Today the Kenai City Council got a preview of the new Dena’ina Wellness Center, which is still under construction but slated to open to patients in April.
Phil Young has been involved with the construction from the begining of the project and explained a little bit about the theme of the building.
Young: “This is a beach theme, if you will, with the Kenai River Green in the floor. It’s all beautifully stained concrete and then the theme pics up the local cannery wood as part of the history. We have tops that have this sea or Kenai green if you will. The carpeting reflects the local rivers. The whole thing was centered around the history of Old Town.”
The building also includes many low cost facilitators like automatic LED lights, high efficiency boilers, and even a system that turns rainwater and snow melt off the roof into non-potable water used in the toilets.
When it opens, the Center will consolidate medical, dental, and psychological resources throughout Kenai into one building.
Council Member Brian Gabriel told us the center will greatly benefit its members.
Gabriel: “Well I think for one it will be a benefit to the Native Community because they will be able to have not just physical and medical issues dealt with but emotional issues and things like that. That’s what it is, it’s a wellness center. I thought that one of the more interesting concepts in here was the food preparation area where they can teach members how to prepare food and preserve it.”
The center has included a demo kitchen which will show traditional foods being processed and prepared, along with a space for traditional healing.