After life handed them lemons — in the form of a burst water line that flooded much of the interior of the Pregnancy Resource Center — PRC officials are turning it into lemonade — a reconfigured boutique and offices to better fit the needs of their clients.
Steve French, president of the PRC Board of Directors, said repairs are progressing well since the center, at 1 S. Jefferson Ave., had to close its doors the morning of Dec. 20 due to extensive water damage.
A malfunctioning heater, coupled with sub-zero temperatures, caused a water line above the ceiling to freeze, then fracture in three places.
The water soaked through the ceiling and insulation before cascading down walls in the PRC office area, kitchen and restroom.
The resulting damage forced French — who’s also a local contractor — to oversee a series of major repairs. The restroom had to be gutted and rebuilt, much of the interior drywall must be replaced, and reams of educational materials dried out or restocked.
On the bright side, “the ceiling dried out well,” French said. “There was just insulation damage. The rafters don’t have to be replaced.”
FRENCH, et al, are taking advantage of the ongoing repairs to relocate the center’s boutique stocked with goods such as clothing, baby bottles and other essentials to raising an infant.
For years, the boutique has been at the rear of the building, accessible through a side door along East Street.
While PRC was able to make do with the layout, French noted it was hardly ideal.
“What a lot of people don’t realize was this building was formerly a creamery and dairy,” French said.
Because of that, the rear room sloped down toward a drain.
After repairs are complete, the boutique will be moved to the front of the building, where clients can enter from Jefferson Avenue.
“It really will look like a store,” French said.
Up until earlier this year, the building was owned by The One, Inc., which once used the front of the building as a meeting space.
“But once The One dissolved, and we got the building, we’d been planning to move the boutique,” French said. “We’re taking advantage of this storm to rebuild.”
SEVERAL volunteers and other donors have stepped forward to help.
Thrive Allen County, three doors to the south, has offered use of its offices for PRC’s parenting classes.
“Thrive has been very good about offering their help,” French said. “We’ve had a lot of people check in to see what we need.”
French plans to get much of the “minor” items out of the way this week, then start in with bigger-ticket items, such as ceiling replacement shortly after New Year’s Day.
“If I can get a good work crew in here, we’re hoping to have it all done in two or three weeks,” he said.
THE PRC offers family support services and a maternity boutique, free pregnancy testing and prenatal support. The organization also provides adoption resources.
Parents unable to afford diapers, bottles, formula, clothes or other essentials can obtain those items at PRC by earning “mommy/daddy bucks” by completing parenting classes.
