The nearly 50-year-old facility is expected to finish a $13.4M expansion by March

 

The new wing and remodel of St. Mark’s Lutheran Home & Apartments is right on schedule to be finished early this spring.

Administrator Chris Schulz said the rehabilitation, assisted living and nursing care facility’s $13.4-million project will be completed in late February or early March, after the finishing touches in the coming weeks and then state inspections.

“It still needs to be inspected,” Schulz said. “It needs to be approved. We can have all our I’s and T’s dotted and they can say, ‘Oh, you need to fix this.’”

The remodel is bringing many cosmetic changes to the nearly 50-year-old facility, and it will mean new and adjusted living quarters, new community space, a new chapel, a courtyard, new dining areas, new rehab facilities and more.

“St. Mark’s has much needed the facelift,” he said.

The additions will be a culture change for St. Mark’s. The number of assisted living beds will increase from 15 to 25 and the new rooms will be private rooms with a bathroom and shower.

St. Mark’s will maintain 61 skilled nursing home beds, but it’s increasing from 12 short-term rehab beds to 16 for people who typically return home. Because of medical advancements, the stay for things like hip replacement surgery has decreased from four months or more to a few weeks.

The biggest change will be the addition of 21 memory care beds for residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s, which will take the place of the current assisted living and short-term rehab wings.

“The memory facility is going to be important to the community,” Schulz said.

Residents should begin moving into the new facility by March, and St. Mark’s is on target to celebrate its 50th anniversary in July.