MBH Architecture
Design of planned new wing.
Ground was ceremonially broken Wednesday morning on a new expanded campus of the Mary Wade Home.
The 75,000 square-foot building will house 84 one and two-bedroom assisted living units, including 20 especially equipped for people in need of “memory care.”
The new structure — two stories high on the south side and three on the north —is being designed to complement the fine old historic pile of bricks of the current century-old structure on Pine Street. It will stretch an entire block of Clinton Avenue from Pine to Grafton.
To mark the moment nearly 100 people— builders, community activists, politicians including Mayor Toni Harp and mayoral candidate Justin Elicker, were on hand to hear speeches, and to pose in front of the ceremonial golden shovels arranged beside a neat pile of dirt.
Allan Appel Photo
Mary Wade President and CEO David Hunter surrounded by Sen. Looney and Maryor Harp.
Two years in the making with consultation from community groups, the project complements the current care at Mary Wade, which focuses on residential care and skilled nursing.
The new units are designed for people who require less care. The one and two-bedroom apartments will have kitchenettes. There will be no kitchenettes in the 20 memory care units, said William Somerville of West Hartford’s MBH Architecture, whose firm is designing the building. The general contractor is Branford-based O,R & L Construction.
“This is a great day,’ said State Senate President Marty Looney. “Mary Wade is a model for how this kind of place should be run.”
The golden shovels.
The lion’s share of the financing for the project derives from $45.8 million in both tax-free and taxable bonds issued by the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA).
Already the largest employer in Fair Haven, the new campus will offer more job opportunities when the ribbon is cut for a grand opening scheduled for the spring of 2021.