Our History and Organization
Meeting the Challenges of a Changing Environment
Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community’s 88 year history of service
demonstrates our
commitment to a changing and growing community. Now,
in character with this historic
commitment, Meadows will aggressively pursue
fundraising by increasing awareness of the
need for contributions to the
Assisted Living project. The Board of Directors has given
consideration to
the following need and proposes the accompanying solution.
Development of Assisted Living project in Normal
For a number of years Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community Board
of
Directors has
discussed the possibility of creating a facility in Bloomington/Normal. If we track our historical
development, Bloomington was suggested
as a possible site to construct a nursing home
before the Meadows location
was chosen in the 1920s. In June of 2006 Robert Bertsche
and Mary Ann
Watkins met with a group of residents from the Mennonite Residential
Community located at the Mennonite Church of Normal. This discussion
proved to be very
enlightening for us because we heard the residents state
that there was a real need in
Bloomington/Normal for a quality facility that
would provide assistance and care once people
could no longer live
independently. In the days and weeks that followed we attempted to
confirm
that other segments of the Bloomington/Normal community also felt Meadows
would be a welcome presence in Bloomington/Normal. Everyone we talked to
affirmed that
Meadows would be a welcomed neighbor if we would have a
facility in Bloomington/Normal.
Meadows has been looking for the proper location in Bloomington/Normal to
expand its
operations. We had conducted a feasibility study many years ago
about opening a facility
in Bloomington, IL and found that a proposed property
to construct a facility was not suited
for such development. In 2006 the board
authorized the CEO of MMRC to search for a site
that would be a good fit for
Meadows in Bloomington/ Normal. We reached out to friends of
Meadows
that had lived in Bloomington/Normal and asked them if they were aware of
acreage in or around Bloomington/Normal. We looked at two properties in
Normal that was
large enough to accommodate an Assisted Living Facility
and future development as well.
The location of the site selected is at the
corner of Raab Road and Towanda Barnes Road
in north Normal. The 15-acre site was offered to Meadows for the project as a donation by
the
Apostolic Christian Church of Normal. Meadows received one estate in
2007 and one in
2008 that will pay for part of the construction.
One of our constituent’s at the Mennonite Church of Normal mentioned that
the Apostolic
Christian Church of Bloomington/Normal had purchased 80
acres of land adjacent to their
20 acre parcel where their church had been
built. After a few phone calls a decision was
made to meet with a few
members of the Apostolic Christian Church about the possibility of
Meadows
working with the church to develop a retirement community on their property.
From the very beginning of our discussions both parties sensed that this
communication was
leading to the development of a project that would benefit
both the church and Meadows but
more importantly the projected development
would be a valuable resource to the community
and the counties surrounding
Bloomington/Normal. Meadows considers itself very fortunate
to have
identified a development partner that shares our values and mission in
providing care
to older citizens residing in Central Illinois.
In November and December of 2006 a healthcare consultant conducted a
market feasibility
study to determine how receptive people in Bloomington/Normal and the surrounding
communities would be to a new assisted living
facility. The consultant reported that a facility
operated by Meadows would
be a great value to the Bloomington/ Normal consumers. The
demographic
study she conducted recommended that we consider a 30-60 bed facility.
The financial feasibility study on a 60 bed assisted living facility showed that
a positive cash
flow was obtained when an occupancy rate of 87% or 52 units
was obtained. We conducted
the study using very conservative figures on
occupancy timelines, total construction and debt
service costs, estimated
revenue and expenses for operations, and extra ordinary expenses
related
to startup and construction. If fill up (occupancy) is better than projected the time to
profitability is reduced. Fundraising, debt repayment structuring, increased occupancy, and
attaining property tax exempt status could reduce
our start up cash shortages.
A window of opportunity is open to Meadows Mennonite Retirement
Community at this time.
