Residents settle into new addition at nursing home
By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
Sullivan County Health Care Administrator Matt Lagos has the unique perspective of witnessing the construction at the nursing home take place during his two years on the job. Since the start of the month, he has seen more milestones achieved right before his eyes, with two rounds of residents moving into the new addition.
“It’s been kind of a two-year process to get up to where we are today,” he said. “It’s awesome and great to see the drawings on paper, to the demo, to starting to see the shell of the building, seeing rough pouring and finish pouring. It’s been so cool to be a part of each phase.”
Round one of the move ins started on April 1 and then followed with another round the following day, with Lagos saying two floors of residents have been moved into the new area. He added that it is currently like a “big chess game” trying to make sure there is a home for everybody. There were approximately 30 residents who moved to the brand new fourth floor, and 25 other residents from the MacConnell Unit (Alzheimer’s unit) into their temporary new home. That unit is about to get a “facelift,” as the project continues to roll along.
“We had a team pack up, a team unpack, and we had it all coordinated with the help of Facilities and Department of Corrections,” Lagos said. “The Newport offices all helped. It was kind of a big team effort.”
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 provided 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 done by Harvey Construction.
Lagos said that the project initially didn’t get the votes to get off the ground about five years ago, but they went back to the drawing board, brought back a new plan, and the rest is history.
Leading up to the completion of what is known as “phase three,” Lagos said that there were tours of the new building where residents could check out the new areas. He said they marveled at the colors, flooring and finishes, but now that these areas are completed, there is even more to be amazed by.
“Everyone thinks it is just beautiful,” he said. “It’s almost like when you get a brand-new car, you don’t want to be the first person to scratch it. I think everybody is kind of walking around with kid gloves, being like, ‘Is this really ours?’”
Residents and employees alike have been commenting on how much of an aesthetic upgrade the new addition is. Lagos said the lighting alone has been such a notable improvement.
“The LED lighting just makes everything so bright and crisp,” he said. “The glass windows everywhere, bringing in the light from the outside. It’s definitely like night and day.”
Another big improvement was the HVAC, which caused small delays as they needed a bigger motor, but the result has been cleaner air. He said everything is regulated in a nursing home, including the air, and this means how much air comes in and sucks out.
“I have heard three or four people tell me that the air is lighter in the building,” he said. “It takes a minute to realize, but when you walk from the old part to the new part you can feel it.”
Climate control is an upgrade as well, as there are programmable thermostats around the building. He also said that there have been residents commenting on the size of their rooms, noting that they doubled in size.
As soon as the HVAC motor is done, installed and tested, Stearns 1 residents will move into a renovated second floor area. Lagos did not have a timeframe, and was told a week ago it could be up to six weeks’ lead time.
The MacConnell unit already has signs indicating that it is a “hard hat area,” and the construction company has been in there preparing for renovations.
“That will get a facelift, if you will, with new flooring, new windows and new lighting,” Lagos said. “That was our newest part of the building, so it didn’t need to be completely demolished and then rebuilt. It is going to look really nice once it’s done and will be up to the standards of the new building.”
Lagos said the goal has been to take pictures from the first demolition to the moving in. Residents were taking tours of the Great Room, and even before the elevators were working the construction crew was able to open the doors to let the residents get their bearings.
“We’re reminding everybody that while we’re in this space, the best has yet to come,” Lagos said. “We still have some of our main common rooms to be renovated and new residence spaces will be done. All of these things. It’s very exciting.”
The project as a whole is expected to be completed in spring 2026.
