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La Salle County Nursing Home’s dining room overhaul estimated at just under $400,000 · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  LaSalle County Nursing Home's dining room overhaul estimated at just under four
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  hundred thousand dollars. Written by Michael Urbanek. This article is being
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  read by an automated voice, brought to up by Everlet. An architect’s
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  budgetary estimate puts a full remodel of the La Salle County Nursing
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  Home dining room at just under $400,000, Executive Director Dawn St. Clair-Davis
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  told a county committee Nov. 9. That is far more than she
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  had planned to spend.
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  I wasn’t anticipating $400,000. I was anticipating cosmetically about $150,000,
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  St. Clair-Davis told the La Salle County Nursing Home and VAC committee.
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  She said about $70,000 of the estimate is for architectural and other
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  fees.
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  The committee took no vote. St. Clair-Davis said she was seeking members
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  opinions on whether to do the work and how. That’s why I’m
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  talking about it, not asking for motions, she said.
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  The estimate covers replacing the ceiling, upgrading heating and cooling and removing
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  air conditioning units off the dining room floor and into the ceiling,
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  adding a beverage station and storage, and replacing floors, window treatments, tables
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  and chairs.
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  St. Clair-Davis said the room is where people go three times a
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  day for the most part. She said most residents eat there.
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  This is a dream and I understand that, she said of the
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  project. She also said the room is not visually appealing.
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  She described ceiling tiles that are coming down. She said the room
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  has vertical ceiling tiles instead of a hard gypsum board ceiling.
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  A committee member argued that the dining room should be kept up
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  through ongoing maintenance rather than handled as a project. St. Clair-Davis said
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  the ceiling and the air conditioning units are not regular maintenance and
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  would need a contractor. She acknowledged deferred maintenance over a period of
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  time.
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  Board member Nancy Eurich said there are gaps in the ceiling.
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  I’m surprised actually you haven’t been fined on that, she said.
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  Members who spoke favored doing the ceiling and HVAC work first and
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  the cosmetic work later. Several said they preferred doing the work in
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  stages rather than closing the room at once. One member said residents
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  eating in their rooms would get old quick.
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  St. Clair-Davis said she has no other place to serve meals. She
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  said the activity room could become a dining area and part of
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  the lobby could be repurposed.
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  Board member Bill Brown asked whether the cost would be added to
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  the budget.
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  No, the budget’s done at this point, St. Clair-Davis said. I’ve got
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  some money to piece it. I don’t have money for the full
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  thing. We would have to plan for the next year.
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  She said she expects her review of the home’s accounts receivable to
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  bring in more revenue that could help offset the cost.
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  Asked at the end of the meeting whether staff would look at
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  the ceiling and HVAC work, the answer was yes.