Based on information gathered in the market
feasibility study, conversations with interested
supporters of Meadows and
members of the Bloomington/Normal community, results of the
financial
feasibility study, and communication with architects, engineers, and
contractors,
Robert Bertsche recommended to the Board that they approve
this assisted living construc-
tion project in Normal. The Board voted
unanimously to proceed with the project and asked
to have a meeting
scheduled with delegates of the Meadows Mennonite Retirement
Community
Association Churches to share the story. That meeting was held on February
22, 2007 at the Meadows Mennonite Church with approximately 60 interested
persons in
attendance. The project was presented by Robert Bertsche, CEO,
and John McDonald,
Board Chairperson. At the Meadows Annual Meeting
held April 12, 2007 there was a motion
and a second in support of the work
that had been done on this project and for moving
forward with the plans to
build an Assisted Living Complex in Bloomington/Normal. The
delegates
voted unanimously in favor of the motion.
During the special meeting of the Board of Directors on Thursday, October 4,
2007, the
Board voted unanimously to hire the services of PJ Hoerr of
Bloomington, Illinois to serve
as Design/build team leader for the Assisted
Living facility on the north edge of Normal.
PJ Hoerr was asked to conduct a
Design/build program partnering with Meadows, Lewis,
Yockey and Brown
Civil Engineers and The Troyer Group Architect firm. Later in the project
the
architect firm was changed to Architectural Research and Design (ARD).
The project was delayed several years first due to the moratorium on building
on the donated
property. This was due to a possible use of the land for a
bypass between two interstate
systems. During the time of the moratorium
the economy took a downturn. Securing final
financial arrangements became
very challenging. The decision was made to wait six months
to one year and then
retest the loan culture of the local banks. In late May, 2010, after months
of
searching for a financing plan that worked for Meadows, Soy Capital Bank
and
Trust
approved our loan to construct this facility. Additional loan money
has been made
available
by FreeStar Bank.
In June, 2010, a Loyalty Loan program was initiated. We invited Constituents
and Friends of
Meadows to provide non secured Loyalty Loans to help with
financing for this new facility. The
goal of securing $700,000.00 was achieved
eight weeks later on August 5.
The sixty unit Assisted Living building will feature a large welcoming lobby that
will serve as
access to a library/computer room, conference room, manager’s
office, staff work room,
concierge desk, marketing director’s office and bistro
with adjoining seating
area. Connected
to the lobby area will be a dining
room that will seat 36–40 persons at a time. Additional
dining will be
available in a private dining room that will serve up to 12 people. The dining
room is designed to add future capacity as the buildings are expanded on
the 15 acre site.
A large central kitchen will provide meals to residents in the
dining room and provided
sandwiches and salads to the bistro as well.
The sixty unit apartments will feature three different floor plans. There will be
a standard
size one bedroom apartment, a slightly larger deluxe one-bedroom
apartment and a two-
bedroom apartment to choose from. All apartments will
feature recessed entry ways,
kitchenettes, central heating and cooling, full
size accessible bathrooms and all apartments
will have an outside view
from their living room windows. A beautifully landscaped center
courtyard
will be available to residents in this two story facility with 30 apartment units
on each level. In addition to the apartments there will also be conversation/seating areas,
activities spaces, staff services areas, a spa area, resident
laundry areas and a health care
suite for wellness and health care services.
The second floor of the building will be accessible by stairway and elevator.
The total building
will measure just less than 60,000 square feet of space and
will have exterior finishes of brick,
stone and siding. The grounds will feature
connecting sidewalks, parking for residents, staff
and visitors, a walking trail,
flowerbeds, trees and landscaping features to enhance the lives
of our
residents.
On June 16, 2011 at 11:00 A.M., a formal ground breaking ceremony was
held for Meadows
at Mercy Creek Assisted Living to be located at the corner
of Raab Road and Towanda
Barnes Road in north Normal. The project is the
first phase of a larger planned
Retirement
Community, to be developed jointly
by Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community and the
Apostolic Christian
Church of Bloomington - Normal, Communities of Mercy Creek.
Fundraising for Assisted Living project in Normal
The Board of Directors of Meadows is therefore proposing that our fundraising
effort for the
Assisted Living project in Normal begin in coordination with the
planning and development of
the Assisted Living Building and site. Meadows
will pursue fundraising by increasing aware-
ness of the need for contributions
to the Assisted Living project. We are raising funds to be
used for the
purchase of furnishings and equipment, as well as other startup costs
associ-
ated with marketing, hiring and orienting staff. It is our goal to raise
$1,500,000.00. We are
asking individuals, businesses, and churches to
make generous donations to help make this
project become a reality.
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