For the past 13 years, BOMA member firms and individuals have contributed time, talent, labor, materials and equipment resources to support Ryther Child Center and the Downtown Emergency Services Center.
In 2017, BOMA was informed of a need to help improve the only men’s shelter operating in Bellevue. The shelter, owned by the city of Bellevue, is an older 2-story office building located downtown in Lincoln Center, just east of I-405. The shelter serves nearly 80 men each day and provides overnight shelter for up to 100 men from November to April. It’s operated by Congregations for the Homeless (CFH), a non-profit organization supported by a wide cross-section of churches from many faiths.
The shelter utilizes 4,000 SF of ground floor tenant space and there are no indoor restroom facilities. Portable toilets are used, and a mobile truck is present for showers and laundry, but the use of this mobile facility was lost in 2017. And, there was no ability to cook food on site due to the lack of an exhaust hood system.
The cost of the project renovation and TI improvements needed to enhance the shelter’s amenities was estimated at $450,000 – the bulk of the work being in mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The challenges here were twofold: (1) a tight time frame to be open before the winter set in, and (2) a limited budget, as the city could not spend more than $350,000.
Fortunately, a group of generous BOMA member firms stepped in and provided bids at significantly reduced pricing. MacDonald-Miller leadership quickly agreed to take on the mechanical scope relating to installing a kitchen exhaust hood system and other associated work. Thanks to both MacMiller’s and other BOMA member firms’ willingness to take the reins, the shelter will now have indoor restrooms, showers, laundry, a full pantry and a full kitchen.
At BOMA’s October lunch meeting, MacDonald-Miller was recognized as a “BOMA Hero.” For such a critical cause, we’ll gladly accept that accolade!
By Rod Kauffman, President of BOMA Seattle King CountY
