Grand opening planned for dental clinic

Ten months since construction crews broke ground, the latest addition to downtown Dowagiac’s cityscape is only days away from opening its doors to the public.

The new location of the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department’s local dental clinic, at the corner of Front and Main Streets, is nearing the final stage of competition, with crews installing the two-story building’s elevator this week. The clinic has already begun to move into its new digs, installing furniture throughout the week in preparation for opening.

The city plans on welcoming the new clinic with a grand opening ceremony at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, offering tours of the new facility to invited guests and members of the public, said City Manager Kevin Anderson.

“We’ll have a few speakers during the opening,” Anderson said. “Anytime you open a building like this, it’s nice to pause and reflect on what it means for the community.”

The public unveiling of the medical facility was slightly delayed by the shipment of the elevator, which came in slightly later than expected, Anderson said. Despite that, construction, which has been headed up by Pegasus Construction, has proceeded quite smoothly over the last few months.

The new dental clinic, which will be located on the second floor, will offer additional space compared to their current offices, located in the Lyons Medical Center across from Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. The expanded space will allow for the department to bring as many as three new doctors to their Dowagiac staff.

The first floor offers around 6,000 square feet of office space for other businesses, accommodating three or four different tenants, Anderson said. Though no companies have signed any leases yet, the city manager said they are pursuing several leads.

“We fully expect that the space will fill up as we work over the next months and year,” he said.

The building’s front lot will also serve as a public parking, providing additional room for parking during city festivals and parades, Anderson said.

The opening of the new building closes the another chapter in the city’s long-term efforts to develop the downtown district, especially on that end of Front Street. Anderson compared the recent project to the development of the Dowagiac Area History Museum across the street, with both serving as anchor buildings on opposite ends of downtown.

“The look and feel of downtown will be improved dramatically, especially compared to what was located in that space before,” Anderson said.