SADI to open new service center this fall

In an effort to better serve more clients, SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence will open a new service center this fall in a former car dealership.

The former Cape GMC Pontiac dealership building on Kingshighway, near Highway 74, in Cape Girardeau will be transformed into a place where those with disabilities can receive assistance with everything from finding a job to modifying their vehicle so they can drive to that new job.

SADI will use its existing Cape Girardeau site to house its administrative personnel, while moving its independent living and transportation services to its new facility, said executive director Maryann "Miki" Gudermuth.

"We've got a lot of plans for the future and this allows for that kind of expansion," Gudermuth said.

The not-for-profit group will invest $900,000 to buy and renovate the property. Gudermuth said the SADI board considered constructing a facility, but renovating this one was more cost-effective and can be done more quickly, she said.

Work is expected to begin in July and be completed around Thanksgiving, Gudermuth said.

The six-acre site includes two buildings, and one will be used strictly for transportation services.

Rhodes Development Co. LLC had purchased the property about four years ago after the dealership closed, Scott Rhodes said.

The building has been listed and marketed to various people but remained empty since Rhodes has owned it.

The additional space will allow SADI to offer new services as well. It will house a workshop where vehicle modifications for accessibility can be made, such as lowering the floor, adding a ramp or hand controls. Service will also be offered for that type of equipment. Many SADI clients have to travel to St. Louis for those types of services.

There will also be room for a larger display area to showcase the technology. SADI's SEMO-TECH Showroom offers vision, hearing, cognitive, communication, sensory and mobility aids for demonstration. Help with the cost of those items is also provided by SADI when not covered by other insurance or programs.

New offices and meeting rooms will also be part of the new facility's layout.

"We've outgrown our present space we use for workshops and our staff has grown to where they don't even fit into our present room. Parking is an issue for visitors and even staff," Gudermuth said. "We have a lot of autism events, and that building will afford space to be able to have children come and play and have a good time."

In the past five years, SADI's staff has grown from about 35 people to 140 employees.

SADI's nursing home transition services will also move to the new site.

"We need more storage space to put furniture and anything someone needs when they're coming from a nursing home into their own home," Gudermuth said.

There will be a workshop area where bathtub remodeling and other home modification projects can be done.

A combination of Medicaid cuts and changes in funding at other not-for-profit organizations have more clients than ever coming to SADI for assistance. It is currently providing consumer-directed services for 643 people and in-home services for 350 people.

Earlier this year, SADI bought another van to meet its growing demands for transportation services since adding the Jackson and Fruitland areas to its coverage area. SADI has picked up 40 more riders, for a total of 243 registered riders it's serving on a regular basis. It has also added a dispatcher position.

Several employees will be added once the new facility is open, Gudermuth said.

In-home services, deaf and hard-of-hearing services, accounting and payroll will remain in SADI's existing Cape Girardeau location.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

1913 Rusmar, Cape Girardeau, MO