Farmland is about to be transformed in Glenville, as Baptist Health broke ground on a new assisted living community Friday, Oct. 19.
Spirits were high despite a downpour at the groundbreaking ceremony for Judson Meadows, at 39 Swaggertown Road. Construction had already begun on the $14 million assisted living center, which will have 67 apartments and house 72 people. There will be studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and semi-private units available. Various levels of care will be available to accommodate a range of needs.
The Horstman Farm formerly owned the land, and residents picked strawberries and purchased fresh produce there over the years. Baptist is hoping to keep the tradition going after constructing the apartments.
“We are currently in discussion for ways to implement the vegetable farming culture and heritage of this land into a program or activity for the residents who will live at Judson Meadows,” said Director of Marketing/Development for Baptist Health System Ruth Tietz in a statement.
Baptist Associate Administrator Tony Allota said many of Baptist’s residents enjoy planting tomatoes, flowers and herbs, so some sort of community garden would be located on site.
One 81-year-old woman recalled picking strawberries at the old farm. Connie Remscheid, a Scotia resident, said 60 years ago she picked strawberries for 2 cents a quart. Remscheid has volunteered for Baptist Health for almost nine years, giving around 180 hours of her time annually, five days a week. She visits with residents and helps out in the gift shop and in the business office. There is one resident she helps feed, too.
Her mother was a resident at Baptist for three-and-a-half years, and she volunteered during the last year-and-a-half she lived there. Since then, Remscheid has just continued to volunteer because she enjoys the camaraderie.
“The residents love to reminisce and because of my age and if they are local we have something in common,” she said. “We reminisce about old Schenectady, old Albany, Amsterdam.”
She was pleased with the new assisted living community project. Once residents start moving in, she expects “quite a community” to develop.
“I think it is wonderful,” she said. “Enough can’t be done because there are so many of us that still want to be productive and this way they can still be productive.”
Assemblyman James Tedisco said some people are lucky to have a family to support them and stay in their homes, such as his 97-year-old mother, but others need someplace to live and continue a productive life.
“This is going to be a wonderful facility for our community,” Tedisco said.
Glenville Town Supervisor Christopher Koetzle said he was always impressed with the project and is glad to see continuing development in the town.
Ten out of the 72 residents at the assisted living center will be reimbursed under the state Assisted Living Program, which is a Medicaid-financed program. Coverage for private-funded assisted living starts at $3,545 per month.
Out of the 48-acre site, the center would use about 9 acres of the site. A summer opening next year is the target, according to Allota. The assisted living center’s name, Judson Meadow, is based on an important figure in the Baptist faith. Each phase will have a different name.
The development of the site is going to be done in five phases. The nursing home, depending on funding, is the second phase of the project. In 2010, Baptist Health received a $3.5 million grant for the project. Other phases are to include independent living apartment and cottages and senior-orientated retail businesses.
“It is really all funding dependent, but it would be nice to get it all done within five to 10 years,” Allota said.