Relief Nursery breaks ground in Springfield
A new $3.9 million building near South 42nd Street and Jasper Road building is going up in Springfield for the Relief Nursery, a child abuse prevention program which provides a variety of counseling and crisis response services for families in the Eugene/Springfield area. This new building will help them reach more kids in Springfield.
Groundbreaking for the this much anticipated project took place earlier this week. Several television stations including KVAL, KMTR and KEZI and the Register Guard covered this exciting event.
Local philanthropist Robin Jaqua gave a $1 million gift and the building will be named the Relief Nursery Robin Jaqua Child and Family Center.Jaqua is a retired psychologist and widow of promiment local attorney John Jaqua.
Fundraising for the building began in 2009. So far the nonprofit agency has received about $3.1 million in pledges, donations and grants for the capital project, which will cost $3.9 million including land purchase, planning and construction.
The one-story building will replace the Relief Nursery’s Springfield operation, which is currently housed two separate locations -- a donated space in Emerald Village, a low-income apartment complex and a 3,000-square-foot office at 18th and M streets in Springfield that is used by administration and staff who visit families.
The new building will contain four therapeutic classrooms, a large motor-skill room, an outreach respite room, a speech therapy room, a mental health counseling and observation room, a family resource area for food and clothing, and a parent education and community meeting room. A main goal of the design is to provide families with a welcoming and safe environment that is connected to nature. A central courtyard with a children's playground will also be used to handle rainwater runoff.
Rowell Brokaw Architects is working with general contractor McKenzie Commercial Contractors of Eugene.
