By Dalton Vitt
Developers and local officials officially broke ground Tuesday on a major project in Maryville that is projected both to create jobs and provide an assisted living environment for the community’s elderly.
ARCO Construction Co. crews have already started building the foundation of the Oak Pointe assisted living center. But Tuesday’s ceremony symbolized a cooperative effort between the center’s developer, ClearPath Senior Holdings of St. Louis, and city officials to get the project off the ground.
When completed the $6 million center will provide living facilities for 50 residents along with a memory-care unit, industrial kitchen, private dining, a cafe, lounge areas, a rehabilitation room, a salon and a courtyard.
“Almost three years ago, our team began traveling across the great state of Missouri as we searched for communities that need a quality assisted living option,” said Jim Eisenhart, ClearPath co-principal. “We thought that Maryville would be the perfect place for our location.”
ARCO, also based in St. Louis, has been designing and constructing buildings since 1992. The company has built senior living centers and multi-family dwellings in Webster Groves; St. Petersburg, Fla; and Bradenton, Fla., among other locations.
Once open, Oak Pointe will provide a top-drawer residential location for retirees. But it will also bring significant economic benefits to the community at large.
Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel said the center will bring in about $10,000 a year in revenue for the city’s water/sewer fund in addition to creating an estimated 40 jobs.
“Oak Pointe is one of the monumental projects that are building our city and beautifying our community,” Maryville Mayor Renee Riedel said. “ … The senior living center that we are blessing today impacts citizens in many ways. The facility is an employment generator for Maryville during a challenging time, offering security to some families and inviting new families to make Maryville their home.”
The parcel of land on which the center is being constructed is located on the east side of Country Club Road. It was annexed by the city, which has agreed to compensate Nodaway County Public Water Supply District No. 1 between $60,000 and $80,000 for potential lost customers.
Included in the annexation was a second, larger parcel slated for private development as an upscale single-family subdivision.
In addition to compensating the water district, Maryville is also paying roughly half the cost of a new water main running north and south along County Club Road that will serve both the new subdivision and Oak Pointe.
“When we started ClearPath, we looked at demographics, and we looked at Google Maps, and we tried to find the best location for us to start this endeavor,” said Jeff Binder, also a ClearPath co-principal. “After our first visit, our first few meetings with city officials, it was evident that this was it. It’s a great community.”
Oak Pointe will allow pets and provide restaurant-style meals and religious services. Residents will be served by a nursing staff, housekeeping staff and other specialized personnel. One wing will be specifically designed for residents in need of memory care.
The center will also feature a dining room, private dining areas for families, a wellness center, laundry rooms and free parking.
“(This project) retains talented, educated, experienced people,” Nodaway County Economic Development Director Josh McKim said. “It retains who we have in our community. These types of projects keep people and give people the opportunity to live out their golden years in the town that they love. This is just an ideal type of economic development project that has long-term impacts.”
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