Work progressing on new Kaye Nickerson centre

The exterior of the new structure is finished and the target date for the project’s completion is Dec. 19. “Things are running smoothly,” said Darrell Foster, the centre’s executive director.

He said orders had been placed for furniture and appliances for the new facility, which is located behind the Yarmouth Lions Club hall, the long-time home of the existing Kaye Nickerson centre.

The Lions donated the property on which the new centre is being built.

Construction of the facility was made possible thanks to a half-million-dollar grant from the Nova Scotia government.

The new building, officials have said, would address issues pertaining to occupational health and safety and accessibility while generally creating a better working environment.

The Kaye Nickerson Adult Service Centre has six staff and about 30 clients.

The organization’s new home will be a 5,000-square-foot structure, compared to its existing location of around 4,000 square feet.

A vocational training centre for adults with special needs, the Kaye Nickerson centre produces various items, including pallets (its main product), lawn furniture and burial boxes.

People who attend the centre also can receive help in areas like life skills and literacy.

Once they got the news last year of the government funds that would enable them to develop a new centre, Kaye Nickerson officials looked for possible locations.

They considered retrofitting an existing structure, but in the end opted to build a new one; and, thanks to the Yarmouth Lions Club’s donation of land behind its Parade Street hall, officials were able to develop a new facility while remaining in familiar surroundings.

A sod-turning ceremony for the new building was held Aug. 8. Speakers for that occasion included Doug Frickelton, chairman of the Kaye Nickerson centre’s board of directors, who cited the generosity of the Yarmouth Lions Club in letting the Kaye Nickerson organization operate out of the club’s hall for many years and now for providing them with land on which to build a new home.

It is unclear, meanwhile, what will become of the old centre once the new one is up and running, but the Lions Club will be addressing that issue.