Published Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
St. Paul Homes in West Salem Township outlined its $30 million renovation and expansion plans Monday, a sweeping series of projects aimed at growing facilities and services at the continuing care retirement community.
"This is the largest expansion in St. Paul Homes' history," said Terry Wheeler, president of the St. Paul Homes' board of directors.
"It will have a similar impact as the day in 1909 when six train cars delivered our children and their belongings to their new 300-acre woodland home in Greenville, Pa.," Wheeler added.
St. Paul Homes -- founded in 1867 in Butler as a home for orphans of the Civil War -- plans to renovate and expand over three years, starting either this fall or early next spring, said Terri Sherbondy, marketing director for St. Paul's.
St. Paul's plans to iron out funding for the project this summer, seeking out bond and state money to help finance the project, Ms. Sherbondy added.
The projects are to include:
» Building a new 192-bed health center. The center is to offer skilled nursing and intermediate care, expanded Alzheimer's services and 24 beds for dementia care. Dementia care would be a new service at St. Paul Homes.
In 1995 a St. Paul Homes board subcommittee "began reviewing the needs of the retirement community, (and) the aging health center was identified as a top priority," Ms. Sherbondy said.
» Renovating the current health center into 80 private apartments.
St. Paul Homes has 40 private apartments in its assisted-living unit and 58 two-bedroom cottages and 17 one-bedroom apartments in its independent-living community. The new apartments would be a mixture of the two communities, designed for "those (residents) wishing to live independently with services available if they want or need them," Ms. Sherbondy said.
» Creating permanent facilities for the SeniorFITness wellness program.
The program began in December and has already outgrown its space in the health center, said Ms. Sherbondy. The program features weight training equipment specifically designed for seniors and those who have disabilities, cardiovascular equipment and some free weights, as well as an on-site exercise physiologist, Ms. Sherbondy added.
» Expanding rehabilitation services, including outpatient therapies.
Ms. Sherbondy said residents living independently at St. Paul Homes could receive outpatient therapy without leaving the 622-acre campus along East Jamestown Road.