PERRY, Ga. — The New Perry Hotel is preparing for renovations by the HALO Group, who bought the building last fall.
The HALO Group, which stands for Helping Achieve Life Outcomes by Having Agape Love for Others, is a group on a mission to create a unique space for adults with special needs.
"We want to renovate and revive this as the New Perry Restaurant and Hotel, operated by the HALO Group of middle Georgia, where we will train and employ individuals with special needs," Executive Director for the HALO Group, Angela Cuti said.
With three floors of space to work with, Cuti says the renovations needed for their vision will be in the million-dollar range.
"The bones of the property are pretty strong, but we do estimate the cost of renovation for this building to be about $3.3-3.5 million at our current projection," Cuti said.
The group has already raised about $50,000 of their goal in donations.
The vision includes hotel rooms, a full kitchen, formal dining room and the second and third floors will have multiple uses.
"One half of this floor is going to be our vocational instructional classrooms, the other half we're going to have a partition that will have lease-able office space," Cuti said.
The third floor will have hotel rooms with a few larger rooms for those who want it. Some of the space will also be open to the public.
"We have the parlor, reception area, we'll have the restrooms, we'll have some private rooms to reserve for the community. The gift shop will be a major hub for funding for HALO," Cuti said.
Cuti says the group wants to try to raise money through grants, donations and not through the federal government.
To learn more about their mission and how to donate, visit their website here.