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LEWISTOWN - Community members gathered Monday evening to celebrate the open house of the Community Partner Allied Service System building located on South Dorcas Street in Lewistown.

The purpose of the open house event is to let the community know what organizations are in the building and what they offer, said Beth Zong, executive director of Mifflin-Juniata Special Needs Center.

The building houses the Mifflin-Juniata Special Needs Center, Tri-County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission, The Abuse Network, Tuscarora Intermediate Unit and the Greater Susquehanna Valley chapter of the American Red Cross. All of the organizations have moved into the building except the Red Cross, which should move in by February. A total of about 60 people are employed in the building, Zong said.

Mike Hannon, executive director of the Tri-County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Committee, said there has been a lot of curiosity among community members about the building. The open house is a good opportunity to show the community what's in the building, and who the organizations are, he said.

"I think it's already a landmark for Lewistown," he said.

The building's organizations all are private and non-profit. Although they serve different populations, there is some overlap, said Fran Merrifield, supervisor of Tuscarora Intermediate Unit.

And since the organizations are together in the building, they are provided with shared resources, Zong added.

"Our goal is to have unity," she said. "(The building) brings unity to the system."

One guest at the event, Ann Kasner, of Strodes Mills, said she came to the open house because she is a retired teacher and she's interested in what organizations in the building are doing with children with special needs, she said.

"It's a challenge and I think they're doing a very good job," she said.