SSD Ground Breaking
The News
Keystone Moldova English and Keystone Moldova Romanian
Keystone Human Services (KHS) is a non-profit organization that is a part of a global movement to provide support and expertise to people with disabilities.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2021
For more information, contact:
Kris Weaver, KHS VP of Development
Office: 717-232-7509
Email: [email protected]
KEYSTONE HUMAN SERVICES (KHS), SUSQUEHANNA SERVICE DOGS, AND ALEXANDER BUILDING CONSTRUCTION CO. BREAK GROUND ON ASSISTANCE DOG TRAINING CENTER IN GRANTVILLE, PA.
Grantville, PA—Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), an internationally recognized assistance dog program based in central PA for almost 30 years, broke ground on a training center in Grantville, PA, on July 29. The center will usher in a new era of making a difference for thousands of people with disability, veterans, schools, hospitals, courthouses, and cancer centers. Representatives from KHS and Alexander Building Construction Co., and SSD leaders, volunteers, and donors spoke about the center’s importance to SSD and the community.
Located at 1078 Gravel Hill Road in Grantville, the new center will be over 13,000 square feet when complete. It will provide customized spaces for experienced working teams, new partners, puppy raisers, and dog trainers. The center is designed with sound attenuation and careful attention to lighting to better serve partners with autism, PTSD, and seizure disorders.
The center complex includes 24 kennel runs. This doubles the number of kennel runs currently available and includes indoor and outdoor space for the dogs in training. Dogs will have access to three separate play yards, which are carefully planned to reduce kennel stress and promote the physical and emotional health of the dogs.
“This new center has been a dream for years, and we’re so excited to see work beginning. I know SSD will continue to be a leader in the assistance dog community and continue to change lives,” said Director Deb Tack. “We’re deeply appreciative of the community support that is making this possible.”
Alexander Building Construction Co., as part of The Butz Family of Companies, is the Construction Manager for the project. Murray Associates Architects, PC is the architect, and H. Edward Black and Associates is the engineer. The planned opening for the new center is in the spring of 2022.
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About Keystone Human Services
KHS is a multi-national human services organization based in Harrisburg, PA. KHS operates in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, the Republic of Moldova, and India, providing advocacy, services, and supports in early childhood education and family support, mental health, autism, and intellectual, developmental, cognitive, and physical disability. We build communities where everyone can thrive, direct their own lives, establish homes, find meaningful work, pursue education alongside their peers, and fill valued roles in the community. In addition to operating as KHS, KHS provides services through Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), Capital Area Head Start (CAHS), Partnerships for People, Key Human Services, Keystone Autism Services, Keystone Moldova, and Keystone Institute India.
More information can be found at KHS.org
About Alexander and The Butz Family of Companies
The Butz Family of Companies, consisting of Alexander Building Construction Co., Alvin H. Butz, Inc. and Shoemaker Construction Co., provides exceptional, comprehensive construction management and design/build services, led by a commitment to complete customer satisfaction with special attention to safety, quality and value. The firm possesses significant experience in the construction of healthcare facilities, colleges/universities, corporate office buildings, manufacturing facilities, sports and entertainment venues, government buildings, K-12 schools and retail buildings serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and northern Delaware.