A heart-felt plea to the Hormel Foundation has launched an effort to provide Arc Mower County with adequate space to rebuild its fledging programming, which has suffered since losing its facility to floods in 2004.

“It was such a tear-jerker presentation,” foundation treasurer Jerry Anfinson told the Austin City Council Monday. “We have provided a space for these people because it’s the right thing to do.”

The nonprofit, which serves people with developmental disabilities, may gain an addition at the Mower County Senior Center, where the organization has been attempting to continue its work, albeit with several snags.

“The conflicts are really scheduling — that’s the primary thing we’re talking about,” senior center board president Jack Donlop said.

Anfinson, former mayors Bonnie Reitz and John O’Rourke and representatives of Arc and the Mower County Senior Center spoke with council members during a work session meeting in hopes the city would agree help with several aspects of the new space, which would be built to the southeast of the center.

They asked if the city would consider swallowing some $17,000 more in operations, leading construction and reconfiguring leases.

Organizers estimated a total cost of $661,760 for a 5,000 square-foot area to include an outside entrance, programming, bathrooms and office space, as well as updates to the senior center, such as administrative remodeling and other layout adjustments.

“The foundation and the senior citizens would provide you basically a check for that amount,” Anfinson said, adding that he planned on soliciting some funds from the senior center.

“I didn’t have the heart to ask (Arc) to do a fundraiser to pick up part of the expense,” he said.

According to documents by Austin-based Paul R. Johnson Architects Inc., Arc has shared limited space with the senior center since 2004, when its North Main Street facility was devastated by 5 1/2 feet of water during the largest flood event on record in Austin.

The move eventually led to the service reduction, participation declines and inter-organizational conflict between the senior center and Arc, which provides educational programming, housing assistance and waivered services to clientele.

The hope is that new space will revitalize their efforts.

City council members generally supported the project, though expressed some hestitation due to its expense.

“I’m just looking at the organizational cost of the building,” council member Brian McAlister, 1st Ward, said, noting that with the new jail and justice center, he expects some initiatives to be prohibitive.

“And I guess that council kind of finds itself in a position to nickel and dime things,” he said.

McAlister also said that he didn’t believe Mower County would be amenable to sharing new costs. Currently, the city and county share utilities for the senior center.

Viril Layton, vice president of the senior center board, offered a couple solutions, including use of capital improvement funds to offset increases.

“This will save some of those monies that you’re going to be spending anyway into the whole building,” he said. “And I think it will save some money in the process.”

In its capital improvement plan, the city has budgeted a total $45,000 from 2010 to 2012.

The city gave a nod to the effort, agreeing to consider the plans once they are fully drafted and approved by the Hormel Foundation. The local process would include new leases between the city, county and Arc, as well as bidding and other legal requirements.

Anfinson said the foundation has not formally considered the proposal, though he expects an affirming vote following a presentation Aug. 23.

“We’re going to find Arc some place — we’re morally committed to that,” Anfinson said. “This just fit the bill.”

The senior center was constructed 21 years ago, and now serves approximately 1,200 people. Arc’s membership is around 300.