The Susquehanna Association for the Blind and Vision Impaired on Thursday began renovations at its manufacturing facility in West Earl Township, according to a news release.
Montgomery County-based Hatfield Quality Meats, owned by the Clemens Family Corp., in 2011 donated the 19,000-square-foot building at 171 Butter Road.
The $450,000 in renovations will include grinding down floors, raising ceilings and building walls, said Tim Kruger, the association’s director of operations, in a statement.
Work will be funded through grants and interest-free loans from the National Industries for the Blind, association CEO and President Dennis Steiner said.
Construction should be completed by the end of July, the release stated.
Lancaster County-based Shiloh Farms and York County-based Nuts About Granola will use the manufacturing site once renovations are complete.
Shiloh will use the space for packaging of its all-natural and organic food products. Nuts About Granola will manufacture and package its locally-sourced granola there.
About 15 people will be employed at the warehouse, with up to eight blind workers, the association said.
“This project is a key component of our strategic initiative to diversify our business to include more commercial opportunities in addition to our Department of Defense contracts,” Steiner said.
Scenic Ridge Construction, based in Leacock Township, Lancaster County, is managing the renovations.
