Amity Foundation announced that it engaged Rick Engineering of Tucson, Arizona for the development plans of their new State-of-the-Art Family and Children's Center 'Dragonfly Village'.
Amity is a model, (one of only a few services nationwide), that provides for a child or children to enter a residential treatment setting with their mother, father or both parents. This educational setting addresses the entire generational and family system, allows parents to be reunified and reeducated while the children are provided a safe home to receive counseling, allowed to heal and excel academically while their parent(s) receive the substance abuse treatment so they can become productive members of society.
Although Rick Engineering Company has grown throughout California and Arizona, their attention to local civic planning concerns specific to the Sonoran Desert is evident by their attention to Tucson's vision for "smart growth." "Cotton, Canyons, Copper and Cattle" were considered main stays of Arizona's economy in the 1950's when the Company started and Rick Engineering has been working in each of these areas since first coming to Tucson in 1987. From creating development plans, subdivision plats, and assisting residents implementing master plans, to providing expertise in drainage and flood control in flat farmlands, steering or designing a roadway with minimal disturbance through a pristine desert mountain, Rick Engineering has been an integral partner in Tucson's vision of smart growth.
The site of Amity's new Children and Family Reunification center 'Dragonfly Village', located in the Tanque Verde Valley, required Rick's specialized skills and sensibilities to keep the valley's rural character, working with the natural beauty of Amity's five acre parcel on an existing 60 acre site while mitigating the challenges faced in the flood prone Tanque Verde Valley. Rick's principal, Paul Izzi stated, "The Dragonfly Village project is not only rewarding due to the design and technical challenges we were asked to solve, or that it brought hundreds of thousands in revenues to the Tucson economy but that we are building something that will improve the lives of, and bring comfort to children, while reunifying families that need services for substance abuse, vocational training and parenting skills. We are truly proud to be a part of such an esteemed project that will help thousands of children in the years to come."
Local Emerald Foundation provided initial funding for the development and feasibility plan through a grant. Amity's Foundation Board is launching a capital campaign that will raise the funds to build the state-of-the-art, 5 acre, 15-building Children's and Family Center on the sequestered parcel of Amity Foundation's Circle Tree Ranch.
Dragonfly Village will reunify children in need with their families, families who are in need of substance abuse treatment, vocational training and parenting skills and life-skills training. Upon completion the Village will provide housing for 100 children and parents annually.
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