SUGARCREEK TWP, Armstrong County — Work to replace a leaking roof on the dormitory of the Mechling Shakley Veterans Center began Friday after the center received $50,000 through grants and donations.

Sean Taladay, executive director of the center, said the 8,500 square-foot steel roof covers the building that houses 54 homeless veterans.

“With all the rain we have been getting, the roof sprung a leak, so it came at a good time,” he said.

The center had been fundraising for about a year. The Home Depot Foundation provided a $16,000 grant for the project.

“A lot of the money came from a whole bunch of small donations,” Taladay said. “It all adds up.”

The work is expected to take about four weeks to finish.

The dormitory provides transitional housing for homeless veterans. It includes several amenities including a laundry room, a gym, and a pool table.

The building had its flooring replaced earlier this year. Taladay said the next project on the radar is to replace the concrete walkway connecting the dormitory to the center’s administrative building.

“After this past winter, it just buckled,” he said of the concrete slabs. “It’s in dire need of being replaced.”

That project will cost about $8,000.

Donations can be made to the Mechling Shakley Veterans Center, 1413 PA-268, Cowansville, PA, 16218.