Service Access and Management Inc. employees have settled into their brand-new building on the 500 block of Terry Reiley Way.
"We love this building," Deborah Reilly, director of operations for the Schuylkill location, said Thursday morning.
SAM, a mental health and developmental service provider, has been contracted by the county since 2004 to provide a variety of case management services to nearly 2,000 residents. The Schuylkill branch used to be located at the former post office at 1 S. Second St. In February, the firm announced its plans to build a $2.3 million, one-story, 10,000-square-foot office building at 590 Terry Reiley Way.
"We think it reinforces our commitment to our services for Schuylkill County and allows us to provide the best opportunities for our customers here," Jonathan Heintzman, director of community relations for SAM, said Thursday.
SAM bought the property from Fanelli Limited Partnership II, who intended to build a strip mall several years ago but the project never got off the ground.
The four parcels included a 0.78-acre area on the east side of the street and three parcels totaling 0.60 acres on the west side at the former site of Howell's Tire Shop. The cost was $450,000. The site of the former tire shop is now a 60-space parking lot with the building being across the street.
"It has really made a difference on this corner," Reilly, a Schuylkill County native, said.
The brick on the outside of the building was designed to match the other buildings in the neighborhood, like The Good Will Fire Company across the street and Maroons Sports Grille and Bar just around the corner, Reilly said.
"The building is unique in that it was designed for our purposes from the beginning," Heintzman said.
Heintzman said SAM provides services to 13 counties and it has at least one building in each. The only other structure built from the ground up for the company was the office in DuBois, which was designed by Greg Larson, Huntingdon, who also designed the city's facility.
There are about 70 SAM employees at the building, including about 43 caseworkers with additional managing, clerical and fiscal staff working at the new building, according to Reilly. The building consists of a spacious lobby for customers, reception areas, a board room, six intake rooms, two conference rooms, two supervising rooms and two general work spaces. Corporate offices take up about 1,500 square feet at the building.
L&K Construction, Pottsville, started construction in May and SAM employees spent their first business day in the new office on Nov. 19.
"It keeps us in town, which is where we wanted to be," Reilly said. "This is the hub of Schuylkill County so it's only natural to have our services here."
She also said it is very accessible with the bus stop right across the street.
"I think the community has been very welcoming and the process has been very smooth," Reilly said.
Heintzman said the building fits the work of the employees as work spaces are not set up with cubicles.
"Our services are designed to be mobile. We are meant to be out in the community," Heintzman said. "We got the space when we need it and access to everything else we need."
For more information about SAM and its services, visit www.sam-inc.org.