Published Friday, July 03, 2009 6:05 AM
Twin City celebrating its new digs
By JANET PHELPS
janet.phelps@theeagle.com
Wildcat Movers owner Zane Ponsetti loads boxes into a trailer at the Twin City Mission location in downtown Bryan on Thursday. The move is expected to take about two weeks.
Twin City Mission is on the move.
Nearly five years after a search for a new location for the facility began, movers were packing up administrative offices at The Bridge's downtown Bryan location Thursday.
"It's chaos," said Steve Bethea, The Bridge's program manager.
The move will take about two weeks. On Wednesday, before residents move in, Twin City staff will host a ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m. followed by tours of the new facility.
On July 13, The Bridge's 50 residents will move to the new site about 10 blocks southwest of its current location.
The much-anticipated move has been years in the making. When city officials prohibited any new nonprofit construction in downtown Bryan in 2003, it became clear that the cramped shelter would need a new location to meet the growing needs of the community.
Construction on the
16.3 acres off Randolph Street purchased by Twin City in 2007 began in September. The new facility will increase the capacity of the shelter from 64 to 127 beds.
Twin City Mission Director of Community Relations Ron Crozier said the move was emotional for more than one reason.
Apart from the day the mission was formed, "July 13 will be the single largest day in the history of the mission and -- without a doubt -- a red-banner day for the city of Bryan," he said. "Moving our offices away from 500 North Main was kind of tough because that's been our home for
40-plus years," he said.
But on Thursday, Bethea said he felt mostly relief that Wildcat Movers -- a tiny company with only one full-time employee apart from its owner -- had saved the day.
"It was just a godsend because they moved our entire office," he said.
The company's owner, Zane Ponsetti, 22, said he learned from his roommate, who works at the shelter, that The Bridge could use his help.
Ponsetti rounded up six of his part-time employees and friends who volunteered for more than three hours Thursday morning to move equipment from six offices and a boardroom to the new site.
"Had this been for pay, it would have run probably $800 to $1,000, so it was really good to do this for the shelter because they didn't have that money to spend," he said. "We were able to do it, save them some money and kind of give back to the community."
Bethea said the stress of moving had just begun. Staff members will be working out of two locations over the next two weeks -- managing the old site while preparing the new one for clients' arrival.
The Community Cafe will reopen at the new site by July 21. In the meantime, Crozier said, residents of the shelter will be subsisting on sandwiches and cereal.
The mission is home to about 50 people right now, Bethea said.
"The clients will still ask, 'Well, are we going with y'all?'" Bethea said. "But staff is really excited about the new digs. It's beautiful. It really is."
Comments
18 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
On:
Monday, July 06, 2009 12:53 AM
Comment Title:
Twin City Mission and personnel, Bryan Texas and Wildcat Movers and personnel, College Station taking care of the less fortunate in Bryan, College Station, and all the Brazos Valley. Thanks.
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Posted by:
Thank you---- College Station. On:
Monday, July 06, 2009 12:08 AM
Comment Title:
Good thing CS residents stepped up to help the Poverty poor in Bryan.
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Posted by:
Celeste B On:
Sunday, July 05, 2009 5:59 PM
Comment Title: Thank you Zane
I just wanted to say thanks to Zane and his crew/friends that helped with the move. Having the correct equipment and some strong backs made this much easier for the staff, I am sure. You are a true citizen of this community and I hope you are rewarded ten fold in self-satisfaction and also in improved visibility as a business. (I have no connection to TCM except for occasionally donating or shopping at their thrift stores.)
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Posted by:
On:
Sunday, July 05, 2009 5:35 PM
Comment Title:
Near downtown bryan is a great place for the people just out of TDCJ and the ones that do not wont to work. With Obama Soon even the ones that would like to work could found their self out of work and in a Bryan holding area for poverty.
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Posted by:
Lee On:
Sunday, July 05, 2009 3:13 PM
Comment Title: what?
I have my own place thank you very much, and I go to college, and yes I have a job, and yes I am a mgr. at my job, and yes I have rules to go by, so all of you who think I suck, can all go to hell. And I stand by my words when I say that TCM is all about the money and nothing eles....
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Posted by:
On:
Sunday, July 05, 2009 2:51 PM
Comment Title: Helping
I doubt anyone will read this since it is a couple days after, but.... I am Zane Ponsetti the owner of Wildcat Movers that helped to relocate the shelter's offices. We did this to help the shelter, and give something to the community. As for the workers at the shelter, they aren't doing it for the money, trust me I have heard how much some of them make. They do it to help the community as well. I hope that whoever reads this, sees the good that all parties involved are trying to do for this community. I hope this comment will change one person's mind to the see the good that was done.
