Amie Holt Care Center gets thumbs up for new digs

At 97, Peg Rogers moved into a semi-private room at the Amie Holt Care Center. She said she was lucky; she likes her roommate. Rogers said that she couldnt ask for a better living situation but that if she had to gripe about something, it would be sharing a bathroom.

Carolyn McGill, 75, moved into the nursing home in November. She said she loves living at the Amie Holt Care Center and would recommend it to anyone, but she also has to share a bathroom.

The nursing home has 23 semi-private rooms and four private rooms. It was built in 1965, with subsequent additions in 1973, 1987 and 2006. Having a private bedroom and bathroom is an anomaly at the facility, but that may soon change.

At its Jan. 8 meeting, the Johnson County Hospital District Board gave the final nod to send a new nursing home project to bid and start construction.

The only thing that might stop the project now would be bids coming in substantially more than the estimated $12.8 million cost, said Sandy Ward, administrator of the Johnson County Healthcare Center.

I dont anticipate that happening, Ward said. Both (Fletcher Construction and CTA Architects and Engineers) have done detailed cost estimates for the project. We are pretty comfortable that we are pretty close.

Come March, health care center officials, CTA Architects and Fletcher Construction will request bids for the 39,307-square-foot facility. The new nursing home, which will be constructed just west of the current health care center, will include 44 private bedrooms and baths, two levels, a large dining room over looking the golf course, administrative offices and sitting areas.

A semi-private room in the existing facility is 200 square feet and is attached is a 20-square-foot bathroom. Rooms in the new facility will be 330 square feet and will be attached to a 49-square-foot bathroom.

The new rooms will all be private, so its a pretty dramatic increase, Ward said. Its going to be a substantial increase for these folks.

If the board approves the bids, construction would start in late April or early May.

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Amie Holt Care Center gets thumbs up for new digs