Dirt flies during Pleasant Manor groundbreaking

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

The weather didn?t rain on Linda Juckette?s parade yesterday.

Huddled under an oversized black umbrella, held by State Rep. Dave Heaton (R-Mt. Pleasant), Juckette?s smile was beaming as she looked out over the 11.58 acres of undisturbed land. Well, mostly undisturbed. A cedar chip path led guests over the mud and under a small white tent where over half a dozen gold plated shovels were spiked into the ground. Juckette is the owner and CEO of Capstone Management, of Urbandale.

?This is an amazing thing and an awesome day to do this,? said Monte Priske, unfazed by the splattering of raindrops around him. Priske, the administrator for Pleasant Manor, was thrilled for the groundbreaking, rain or shine. The groundbreaking marked the next step in the redevelopment of Pleasant Manor, which will be moving to its new location in the Crossroads Business Park, behind Hy-Vee, once construction is complete. ?The construction guys told me that rain during a groundbreaking is good luck, I guess we?ll see,? he joked.

?This is going to be a nursing home like we?ve never seen before,? said Priske. ?It?s being built for the future and for residents? comfort and privacy.?

The roughly 50,000 square foot facility will be 90 percent private rooms, with a few double occupancy private rooms for couples. The state-of-the-art facility will also have three dining rooms, with the main one featuring restaurant style dining, a library movie theater, salon and rehabilitation unit. The farm-ranch style structure will also house 50 beds and will increase Pleasant Manor?s current staff from 50 to nearly 70.

?This is great,? remarked Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. ?This is going to be a state-of-the-art facility with amenities second to none. This is what keeps our community growing and vibrant.?

Reynolds, who had also attended the Home Base Iowa ceremony in Mt. Pleasant, let out a delighted squeal when she arrived and saw the line of hard hats. ?I love hard hats, it?s a sign of economic development,? she said.

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Steve Brimhall agreed. ?Anytime we have new construction, and the right kind of construction is a good thing,? he said. ?This nursing home is only the first part of development for the 11.58 acres, I?m excited to see what future projects bring.?

Juckette said she hopes to include assisted living and individual living facilities in the future, but right now she?s focused on the task in front of her. ?We?re fast-tracking the project,? she said. Juckette, who manages five other care facilities in Iowa and one in Nebraska, hopes the facility will be open April 1, 2017.

?This will be a great addition to the town and county,? she said.

As for the name of the facility, Juckette said that will be up to the staff. ?We?re going to have a little competition to let the staff decide.?