Earlier this month, Boley Centers received a $1 million state appropriations award to complete renovations at the Mary R. Koenig Center and MacMath Manor campus in St. Petersburg.
According to the organization’s website, the nonprofit supports at-risk populations through affordable housing, behavioral health and employment assistance initiatives.
Boley Centers representatives utilize the campus, at 647 34th Avenue S., to provide medical, behavioral health and psychosocial rehabilitation services. The complex consists of eight buildings that vary in age.
It is the largest property that Boley Centers owns and operates in Pinellas County. According to the organization’s president and CEO Kevin Marrone, about 1,500 people visit the campus every year.
“We will be improving some critical infrastructure,” he said, “like electrical, plumbing, bathrooms and ceilings.” Most importantly, the updates can make the environment safer.
“For example, like in the main building, we have a 100-year-old electrical system,” Marrone explained. “It’s not up to current building and code standards. It could create a fire hazard if there was a trip, break or lightning.”
He added that some of the structures have leaks. Additionally, the facilities do not have modern equipment and need a technological update.
The appropriations will be used for capital improvements, including fixing cracks on the window frames.
Boley Centers has formed a partnership with Evara Health, a federally qualified health center in Pinellas County. Currently, organization representatives provide services out of a mobile bus. With the funds, Marrone and his team will convert one of the buildings into a permanent medical facility.
“The campus that got the appropriations is really a starting point for many of the people that we serve,” Marrone said. “They will come in through our residential programs and then they will go to this campus to learn about their mental illness and coping skills. They will participate in group therapy and individual therapy.”
He emphasized that the ultimate goal is to help clients “achieve independence in their lives.”
Marrone expects that the renovations will take about 18 months. The Boley Centers team should receive the funds in early 2027. Florida Representative Linda Chaney and Senator Nick DiCeglie supported the request.
Securing the appropriations was far from easy. In fact, this marked the third time Boley Centers’ leadership pursued the opportunity. “It’s been a number of challenging years in the Florida state budget,” Marrone said. “It’s obviously a very competitive process every year.”
“The first year we didn’t make it into the budget at all,” he continued. “Last year, we made it into the budget, but we were vetoed at the end.”
Marrone emphasized that the planned campus improvements will help ensure the organization can continue helping clients for decades to come. “If we don’t make changes to the complex soon, we could be in a situation where the buildings become unusable and then we won’t be able to carry out our services.”