There’s no solid opening date yet, but the Toomey Residential Children’s Community Residence on Doyle Road in Lysander is set to be complete by late June, according to Toomey Residential and Community Services Executive Director Judy D’Amore.
The transitional home, which will house up to eight boys ages 7 to 13 with mental health and behavioral issues, saw a few setbacks in construction due to harsh winter weather. D’Amore said furnaces and air conditioning have been installed and the walls have been painted. Flooring has yet to be installed and there is exterior work to be done, but contractors laid gravel for the home’s driveway and basketball court.
“It’s starting to look like a home. They’ve come quite far,” D’Amore said.
Lysander Deputy Supervisor Melinda Shimer, the Lysander Town Board’s liaison for the Toomey project, said she recently toured the facility with Code Enforcement Officer Tim Wolsey. Other than having some equipment get stuck in the mud, the contractor, S.J. Thomas and Co., Inc., appeared to be moving along well, Shimer said.
“It looks good. … There’s been some positive feedback from some people. Everything’s been going smoothly,” Shimer said.
D’Amore said she hoped construction would be complete in five to six weeks, which dovetails with the end of the school year.
“A lot of the children transition home when the school year ends,” she said, adding that there are six children currently at Toomey’s Mather Street Children’s Community Residence, but that number could change.
In a March 2 presentation on the 2015-16 special education budget, the Baldwinsville Central School District said the Toomey home would add three students to the district’s BOCES participants.
Toomey, which is affiliated with Catholic Charities, purchased the 2.75-acre lot for $74,900 from Nancy Abbott in March 2014. The proposal of the home caused a stir among some Lysander residents, who cited safety, decreased property values and increased taxes as concerns. Despite their complaints, construction moved forward.
When finished, the Children’s Community Residence on Doyle Road will include eight bedrooms, three bathrooms and a fenced-in playground in the backyard. Two staff members will stay at the home overnight and eight others will rotate during the day. A child’s typical stay is voluntary and lasts eight to 12 months.
“The therapeutic environment focuses on improving self-esteem, self-management of behavior and skill development,” Catholic Charities’ website says of the Children’s Community Residence.
