Forestview Manor officially broke ground on the expansion project on two of its buildings.

Residents, staff, and others gathered on Tuesday for the groundbreaking celebration for the assisted living facility on Parade Road in Meredith.

Forestview owner and president Anne-Marie van der Velde said the economy has created a situation where many residents cannot afford to remain at the facility. The new units would be the only ones that would accommodate two people and would be available at a reduced rate.

“The heart of Forestview keeps getting bigger as we expand two of the three existing buildings to accommodate residents and families who may find themselves in need of financial assistance — be it Medicaid or reduced private pay,” van der Velde said in a statement (source)

The expansion would be done to Units 1 and 2 in the back of the property. The back corner of the first building would be expanded by six feet and the second one would receive an expansion of three feet. The expansion would create new double-occupancy rooms in the fist building and three double-occupancy rooms in the second. The expansions would create a wing and an expanded hallway in both buildings. Both buildings will also have a courtyard area to give residents the opportunity to spend time outside without leaving the immediate building.

After the completion, Forestview will have 60 total units and 9 shared units. The additional units would accommodate 18 more residents, bringing the facility’s population from 60 to 78.

Ground was formally broken on Tuesday after several delays due to rain. The foundation is now being worked on.

Van der Velde said administration is “anxiously hoping for a completion date sometime late August beginning of September.”

“If it keeps raining that will continue to be affected,” van der Velde said. “Were hoping for good weather and not just for us but everybody up here in the Lakes Region.”

Van der Velde said the construction will not impact residents.

“We created it in a way it would not impact the residents’ living arrangements and it will be minimum impact,” she said. “We really tried to design it in a way that would be the least intrusive as possible.”

The groundbreaking ceremony was moved back several times due to the rain and finally held on Tuesday. Those in attendance included residents, families, staff, those involved with helping make the project happen including representatives from builder Darton Homes.

A bigger celebration is planned for the ribbon cutting ceremony after the project’s completion. That ceremony will include more people who helped with the project, including Northway Bank and others, as well as “as many people from the town.”

“This is the right time to be doing this because it helps everybody,” van der Velde said. “We would have a few residents that would be moving out when out of funds. I think we have an obligation to our residents and I think we have an obligation to the community. This is all we can do here at Forestview.”

For more information contact Susan Amiss, director of admissions at 279-7612 or administrator Carrie Chandler at 279-2246. (source)