A mockup of the new GPCS building, on display at the organization’s groundbreaking. (Jackie DiBartolomeo photos)
Goochland Powhatan Community Services gathered its members on Monday for a ceremonial groundbreaking of its new mental health facility at 3832 Old Buckingham Road in Powhatan.
The nearly $3 million center will span around 9,300 square feet and will rise next to the Powhatan County administration building.
Construction is slated to begin on the project this month, and should be completed sometime around next spring, GPCS executive director Toby Fritz said.
The community services board, which provides a range of counseling and crisis services to those with substance issues and developmental disabilities, is relocating to the new building from its nearby outpost at 3910 Old Buckingham Road.
The organization’s two other facilities at 3052 and 3058 River Road West in Goochland will remain in use.
The new Powhatan building will have a variety of resources. On its left side will be space for the organization’s “Monacan Services” program, which helps give adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities life skills. The center and right side of the building will hold office space for outpatient, mental health and substance issue counseling.
Fritz said that about three years ago the organization recognized it needed more space, including more of an open floorplan than what it had at its current Powhatan County facility. GPCS occupies around half of the top floor and some of the first floor of its current Powhatan building. The nonprofit Virginia Cooperative Extension and Powhatan County Fire & Rescue are also tenants in the building.
GPCS staff and Goochland and Powhatan County staff gathered at the groundbreaking Monday afternoon.
Remaining in the heart of Powhatan village was a priority for the move, Fritz said. After some challenges and changes in design for a new facility, GPCS decided on the space for the move in about a year-and-a-half to two years ago.
Construction costs for the project are coming in at around $3 million, according to Powhatan County staff. Midlothian-based architecture firm Balzer & Associates is working on the project, according to the project mockups.
Developer Rick Smith is the builder and owner of the new building. Fritz said GPCS will be leasing the building once it’s built and would then likely look to start a capital campaign to help it purchase the building. The purchase would cost around $3.3 million, Fritz said.
“In my 30 years in leadership in nonprofits, I’ve always seen how it’s important to be able to buy when you can, because in the long run you’re going to save. Instead of putting more money into rent and facilities, you’re going to lower your cost and be able to put more money directly into working with the consumer,” he said.
Fritz has served as GPCS’s executive director since January of this year. Prior to coming to the region, he was COO of Florida-based child welfare nonprofit Youth and Family Alternatives.
Fritz and other representatives from GPCS and the two counties ceremonially broke ground and gave speeches about the project Monday afternoon.
“The board of directors are hopeful our larger presence in Powhatan will spur on conversations about us as a resource in your community,” said outgoing board chair Jackie Cahill.
“This new facility will enable our community members to better connect with essential services, and connect with each other,” said incoming board chair Michael Asip. “This day is the concrete beginning of a great new initiative for Powhatan County in prioritizing mental health services, developmental disability services and substance use services for our community.”
Goochland Powhatan Community Services has operated since 1982. As the community services board for Goochland and Powhatan counties, GPCS is a public agency responsible for planning and providing services to those in the county’s with substance issues or mental and developmental disabilities.
GPCS is one of around 40 community services boards across Virginia. State code requires each city and county to establish, potentially with another county, a community services board. Community services boards are funded through a mix of federal, state and local funds. GPCS also bills for some services like outpatient counseling.
The proposed budget for GPCS for the next financial year is roughly $8.92 million, Fritz said.
Goochland and Powhatan County each contributed funds that amounted to around 7% of GPCS’s total budget for FY25, Fritz said, bringing the total from the two counties to around 14% for FY25. It also receives funding from state and federal sources, and for fees received for its services.
In the last year, GPCS has served around 1,300 individuals, according to GPCS staff. GPCS has a staff of about 100.
A mockup of the new GPCS building, on display at the organization’s groundbreaking. (Jackie DiBartolomeo photos)
Goochland Powhatan Community Services gathered its members on Monday for a ceremonial groundbreaking of its new mental health facility at 3832 Old Buckingham Road in Powhatan.
The nearly $3 million center will span around 9,300 square feet and will rise next to the Powhatan County administration building.
Construction is slated to begin on the project this month, and should be completed sometime around next spring, GPCS executive director Toby Fritz said.
The community services board, which provides a range of counseling and crisis services to those with substance issues and developmental disabilities, is relocating to the new building from its nearby outpost at 3910 Old Buckingham Road.
The organization’s two other facilities at 3052 and 3058 River Road West in Goochland will remain in use.
The new Powhatan building will have a variety of resources. On its left side will be space for the organization’s “Monacan Services” program, which helps give adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities life skills. The center and right side of the building will hold office space for outpatient, mental health and substance issue counseling.
Fritz said that about three years ago the organization recognized it needed more space, including more of an open floorplan than what it had at its current Powhatan County facility. GPCS occupies around half of the top floor and some of the first floor of its current Powhatan building. The nonprofit Virginia Cooperative Extension and Powhatan County Fire & Rescue are also tenants in the building.
GPCS staff and Goochland and Powhatan County staff gathered at the groundbreaking Monday afternoon.
Remaining in the heart of Powhatan village was a priority for the move, Fritz said. After some challenges and changes in design for a new facility, GPCS decided on the space for the move in about a year-and-a-half to two years ago.
Construction costs for the project are coming in at around $3 million, according to Powhatan County staff. Midlothian-based architecture firm Balzer & Associates is working on the project, according to the project mockups.
Developer Rick Smith is the builder and owner of the new building. Fritz said GPCS will be leasing the building once it’s built and would then likely look to start a capital campaign to help it purchase the building. The purchase would cost around $3.3 million, Fritz said.
“In my 30 years in leadership in nonprofits, I’ve always seen how it’s important to be able to buy when you can, because in the long run you’re going to save. Instead of putting more money into rent and facilities, you’re going to lower your cost and be able to put more money directly into working with the consumer,” he said.
Fritz has served as GPCS’s executive director since January of this year. Prior to coming to the region, he was COO of Florida-based child welfare nonprofit Youth and Family Alternatives.
Fritz and other representatives from GPCS and the two counties ceremonially broke ground and gave speeches about the project Monday afternoon.
“The board of directors are hopeful our larger presence in Powhatan will spur on conversations about us as a resource in your community,” said outgoing board chair Jackie Cahill.
“This new facility will enable our community members to better connect with essential services, and connect with each other,” said incoming board chair Michael Asip. “This day is the concrete beginning of a great new initiative for Powhatan County in prioritizing mental health services, developmental disability services and substance use services for our community.”
Goochland Powhatan Community Services has operated since 1982. As the community services board for Goochland and Powhatan counties, GPCS is a public agency responsible for planning and providing services to those in the county’s with substance issues or mental and developmental disabilities.
GPCS is one of around 40 community services boards across Virginia. State code requires each city and county to establish, potentially with another county, a community services board. Community services boards are funded through a mix of federal, state and local funds. GPCS also bills for some services like outpatient counseling.
The proposed budget for GPCS for the next financial year is roughly $8.92 million, Fritz said.
Goochland and Powhatan County each contributed funds that amounted to around 7% of GPCS’s total budget for FY25, Fritz said, bringing the total from the two counties to around 14% for FY25. It also receives funding from state and federal sources, and for fees received for its services.
In the last year, GPCS has served around 1,300 individuals, according to GPCS staff. GPCS has a staff of about 100.