By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
The Sullivan County Health Care renovations continue to make strides, and Phase 3 of the $75 million project is nearly complete, meaning that nursing home residents will be moving into their brand-new digs next month.
“We have targeted early to mid-February for residents to move,” said Project Manager Mary Bourque, who is the Sullivan County director of facilities and operations. “We can’t schedule a more precise move-in date until the State Fire Marshal’s Office does its final inspection for fire and building code compliance, then they will conduct a DHHS licensing review. We are hoping to have those close to the end of this month, but it is dependent on the construction being ready and scheduling of State Fire Marshal inspector.”
According to Bourque, when residents move into the addition, it will complete Phase 3 of the project.
“The remaining phases include an aesthetic refresh of the MacConnell unit, gut renovation of the Stearns Building, and renovations to the kitchen and laundry areas,” she said. “The ultimate end date of the project is late spring 2026.”
Bourque said that the renovation replaces aged facilities and outdated equipment, and “improvements enhance safety, comfort and functionality for residents and staff.”
“Modern, energy-efficient systems will use less resources than the outdated systems, reduce emergency repairs, and lead to more consistent budgeting and use of taxpayer funds, all while improving resident care,” Bourque said.
Bourque explained that the upper floors that will have nursing home resident bedrooms are completed and inspected, and recently tours were held to introduce them to the new area so they could get a feel for the new space.
“With the new addition connecting into the existing building, we have been able to tour them on their current floor without going to the ground level where the construction is finishing up,” Bourque said.
Nursing Home Administrator Matt Lagos said that the reaction by residents and staff to the new addition has been “awesome.”
“The colors, flooring, and finishes have been big hits,” Lagos said. “The amount of windows and the design of the rooms also have been very popular with the residents. I cannot express enough what an improvement this will be for the care needs of the residents, but also their quality of life. Living, working and visiting in a beautiful, well-lit space will have a dramatic positive effect on residents, staff and visitors. This is a building to be proud of.”
The Sullivan County Health Care renovation and revitalization is the largest part of the county’s Capital Improvement Plan. It is a $75 million project that is funded by several different sources, which include 45% from forgivable loans or awards from the state and federal government. Other reserves include the Capital Reserve Fund and ARPA fund. The Sullivan County Delegation has authorized up to $35 million in bonds to complete the project, according to information supplied by the county.
The project’s planning and feasibility study was completed in summer 2019, and the budget was approved in November 2022. Construction started in December 2022 and is being completed by Harvey Construction.
“Overall, the construction process has gone well,” said Bourque. “When the project started in December 2022, we originally targeted early January 2025 for move-in to the addition. We did hit some material delays in the summer of 2023, but to only be a few weeks off on such a complicated scope of work, we are really pleased with how it has gone.”
Lagos agreed, saying that construction has gone “extremely well” from his perspective.
“I was part of many of the staff tours from the first wave when just studs were up to seeing the almost finished product and each week, more and more progress was made,” Lagos said. “The building is absolutely beautiful.”
