Nursing home in Callaway takes a step forward

Planners OK water, sewer hookup

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009

The St. Mary's County Planning Commission gave its blessing Monday for a new nursing home project to access water and sewer lines in Callaway. The access also needs approval from the county commissioners before the project goes back before technical planning review.

The nursing home is proposed on six acres near the southwest side of the intersection of Route 5 and Piney Point Road by Future Home and Health Care. It would be the company's 12th nursing home in Maryland and proposes 124 beds.

The water and sewer connection would be tied into the lines feeding the Callaway Village Center and not into the restricted sewer line that runs to Piney Point and St. George Island, said developing agent Jerry Nokleby.

Future Home and Health Care operates facilities in four jurisdictions in Maryland, said Les Goldschmidt, manager of operations. They are in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County. The nursing homes have about 1,700 beds with a 92 percent occupancy rate, he said.

The residents are divided between those there for long-term clinical care and those for temporary rehabilitation, he said. On average, 70 percent of rehabilitation patients go back home within 21 days, he said.

As for the Callaway project, he said, "We have been working on this project since 2007," based on projections there would be suitable need by 2011.

Clare Whitbeck, an advocate for senior citizens, told the planning commission that in exchange for public sewer access, "we need an excellent facility."

No single rooms are shown in preliminary plans for residents. "The building itself shows it's going to make culture change very difficult," she said.

It's important that people have privacy and comfort in such facilities, she said, because "it is where you will live in some cases for the rest of their lives."

Planning commission member Shelby P. Guazzo at an earlier meeting wanted to make sure the residents of the proposed nursing home had a view of traffic going by on Route 5. A required berm would have to be waived through the board of zoning appeals for that. Guazzo made the motion to recommend water and sewer access, to be paid by the developer, and it was approved 5-0. Martin Siebert, planning commission member, owns the property and recused himself from the meeting. "The nursing home is in a good central location for residents and their family and friends," Guazzo said.

jbabcock@somdnews.com