ALLEGANY, N.Y. — Years ago, Nicholas Ferreri was saddened when his late father had to live in a nursing home instead of an assisted living and memory care facility which would have been better suited for him.
Following that episode in his father’s life, Ferreri became determined to build assisted living and memory care facilities in the area for the elderly who aren’t ready to reside in nursing homes, but still need a helping hand in a comfortable setting.
On Wednesday, Ferreri, owner of the Tanglewood Group in Jamestown, toured his latest project, the Field of Dreams assisted living and memory care complex on Seventh Street in Allegany. Accompanying Ferreri on the tour of the $16 million, 88,000-square-feet structure were town and state representatives as well as employees with Kinley Corporation, general contractors for the project.
Outfitted in hard hats, safety goggles and vests, the group walked through the two-story complex led by Kinley officials, Rodney Gleason, project manager, and Mike Giardini, senior vice president.
Pausing on the first floor of the tour, Ferreri said he was pleased with the progress of the project. Construction is moving along quickly enough that Ferreri is advising people interested in employment at the facility to apply immediately.
“First of all, Michael (Giardini) and his group, Kinley, and Clark Patterson Lee (architects) have done a great job,” Ferreri remarked. “How they can get these workers to do what they’ve done (is amazing) because it was a terrible rainy fall and this (weather) that came in with the ice” has presented difficult conditions.
Ferreri said most of structure is enclosed except for one side of the memory care unit, which is expected to have the roof constructed by the end of next week.
“We think that by August the potential is good for us to open,” Ferreri speculated. “We’re going to start bringing furniture and fixtures in by May” when the assisted living core area is completed.
Terri Ingersoll, chief operating officer of Tanglewood, helped design the facility and said there will be 64 beds in the memory care facility as well as units for 76 people in the assisted living section of the building.
The central core of the building will have a basement and contain training rooms, a kitchen, dining halls, mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, laundry area and locker facilities for staff. In addition, the main building will have a circular drive at the front of the structure accessed by two entrances off Seventh Street. An employee entrance and a parking lot will be at the rear of the structure.
“We have over 70 people who have been asked to be put on the waiting list” to reside at the facility, Ferreri continued. “We have a minimum of 14 people who would like to live in the cottages” which will be constructed sometime following the completion of the main buildings.
Ferreri said employees that are needed include dietary supervisors, a housekeeping supervisor, a registered nurse and several licensed practical nurses.
“We’re asking them to go onto our website where there are applications not only for employment, but also for (potential) residents,” he continued. “I think within the next month or two we could have a full house of applications, so I would suggest that everybody gets their applications in as fast as possible.”
Ferreri said this is important, as the company expects to start hiring in June and have staff in place thereafter.
“Anybody can build, but you’ve got to run it,” Ferreri commented. “That takes good people, and we’re excited about the people in your town.”
Ferreri said he is particularly pleased about the town and village working together on the project, as well as with state officials who included Senator Catherine Young (R-Olean.)
Town of Allegany Supervisor Kathy Martin said she was very impressed with the building.
“I think it’s wonderful because there truly is a need in this area,” Martin said. “It’s in the perfect spot with space and a view” of the rural landscape that includes hills and farmland.
Allegany Mayor Greg Pearl, who was a driving force behind bringing the project to the community, said he is also pleased to see the facility moving along in construction.
“I think it’s amazing and we’re privileged to have it in the village of Allegany,” Pearl said. “It was a lot of work putting it all together, but looking at this, it’s well worth it.”
Ferreri said landscaping of the property, which will occur during warm weather, will include ponds that can be used for fishing and gardens containing flowers and other vegetation.
In commenting on his late father, Ferreri said his dad had to reside in a nursing home, instead of a memory care facility, because there were none available near his home at the end of his life.
“So I built Memory Garden,” Ferreri said of the Jamestown facility built in honor of his father.
“I said I can’t have another family go through what I went through.”
For more information on applying for a job or residency at the facility, visit the website tanglewood-group.com and note the inquiry to the attention of Terri Ingersoll.
