By: Kevin Myrick (Polk County Standard Journal)
The City of Cedartown’s bet on bringing social service organizations together under one roof has paid off after one more lease was approved during their June meeting.
Tallatoona CAP joins a long list of medical organizations, state and non-profit social programs for a lease to be renewed annually, effectively taking up the last of the office space within the former Polk Medical Center according to city manager Bill Fann.
“I think we may have two real small possible office spaces left,” Fann said.
He added that currently, One Door Polk is 98 percent full.
Fann said that the Tallatoona CAP offices were opened at the beginning of the month after they moved in on June 1, and that it joins the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Polk and Haralson County CASA and several others in a wing set aside specifically for social services.
Primary Healthcare and Highland Rivers Health both continue to be anchor tenants for One Door Polk as well.
“I thought that at some point we’d have to rent some space to a service like heating and air company, or professional services company, or even a retail outlet,” Fann said. “But to be able to fill this entire facility with nothing but social services agencies just amazes me.”
City commissioners approved the new lease unanimously, and also approved continuing to rent space to another agency.
The annual lease for the Area Agency on Aging to start on July 1 was given unanimous consent by the Commission during their June 13 session. They had previously moved in at the end of 2016.
The Area Agency on Aging, which is a division of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, helps local seniors find services and support in times when they need help.
The Polk County Foster Parent Association and Georgia Northwestern Technical College are among some of the others who have space in One Door Polk as well.
One Door Polk began life as the former Polk Medical Center and was turned over to the city by the Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority after the opening of the new Polk Medical Center.