July 29, 2005

AIDS Taskforce moves into airy new quarters

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland--After ten years atop a Euclid Avenue building overlooking the Innerbelt freeway, the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland has a new home.

Staffers spent the week of July 25 moving into the spacious new offices a block to the east.

Case worker Catherine O?Brien, who celebrates her 15-year anniversary with the Taskforce in September, recalls moving into what is now their old building a decade ago.

?We had so much room that even the interns had offices,? she noted. ?It seemed like the Palace of Versailles.?

There were 18 staff members at the time, plus volunteers and other people coming through the 11,000-square-foot offices on the fourth and fifth floors of 2728 Euclid Avenue.

But the lobby, cramped and uninviting, did not instill hope in new clients, O?Brien and executive director Earl Pike noted.

The new space, with 18,000 square feet and 68 staff members, provides a much more positive outlook for visitors.

?I think it?s a much more respectful space for the people we serve,? O?Brien said of the new offices, with a bright and open reception area and client services on the first floor of 3210 Euclid Avenue.

?Our clients deserve to be able to come to a nice place with enough privacy,? she concluded.

The lease on the old offices expires in October, which would have necessitated a move anyway, so Pike took the opportunity to find a larger space at a lower cost per square foot.

The centerpiece of the main floor of the new offices will be the Little Library, named for former board member Jud Little. In addition to hundreds of books, there will also be computer terminals available for clients? use.

A second-floor walkway leading to staff offices provides a view over the central library area.

Private rooms will be available for case workers to use in their discussions with clients, as well.

Pike also noted that the building has enough room for some events to be held there, instead of always using other facilities.

What he really appreciates about the new space, though, is the openness.

?At the old building, it was so cramped that the only place people could ever be social was in the lunch room,? he said. ?Here, I can step out of my office and call to someone across the way, say hello.?

While the new building will officially be open for business on Monday, August 1, Pike noted that core services would run throughout the move to provide continuity for the AIDS Taskforce?s clientele.??

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