2015 Vol. 9 Issue 3 May - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6 Newtrax finds New Home in Gem Lake A vacant building on a car dealership lot in Gem Lake is getting a wonderful new purpose, starting later this summer. Work is nearing completion on the remodeling of the secondary facility on the north end of the Barnett KIA. It will now provide a much needed space to a local non-profit organization. When finished, the building will be the new home for the fleet of vehicles owned by Newtrax, which provides transportation services to adults with disabilities. Vehicles that are used to get clients of Merrick, Inc. and PAI, Inc. will be housed and serviced at the building, under the terms of a Conditional Use Permit, granted several months ago by the Gem Lake City Council. Because the facility will do no retail work, will perform only minor maintenance and repairs on their own vehicles and will provide no services to the general public, it fits into the permitted uses category of the ordinance pertaining to the Gem Lake business district. According to Jack Mayeron, Manager of the Barnett Properties, the Newtrax plan was a win- win for all involved. “The building had been vacant since 2010” and was increasingly in need of a facelift. “We are a customer of Merrick and are familiar with what they do. I know they will be a good neighbor and will do a good job on the renovations.” The building will be the corporate headquarters for Newtrax, Inc., which is a 501c3 tax exempt organization formed in 2011 through two local day training and habilitation agencies. (Merrick and PAI, Inc.) “We exist to coordinate critical transportation services for both member organization, who provide vocational and social support to adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities,” according to Newtrax Executive Director Mike Greenbaum. “Our mission is to increase the potential of each member organization to advance their charitable mission more effectively and with greater efficiency. Our core service is transportation. We aim to increase the availability of dependable, safe and accessible transportation for people with disabilities. We serve approximately 650 people annually, resulting in approximately 1,300 one-way rides per day, of which about 30% require the use of a lift on the vehicle.” The new facility in Gem Lake will be an enormous advantage over their current set up. “The new place provides more parking space, additional work space to have light mechanical work done on site, and additional office space to expand our services and increase our member organizations.” “This allows us to serve more people with disabilities, create new jobs through growth, and allows us to expand our collaborative. The new location is also geographically centered between the six sites that Newtrax serves, with excellent freeway access.” Mike adds that “We currently operate out of Merrick’s facility on LaBore Road in Vadnais Heights. Parking for vehicles and drivers is very tight. Our drivers will have a lounge of their own to be able to be comfortable during their mid- day time period, and it will provide us with the space we need to do driver training and have meetings in our own space.” “The location is really ideal for us. We are already in and very involved in the local communities, so it was important for us to stay within the area. Additionally, Barnett has been a good partner and supporter of the services we provide. We feel very confident that this will be a long-term partnership that will work well for all involved.” Renovations are expected to be completed around the end of June. Welcome Newtrax!