By TRACEY DRURY
tdrury@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1609

The Cantalician Center for Learning broke ground today on a renovation project at a former church and school, where it plans to consolidate its early-childhood programs over the next two years.

The multimillion-dollar project will transform the former St. Barnabas Parish property in Depew into the Cantalician Center Academic Campus. The nonprofit agency provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities, including a school-age program, early childhood and an adult program.

The project involves renovations to the school and parish building, along with an addition resulting in a 90,000-square-foot facility. The 15-acre property includes the school building with classrooms, a full gymnasium and cafeteria, as well as lots of green space with enclosed baseball diamonds and soccer fields. They all provide new opportunities for students served by the program, says Terese Scofidio, executive director.

The new site will be a marked improvement from the existing school, an aging facility where students cannot access the gym or cafeteria without leaving the building. That presents a problem in cold or rainy weather when students must dress and undress in coats and gloves multiple times a day.

"Now they will have direct access and much more classroom time," Scofidio says. "Transitioning is very difficult for these children, so this will give them much more curriculum time."

The Cantalician Center closed on the property at 2049 George Urban Blvd. in late July following a merger between St. Barnabas and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Depew, forming the new St. Martha Parish.

Plans call for opening the school-age program next September for students up to age 21, with the early-childhood component following in July 2013. The programs currently operate from separate sites on Main Street in Buffalo adjacent to the University at Buffalo and a second site on Eggert Road in Amherst.

A third site on Hertel will remain home to the Cantalician Center's adult programs, he says.

The groundbreaking today also marked the beginning of a $1.5 million capital campaign. Already, the campaign has raised $500,000 in construction funding.

Founded in 1956, the Cantalician Center provides services to about 225 children and 200 adults annually. Operating on a budget of $11.5 million, it has a staff of 250 between the three sites.