St. Joseph County officials are currently debating whether to renovate or rebuild the county’s home for elderly and disabled residents.
County officials are trying to bring Portage Manor up to Medicaid Waiver standards, so the agency can be reimbursed for the services it provides eligible residents.
But meeting those requirements will mean either extensively renovating the existing building or building an entirely new facility.
Back in December, the county commissioners approved a study to explore rebuilding from Fort Wayne-based MKM Architecture + Design, which specializes in building long-term care facilities.
On Thursday, MKM representative Dodd Kattman presented plans for a two-story building that’s almost twice as large as the current Portage Manor facility, with three to four times the number of resident rooms.
The new facility would be built behind the original building, which could potentially be repurposed.
Kattman said the financial estimates for the study aren’t complete, but a new building could cost roughly $40 million.
The Portage Manor board voted to send the plans to the County Council, which will hear them at its April 26 meeting.
Kattman said MKM would have firmer numbers on the new facility’s cost — as well as its sustainability beyond construction — at that time.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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