With newly renovated space now available for lease, St. Joseph’s Center for Community Service in Clayton is seeking to expand its role as a venue for community service.
On June 30, St. Joseph’s held a press conference to introduce improvements to its campus and shine the spotlight on what the non-profit foundation has to offer for future tenants.
U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) was among the speakers at the conference.
The 222-acre campus at St. Joseph’s features six buildings with 50,000 square feet of space available for lease for community services, including youth programs, senior services, recreation and education.
St. Joseph’s Board Chair Joyce Webber described the Clayton campus as “a place for organizations to offer service to the community.”
Marc Ostroff, executive director at St. Joseph’s, said there are so many things that are not currently available in the area between Newark and Dover.
“We’re here to fill that void,” he said.
Ostroff said St. Joseph’s is also open to leasing space for some commercial entities that fulfill needs in the community.
Senator Carper offered the keynote address at the conference, which was attended by local and state officials and representatives from various programs and organizations.
“When I come here I think of community service,” Carper said. “Community service is the rent we pay for the space we take up on this earth.”
The senator expressed optimism about future of the site.
“This is good, and as time goes on, it’ll get even better,” he said.
After the conference, visitors took tours of the campus, including new board and conference rooms equipped with new audio-visual technology.
The St. Joseph’s campus was previously home to Providence Creek Academy, but the charter school and the foundation had struggled over the future of the land occupied by both organizations.
In 2006, the two groups reached an agreement that allowed both to go their separate ways. Senator Carper and his staff were credited with playing a key role in brokering this agreement.
Providence Creek Academy is now in the process of moving into a new campus of its own, with three new school buildings that were recently constructed on land purchased from St. Joseph’s.
St. Joseph’s, meanwhile, is looking to lease its space to new tenants.
Ostroff said the buildings at St. Joseph’s are perfectly outfitted for uses like classes, counseling, mentoring, meetings, conferences and programs.
The grounds also feature a cafeteria, a stage and theater, a gymnasium, athletic fields and onsite parking.
“We’re here,” Ostroff said. “We have the space and we’re flexible to make it happen.”
