The energy at Good Samaritan Society — International Falls has changed from guarded optimism to excitement.
After seven years in the making, the ground breaking for the new site for the nursing home began last week.
“We can finally say this is happening,” said Barb Owen-Boerger, director of community relations for the local Good Samaritan. “The residents are getting excited — we haven’t just been talking about a dream, this is real. It touches all of us in a really profound way.”
The project along Keenan Drive for the new campus is expected to include 54 private skilled nursing suites for long-term care and short-term rehabilitative stays. These suites will be divided into three 18-unit “neighborhoods.” Each neighborhood will have a living room, family room, activity space and a kitchen.
Also included in the plan is a 24-unit assisted living center. Like the skilled nursing design, the assisted living suites will also be grouped into three equal neighborhoods. The kitchen, dining, activity and social areas are shared spaces in the assisted living center. The Home Health Care Agency and the Therapeutic Rehabilitative Center will also be part of the building project.
The building project is expected to cost from $17 million to $19 million.
Good Samaritan has sought support from the local community to help with financing the project, according to Owen-Boerger. The goal is to raise $1 million locally, through donations, pledges, annuities and planned giving. Owen-Boerger noted that the $1 million would cover 5 or 6 percent of the total cost.
“We’re not necessarily dependent on that million to go forward with the project, but it will help us to be sustainable in the future,” she explained. “It will help us manage that and not have to take out costs from our operating funds.”
So far, $350,000 has been donated from the community. All of the donations will be used locally. Included in that figure are donations of services or supplies. Also included are pledges people have made to donate, allowing them to donate in small installments over a stretch of time.
“It’s an opportunity for people to really leave a legacy and leave their mark in a meaningful way,” she said. “They get as much out of giving as our residents and staff get from their support.”
Some community members have been hesitant to donate, concerned that the project may never happen, Owen-Boerger said.
“That fear that people had made fundraising a bit challenging,” she said. “They needed to actually see that a project of this size is happening in our community.”
Now that the construction has begun, Owen-Boerger’s intention is to make sure “everyone in this community understands this project,” she said.
The construction is expected to take about a year, according to Adam Coe, director of operations.
“We’re thrilled to be moving forward with it,” he said. “We’re so excited to be having a new building to be able to serve our community and ensure we can do it for many more years to come.”
The journey was longer than expected because of many hurdles.
Planning for the new campus began in 2006. In 2007, Coe began the internal process and then later began to seek approval from the state to get the project moving. The state has a moratorium on the number of nursing home beds and in 2009 the project received approval for an exception to the moratorium.
The state’s approval was competitive, with about 17 applications for an exception sought, and just seven or eight approved.
Seeking wetland permits to be able to build on the land also took longer than expected.
“We were just wanting to make sure all the ducks were in a row,” Owen-Boerger said. “There’s a large process that needed to play out before we got to where we are today.”
For now, the excitement for Owen-Boerger continues on a daily basis, she said.
“I’m excited every day to drive by and see that piece of land change,” Owen-Boerger said. “Seeing that piece of land change over time — it’s phenomenal.”
For more information, to donate or to participate in fund raising efforts, contact Owen-Boerger at 283-8313 ext. 122 or bowenboe@good-sam.com.
