Red Cross building is new home for county health department
PHOTO PROVIDED
From left, Commissioner Ron Amstutz, Commissioner Sue Smail, Kim Hall, chair of the Heartland, Stark, and Muskingum Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross board, Kim Kroh, Executive Director of the Heartland, Stark, and Muskingum Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross, Health Commissioner Nick Cascarelli, Commissioner Becky Foster.
WOOSTER Wayne County has been gifted ownership of the American Red Cross building at 244 W South St., Wooster.
As part of the no-cost transfer, the Red Cross will maintain an office on the second floor, a garage bay, an outside parking spot, and the option to conduct up to four blood drives each month.
“Wayne County residents have benefitted from the use of this building since construction was completed in 2008,” Wayne County Commissioner Sue Smail said in a news release. “The building — which was built with a majority of private donations — will continue to benefit the community as it becomes the new home of the Wayne County Health Department. Through our agreement, residents will continue to use the building for Red Cross activities, while the health department will have new space in which to conduct its essential services for the citizens of Wayne County. We are grateful to Steve Matthew and Greg Long for the role they played in bringing this transaction to a successful close.”
The Red Cross has been a member of the local community since 1917, according to a news release. In addition to its disaster relief efforts, the non-profit is chartered by Congress to help fulfill United States treaty obligations under the Geneva Conventions.
The charter mandates that the Red Cross maintains a domestic and international disaster relief system and entrusts the organization to serve as a medium of communication between military members and their families.
Built in 2008 and valued at $1.4 million, the building sits on nearly .25 acres of land.
