Several Clinton non-profit organizations have consolidated their offices into one building. They are at the Clinton Community Human Services Campus, which is the old Horace Mann Elementary School.
"We have this nice place, what more can you have," says John Christiansen with Clinton County Special Athletes.
For the non-profit organization, Clinton County Special Athletes, having an office in the building gives them a place to store their athletic equipment and hold events.
"We were looking for a place where we could have a bocce court," says Christiansen, "This is even better than we dreamed."
Clinton Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Gateway Impact Coalition, AA, and a YWCA daycare are all on the campus. The building's owner, the Area Substance Abuse Council or ASAC, is on the 2nd floor.
"The economies of scale and the cost sharing made the long term operating costs for all the agencies less than having all of us in separate locations," says Paul Willging, ASAC Development Consultant.
Since so many of the organizations are similar, it's also beneficial to people seeking their services. Other benefits include several spaces for meetings, family counseling and even sporting events.
"It gives them an open space that's not committed," adds Willging, "So people in the community can use it for events as long as they're a non-profit."
The building is energy efficient in several ways. The lights automatically turn on when a person walks in a room and turn off when someone leaves. The geothermal system saves money on utility bills, which is the only thing ASAC is charging for.
"The projections for a conventional system were about $80,000 a year to heat and cool the building. With the new geothermal system and electrical upgrades it's going to be more like $30,000 a year," says Willging.
The total cost of the Clinton Community Human Services Campus is $2.2-million. Grants funded $1.3-million and ASAC paid for the rest of renovations.
