Interior work is underway to turn the former ABC Daycare site into transitional housing for youth aged 16 to 24.
A demolition permit has been issued for the London Rd. property.
Drywall is being taken down to get to the furnace duct work, and then a mechanical plan will be done. The exterior is in good shape, and doesn't need repairs.
Owner Tammy Vandenheuvel, who also operates Preferred Towing, expects the transformation to cost about $1.3-million.
She says they're working on securing funding from the County of Lambton and have had some generous donations from the community.
"As the project gets rolling, I think we'll know more about where we're standing," says Vandenheuvel. "Once you start taking down drywall and you see the interior of the building, there are always things that pop up that you weren't expecting that weren't added to the budget. So, we're hoping fingers crossed that once the demolition is done that there aren't any surprises that will hit the budget."
Vandenheuvel expects the project to wrap up by January 2019 at the latest.
"We're just jumping for joy, I'm so excited that we have things moving," she says. "There was a bit of a dead time frame, and now to see some work actually happening it really rejuvenates us to know that this is getting closer to our end goal of having youth in the facility."
She's hopeful a building permit will be issued soon, so that work can continue smoothly.
Ontario Works helps youth in paying the monthly rent which can range from $650 to $790. The seven apartment units will house up to ten youth at one time.
Meanwhile, Sarnia FC players, coaches, and refs are being asked not to park at the site due to safety concerns.