On July 8, 2016, site work on the plot of land in front of the Papa’s Sambhav House began on the new Chelsea Center building, and on July 20, the neighborhood Dhami led a puja ceremony to bless the ground and building. Many Chelsea Center teachers and students, including local women enrolled in adult education classes, attended the blessing ceremony.
Completed in the spring of 2017, the new Chelsea Center’s ground floor hosts a lobby, a spacious multipurpose community room with a library, and permanent awnings over the entranceway for hosting outdoor events. On the first floor, there are two computer labs and a workroom for the faculty, on the second floor are three classrooms, and on the third floor an open space for outdoor gatherings. All the new classrooms have solar lights, white boards, and information technology equipment to enhance classroom instruction.
In addition, the building formerly used as our boys' home on the CECC campus was converted into the Chelsea Annex and housed a conference room, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor; four classrooms on the first floor; and two additional classrooms and a living space on the second floor.
To compare, the Chelsea Center used to operate out of a 1,800 square foot building with space for seven classrooms. The new building, its annex and adjacent office building has over 3,000 square feet of space with eleven larger classrooms, a community room/library, and an office. Having such facilities has allowed the CECC to expand and improve its programs.