County breaks ground on new care center

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By Jody Ferres | Friday, November 3, 2006 1:25 AM CST | () comments

Helen Campagna can’t wait to get a new room.

“Mine is so crowded,” said the 79-year-old Moline native. “We need different room arrangements.”

She is one step closer to having her wish a reality.

The excitement of new rooms with private bathrooms, central air, and simply more space to move around was the buzz around the Rock Island County nursing home bus Thursday afternoon. About 10 pair of eyes peered from the mini-bus as the first shovelful of dirt was dug for what will be their new home, the Rock Island County Care Center.

Surrounded by supporters and government officials, the Rock Island County Board broke ground on the $20 million new care center Thursday afternoon at 4343 Kennedy Drive, East Moline. The new facility will replace the aging Oak Glen Home in Coal Valley, Ill, with construction beginning in April.

Although the cold wind kept the nursing home residents inside the bus, about 50 community members showed their support for what the county hopes will be a state-of-the-art facility.

County Board Chairman Jim Bohnsack told the crowd that a new facility was something the county had been trying to get for a long time.

“I remember driving around in the rain one day, trying to figure out where we could build a facility,” he said. “We’re going to continue our history of quality care to our residents in a terrific new facility.”

According to Trudy Whittington, care center administrator, taking care of life-long residents is something the county has been doing for a long time.

“We’ve been taking care of people since 1839. We’ve been in the current building since 1956,” she said. “This new facility is well-deserved and a culmination of years and years of work.”

And it couldn’t come at a better time. The state is currently licensed to hold 245 residents, which is Oak Glen’s maximum for patients. Not only are residents packed four in a room without private bathrooms, but the state has cited the facility for life-safety code violations in recent audits.

Although the number of beds will remain the same, the new Rock Island County Care Center will be increasing services, including outpatient therapy, and other services that can’t be released yet, Whittington said.

After a few years, the board is certain the facility will no longer be something Rock Island County residents pay for each year.

According to County Treasurer LuAnn Kerr, the county will sell bonds to pay for the facility.

“We’ll be selling $9.9 millions in bonds before the end of this fiscal year, and another $9.9 million during the next fiscal year,” Kerr said.

Kerr in confident the 21 Rock Island County banks will be vying for the bonds, which can be used as part of the tax-free allotments individual banks may buy every fiscal year.

“Our goal is to have everything sold locally, so all the interest is self generating in Rock Island County,” Kerr said. “It’s a real win-win situation for all the establishments.”

The county’s goal is to alleviate the tax $1.8 million tax levy taxpayers have voted twice to continue with. According to Kerr, Rock Island County residents currently pay 8 cents for every $100 accessed value on their property. The county hopes to phaseout the tax after the new care center is completed.

The county hopes to have construction completed by 2008.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.