Progress is slow on the Tuff Home Assisted Living Apartments in Hills. Annexation, necessary so the city can provide services and utilities to the apartments, is delayed.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were Sept. 13, but at their meeting last Tuesday the Hills City Council refused to issue a building permit because the state had not yet approved annexation of the property. The council indicated it would have no problem approving the permit once it received word from the state.
Terms of the facility's construction loan state that Tuff must draw funds on its loan in the year 2000. It cannot draw unless the property is annexed by the city.
Winter weather has also been a contributing factor in the delays. Early heavy snowfall has given contractors fewer work days.
Tuff Home officials are optimistic, however, that problems will be resolved and the project will be complete by May 1 of next year.
They have been happy with the work of general contractor Design Craft of Luverne Inc. according to nursing home administrator Dana Dahlquist.
"We are a little behind. We didn't expect the snow to hit us like it did," said Curt Valnes, project manager for Design Craft. "We had hoped to have more cement poured, but we are running two to three weeks behind."
When the project is complete Tuff Assisted Living will boast eight one-bedroom apartments and four two-bedroom apartments with an assisted home care provider license.
This will enable financial assistance through Rock County Family Services for residents who meet income and asset guidelines. Tuff Home officials and Rock County Family Services are negotiating a contract for elderly wayward services. It will be the first facility in Rock County to offer this service.
"One key component to this project is we wanted to make it affordable for people," said Bonnie Hengeveld, assistant administrator and future manager of the apartments.
The Assisted Home Care License requires the facility to offer 24-hour supervision of residents, three meals a day, and to provide transportation of residents.
The facility is much larger than most assisted living apartments according to Hengeveld. Costs are still being evaluated, due to the change to continuous care.
The wave of the future is much shorter nursing home stays. The apartments currently have 26 people on their waiting list, although Hengeveld is quick to emphasize the list can quickly change with patient needs.
Dahlquist and Hengeveld would also like to emphasize that the Hills facility has been lucky to have some generous contributors.
"They would like to remain anonymous. They want no public recognition," said Hengeveld. "The community support has been there. We are very fortunate to have people who care so much about the elderly in their community."