ATHENS, Ohio – After three rounds of failed construction bids last year, renovations came to a halt at 135 Columbus Road, where local organizations are working to turn a former motel into a family housing shelter.
Now contractors are once again hard at work renovating the buildings that will soon be Sunset Shelter, and project organizers are ready to party.
Hocking Athens Perry County Community Action and Project Co-Create are hosting a renovation celebration 4–6 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Devil’s Kettle Brewery in Athens. The public is invited to come hear updates about the renovations, ask questions and share ideas, and learn about volunteer opportunities.
“We want to make sure our community, our neighbors feel heard,” HAPCAP Chief Development Officer Valerie Stillson said.
Just a few months ago, it seemed the project had stalled. Initial on-the-ground construction steps to develop the property and its buildings were already in motion; contractors had conducted safety inspections and a lead abatement process.
But further development required construction contracts — and all bids submitted in three public rounds were too expensive for the HAPCAP’s secured grant funding to cover.
The team stepped back to discuss other options with funders and the state, and a new model emerged. On May 11, HAPCAP announced that it had entered a contract with RVC Architects and 740 Construction, Inc.
“We transitioned into the design-build method and away from the bidding process, with permission and within our grant guidelines,” Stillson told the Independent.
A design-build model forgoes multiple contracts, instead using a single contract that covers both design and construction.
Following the agreement, safety fencing went up at the site. Contractors are already conducting “necessary” demolitions and starting roof construction, Stillson said, and more construction is taking place out of the public eye.
“A lot of things here in the next little bit [of renovations] are going to be happening inside the buildings, so you might not physically see it outside, but work is happening, and much of it,” she said.
HAPCAP received $2 million from the HOME American Rescue Plan Program, which allowed the organization to buy the former Sunset Motel, and an additional $2 million grant from the Ohio Department of Development to renovate the site.
HAPCAP announced in May that an anonymous estate gift of $200,000 will further support the renovation. Stillson told the Independent that the gift was previously donated to HAPCAP and reallocated to specifically support the Sunset Shelter Project’s next phases after the bidding round failed. The gift was not connected to the design-build contract.
The shelter will house up to 48 people in 27 private units that include individual bathrooms, beds, and kitchenettes.
While construction tools were still, Sunset Shelter Project organizers kept busy with work vital to the shelter’s future operations — components that, once in place, will make its launch more efficient.
“HAPCAP senior leadership was working with the state and our architect on [a] design bill contract process, I’ve been working on the operational plans and development,” Jocelyn Howard, Housing Services Coordinator for HAPCAP, told the Independent. The organization has specifically made progress on “policies, procedures, guest handbook, [and a] staff handbook” while also pursuing new partnerships and opportunities.
“Ultimately, the goal is to help people,” Howard said.
Sunset Shelter Project plans to have the majority of the renovation project completed by March 31, 2027, when its construction contract ends, Stillson said.
“We anticipate having a more fleshed out timeline update this coming fall, as we’re further into the project, to know if we’re going to encounter any changes,” she said.
