TRIPIL to begin renovating former Washington YWCA

Internal demolition is in store this spring for the eventual headquarters of Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living, which Washingtonians might recognize as the former YWCA.
Kathleen Kleinmann, TRIPIL chief executive officer, and Gerald Longstreth, chairman of the parent board, came to the Washington County commissioners meeting Thursday to accept a $500,000 symbolic check from the Local Share Account of gambling revenue from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino. The interior demolition phase is being funded entirely with local share funds. Waller Corp. of Washington has the $238,435 contract.
TRIPIL began a capital campaign to replace its 69 E. Beau St. building in 2010. It purchased the former YWCA at 42 W. Maiden St. in 2012, followed by the parking lot on the east side of the building and C. Bennett Auto Supply garage on West Railroad Street behind the YWCA, where a new building accommodates the TRIPIL motor pool, maintenance and information technology departments.
The former YWCA was re-mediated for environmental hazards, and Kleinmann said leases for parking lot will expire at the end of the month so trucks and containers can use the lot as a staging area. Window replacement be the most visible part of the renovation to those who pass by the building. In the days before reliable transportation, the “Y” was built, in part, to offer weeknight rooming and programs for single women from surrounding rural areas who worked in Washington.
The 27,000-square-foot, three-story classic Elizabethan Revival-style building is the only one of its type in the region.
Although the YWCA had an elevator, it was not compliant with current standards, so TRIPIL plans replacements that can accommodate visitors and staff members who use wheelchairs.
The building will feature a technology resource center, Internet cafe and gymnasium as part of TRIPIL’s Southwestern Pennsylvania Disability Services and Training community center.
TRIPIL is one of the largest home-care providers in Washington County and the largest provider of such services in Fayette and Greene counties. The agency bills itself as one of only 500 centers for independent living in the United States.
According to TRIPIL’s annual report for 2014, it served 515 people from Washington County, 280 from Fayette County, 148 from Greene County and 103 from other areas. Most of its consumers – 529 – are from the 25- to 59-year-old demographic, while 437 were 60 and older. Fifty consumers are in the category of under age 5 to 24 years old.
Those with physical disabilities account for 571 consumers, while 308 have multiple disabilities.
TRIPIL took in $13.4 million last year and the organization listed $11.1 million in expenses.