Existing Facility Deficiencies
No Private Space for Families and Staff to Interact
In order for NSSRA to adequately serve its participants and families, staff must meet with families to discuss
detailed information about the participants needs. Often these meetings include sensitive, personal and
confidential information. Currently, there is only one main meeting space at the NSSRA facility, which is not a
private meeting space. Several of the NSSRA offices have multiple staff occupying them, leaving no room for
private group meetings or confidential phone conversations with families.
Unsafe Location in an Industrial Park
The current NSSRA facility is located deep in an industrial park. During the day and early evening, the r oads
surrounding the facility are heavily traveled by semi-trucks and industrial vehicles. Later in the evening, the
industrial park is desolate and dark, potentially putting staff and participants at risk for a dangerous situation.
No Safe Pick Up/Drop Off for Participants
Due to the design of the NSSRA parking lot, there is no turnabout drive or designated area for families or NSSRA
buses to safely drop-off and pick-up participants.
Not Accessible
The NSSRA facility is not accessible according to the current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
Several of the hallways and doorways are narrow, making it difficult for those with physical disabilities to easily
navigate the building. The facility also has two separate doors at the entrance, neither of which is equipped with
accessible or automatic entry.
Lack of Training and Meeting Space
NSSRA trains more than 500 part-time staff annually and provides approximately 125 trainings to full-time and
part-time staff throughout the year. NSSRA currently uses Partner Agency facilities to host trainings of 15 staff or
more.
No Programming Space
No recreation programs are held at the NSSRA facility. Due to zoning ordinances, NSSRA is prohibited from
conducting these programs on premise. As a result of this ordinance there is also no space suited for recreation
programs.
Insufficient Amount of Office Space for NSSRA Staff
Six full-time staff shares three offices (two per an 80 sq. ft. office). These staff are not able to have conversations
on the phone or in person about private, sensitive or confidential disability related subjects. In addition, working
in a small office space with another staff is often distracting and full of interruptions which negatively impacts
productivity.
Lack of Storage Space
There is a tremendous lack of storage space at the NSSRA facility resulting in more than $7,000 annually in offsite
commercial storage costs. The offsite storage requires numerous hours of lost staff time traveling to and from the
storage facility to gather supplies and equipment for programs.
No Room for Future Growth
There is currently no room for growth of the NSSRA staff with the facility in its current state. All offices are
currently occupied and some offices have multiple staff sharing the space. During the summer months, the facility
is overfilled with an increased number of summer leadership staff, interns and supplies occupying any open space
that is available.
Pending Capital Improvements
NSSRA moved into its current facility in 2001. Williams Architects conducted an existing conditions report in 2009
that found in excess of $400,000 in capital improvements throughout the facility.
NSSRA Facility Acquisition Plan
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