Abstract
Maricopa County is committed to providing housing and infrastructure improvements to low- or moderate-income residents. To take steps to achieve this goal, the City of Buckeye, Arizona partnered with Maricopa County Human Services to renovate and expand its Senior Center kitchen. In 2021, Maricopa County provided $600,000 in available Community Development Block Grant funding for this project. These funds were used to build a building extension for the Senior Center kitchen expansion and to renovate the existing kitchen area. The kitchen also included new furniture, fixtures and equipment, benefiting approximately 30,000 residents living in low-income households, primarily seniors. During construction, the existing kitchen remained fully functional, and meal service to seniors in need was not interrupted.
The problem or need that the program solves
Buckeye Senior Center first opened in 1985 and has undergone minimal upgrades since then. During that time, the number of meals prepared in the kitchen has grown significantly as Buckeye's population has grown from 4,400 in 1990 to over 90,000 today. In addition to this population growth, Buckeye Senior Center has begun providing meals to seniors in need through both congregate meal services and home delivery meal services. Depending on the meal service, the Senior Center prepares a total of 150-400 meals per day for beneficiaries.
Because the kitchen was not designed to accommodate such a high volume of needs, it became extremely difficult to prepare, serve, and pack the number of meals necessary to continue serving. Additionally, the center's staff found it increasingly difficult to manage in the limited space they were given. Narrow aisles restricted movement, and food preparation and efficient use of equipment were among the main challenges. Additionally, the Senior Center had to move some storage outside as the existing refrigerators and freezers were completely full. These characteristics, combined with the continued increase in demand for these meal services, led Buckeye City staff to realize the need.
Program Description
The overall goal of the CDBG program is to assist low- or moderate-income communities in making housing, infrastructure, or environmental improvements necessary to ensure adequate living conditions for members of the community. The primary goal of the Buckeye Senior Center kitchen expansion and renovation is to provide Buckeye City residents with a resource that will enable them to adequately provide critical food services during an emergency and continue to serve seniors in need. The County's goal is to embody the mission of the CDBG program by enabling local governments, nonprofits, and other partners to implement projects and strategies tailored to the people living in their communities and supporting Maricopa Urban County members.
The primary service provided by the Senior Center kitchen is congregate meals and home-delivered meal services to seniors in need. Demand for these meal services has increased nearly 48% since 2015, and the City has assisted more than 600 individuals annually. Buckeye Senior Center is the only public facility serving 640 square miles of the City's planned area and the unincorporated areas of Maricopa County, including Tonopah, Rainbow Valley, Palo Verde and Arlington.
In addition to providing approximately 30,000 meals annually to seniors in need, the Buckeye Senior Center is also an American Red Cross emergency shelter used during unforeseen disasters and public incidents. It also serves as a heat prevention center during the summer months, serving as a hydration and cooling station with the goal of preventing heat-related deaths among vulnerable populations. The kitchen expansion has allowed the center to focus on future growth, right-sizing for Buckeye's future population projections and comfortably serving more than 500 meals daily.
The total scope of the Buckeye City project included an expansion of approximately 1,500 square feet and a remodel of approximately 560 square feet, which included mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting and landscaping improvements, as well as necessary food service equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, ovens, stoves and dishwashers. The implementation timeline for this project was November 5, 2021 to February 1, 2023, and was divided into the following phases:
- Design, Scope of Work and Approval
- Contract creation and bidding
- construction
- Project End
The total time to substantial completion of this project was approximately 432 days.
The County's role in this project was through the Maricopa County Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC). This committee is made up of representatives from the County's five supervisory districts and various members of the Maricopa Metropolitan County. Maricopa Metropolitan County is made up of the Cities of Buckeye, El Mirage, Gila Bend, Guadalupe, Tolleson, Wickenburg, and Youngtown. Maricopa County receives an annual Community Development Block Grant allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. After obligating its annual allocation of 15% public service funds and 20% administrative funds, the CDAC works with the guidance of Maricopa County staff to select how to allocate the remaining funds and carryover funds from the previous year.
Eligibility for the project was determined primarily by the total percentage of low- or moderate-income residents in the area who could reasonably be expected to benefit from the improvements being made. Based on the area's median income, the entire community was assessed to be made up of approximately 63% low- or moderate-income residents. The primary demographic served by the center's food services was also determined to be 98% people aged 60 and over, with the majority between the ages of 65 and 84. Many of these elderly participants live on fixed incomes and typically live alone or with relatives.
City of Buckeye staff submitted funding applications to request funding from the County's CDBG program. Notification of funding approval or rejection was made public via the Maricopa County website and several announcements were made at regular CDAC meetings. All applications were reviewed with the same criteria, and funding recommendations were made by CDAC and Maricopa County staff.
The day-to-day management and oversight of the project was provided by the City Manager in conjunction with the Department of Parks and Recreation, under whose supervision the majority of construction was completed by the prime contractor, GCON, Inc., with additional work completed by 26 local independent subcontractors.
Program Fee
The total cost of the project was $1,725,069.00, of which $600,000.00 was provided by Maricopa County's CDBG program.
$1,125,069.00 was provided by the City of Buckeye. The County also utilized existing staff to accept applications, collect documents, approve eligibility, and perform other administrative tasks. These administrative costs were covered by an administrative allocation of CDBG funds and had little impact on the amount of funds available for this project.
Program Results/Success
As a result of funding from Maricopa County, the City of Buckie expanded and remodeled approximately 560 square feet of the existing kitchen at the Buckie Senior Center without interrupting congregate and home-delivered meal service to Buckie City residents and residents of neighboring communities. The kitchen footprint was expanded to 1,500 square feet, and the kitchen expansion included mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, utilities including electrical, lighting, a new loading ramp, and landscaping adjacent to the kitchen expansion and remodel. The project also included all furniture, fixtures, and equipment for the kitchen, including necessary food service equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, ovens, stoves, and dishwashers. The kitchen expansion allows additional space for food preparation areas, cooking lines, service lines, walk-in refrigerators and freezers, larger dry food storage, mobile meal areas, kitchen offices, utility/caretaker closets, reception areas, and loading ramps. This expansion will allow the City of Buckie to accommodate the continued growth of its senior population and avoid the potential for seniors in need to go unserved for years to come.
