what will house Head Start offices and classrooms for the county agency, it said in a news release. That damage brought down new ceiling tiles in the remodeled former bank, soaking the freshly completed interior. "The damage is relatively minor, but it was sad to see the freshly painted walls, new ceiling fixtures and flooring soaked in some areas," LCCAA President and CEO Jackie Boehnlein said in a news release. The agency was set to move into the building early next week, with an open house scheduled for May 12. Instead of just repairing the roof on the 24,000-square-foot former Chase Bank, property owner Jon Veard of United Properties Inc. decided to replace it, according to a news release. The new roof will be installed within the next month and staff will move into the building in early June. A ribbon-cutting will be on June 30. "We will have three fully staged classrooms by the end of June and will give the community a true sense of how this historic site will serve children and families," Boehnlein said. The Central Plaza will house three classrooms serving up to 60 children, as well as a base for eight staff members serving families in LCCAA's Home-based Head Start program. Administrative offices, including the director and assistant director, will also be located on the site. Veard purchased the property from the Lorain County Port Authority in July. The building was built at the turn of the 20th century and a major renovation was done in the late 1990s, according to a previous LCCAA news release.