CONTRACTOR E. W. HOWELL BREAKS GROUND ON LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER IN PATCHOGUE, NY

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2016 for the LGBT Community Center. Located at 7 Crossway Blvd in Patchogue, NY the new LEED certified community center will be built to accommodate all LGBT members and their families. The groundbreaking event was attended by members of the LGBT community, community leaders and elected officials including Suffolk County Executive, Steve Bellone.

E.W. Howell, an industry leader in construction will serve as the general contractor on the project. Designed by Paul Cataldo Architecture & Planning, the 18,000 square-foot center will accommodate the LGBT community with their everyday lives. The building will include a large community room that will seat up to 150 people, several administrative offices, meeting rooms, and an entire floor dedicated to LGBT healthcare.

The building will also include a runaway and homeless youth service facility unlike any other. It will provide showers, clean clothes, and laundry rooms for homeless youth that otherwise would have no place to go. There will be a youth drop-in center, featuring video games and a hangout space. The center will also provide resume building classes, computers and mailboxes. There will also be a clothing boutique for homeless youth to receive both casual and professional clothing.

This project will be the first LEED certified LGBT center on the East Coast and only third in the nation. The project is designed to achieve LEED Gold or LEED Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council and will include energy efficient features such as high efficiency thermal envelope, geothermal heating and cooling, and rainwater harvesting.