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, July 04, 2009 11:14 PM
Comment Title: TO LEE
If you don't like the rules then go get your own apt. or house. Then you can live by your rules. When you were growing up in your parents house, I bet they sucked too because they had rules you had to follow. Apparently you are a leader and not a follower. Get a job, make some money, and do your own thing. Oh by the way, if you work for someone other than yourself, you will have rules that you have to follow. They'll suck also.
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Posted by:
none On:
Saturday, July 04, 2009 7:01 PM
Comment Title: you must kidding
Did I read that right? The management of TCM sucks because they want you to have a job and earn your keep and they expect you to be in at 10pm instead of consuming large amounts of malt liqour or sucking on a crack pipe until all hours of the night. The nerve of the "mgt". Lee I'm sure you've spent most of your life getting something for nothing so I can see where the whole "work for it" concept would escape you. I wish you luck as you continue to exist as a parasite on society. Lee you SUCK!
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, July 04, 2009 11:30 AM
Comment Title: Good Luck
This place at least keeps some folks from wandering the streets. If the people that need to stay there can't follow the simple rules that allow them to stay there, then back on the streets they go, and they should go. The Mission faces tremendous challenges dealing with displaced persons who have a tremendous range of problems that they bring with them. However, I am discouraged to read that people try to make donations of food and cannot get anyone to pick it up or pay processing fees for decent meat for the residents. That people have to work in exchange for room and board only instills discipline in those people while they are attempting, with assistance, to get their lives back together. The Mission is NOT making money on the backs of the residents. Any "thrift store" usually has a few folks around who snag the best donations and tag them as sold when they come through the door. I am betting that management does their best to monitor this situation. If not, they should, or please bother to tell them.
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, July 04, 2009 12:04 AM
Comment Title: _____THRIFT STORES_____
These stores don't bother to take care of the items that are donated. In the past I have seen many items that were in very good condition when they came in but because of the lack of care ended up being junk that had to be discarded. Other charity thrift stores manage to operate stores that are somewhat orderly and mark a price on each item. Check out the local Goodwill Store and the store operated by Hospice.
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Posted by:
Lee On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 10:28 PM
Comment Title: twin city mission
I use to live there, and mgt sucks. If you don't have a job, you have to work for them for free, and that pays for a place to sleep. If you work, and many don't, than you have to pay like 35 dollars a week..You have to be in at 10 pm, and if you are a minute late, you get kicked out for 3 days, even if you paid. Do not let these people they call "mgt" lie and say they do all they can to help the homeless, because they do nothing to help, it's all about the money. With this new building, I wounder what the folks there will have to pay now?
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 10:06 PM
Comment Title:
As an employee of Twin City Mission I can tell you that If we were to price things for our stores there would never be anything to sell. It take good time and effort for us to even get the clothes to the stores to sell! The managers of our stores do the best that they can do! Twin City Mission does many things for their clients and they do not just nap all day. Im sure that the clients were helping and chose not to be photographed because some dont want to be found by others. Really people think before you post a comment!
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Posted by:
Yellow Kid On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 6:37 PM
Comment Title: 50?
Yeah, it seems like of the 50 "residents" a few would have been able to help. Guess that would interfere with day long naps..Also if you have any beef to get rid of I will gladly pay for it and pick itup and be thankful for grain fed..
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 6:23 PM
Comment Title:
A couple of comments. First, why did they not know how they were going to move until those Good Samaritans volunteered to help them move, at the last minute? Second, I have been suspect of the management (but not the good intentions) of this organization since I called last year with the offer to donate a 500 lb. calf to feed these folks. I asked if they would pick up the cost of the processing fee and was told that not only would they pay for anything but that if I paid for the processing, I had to deliver the packaged meat myself, they would not pick it up from the local butcher. Needless to say, my interest in helping these folks took a nosedive. I think Ron is a good guy but question some of his help.
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 3:34 PM
Comment Title:
Maybe someone will but in a rent a bryan gangbanger store.
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 11:59 AM
Comment Title:
Thrift store prices depend on who is checking you out. The downtown thrift store has no air conditioning, yet the management offices are air conditioned. They need honest people to work there.
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 11:22 AM
Comment Title:
6 people working in the photo and not one looks like a resident working.
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, July 03, 2009 8:36 AM
Comment Title:
I wonder if they'll operate a thrift store at the new location. If so, I sure do hope it will be much better managed than the ones downtown and off Old College and in College Station on Welborn are. At those locations, they don't mark prices on the items for sale and the price charged just depends on who wants to buy. Sometimes quality items never make it to the sales floor but are marked "SOLD" as they are unloaded.
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