Red Cross celebrates grand opening

The event begins at 11 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting at the new location, the former Handcrafted Hardwoods building at 1545 N. West Bypass. Red Cross staff then will give tours of the building until 1 p.m., and hot dogs, chips, soda and cake will be provided.

The organization’s new 24,000-square-foot, $2.45 million building is more than triple the size of its former 7,800-square-foot location at 1835 E. Chestnut Expressway.

The larger space will allow the local chapter to provide additional services, including life-saving classes and training classes for disaster volunteers. The building has 14 offices, two dividable training rooms, a large multipurpose/conference room, a waiting room, a reception area, a break room, a health/first aid room, a 12,000-square-foot garage for Red Cross vehicles and space for chain-link storage for each department.