Augusta Area Home holds groundbreaking

Residents, community celebrate steps toward new facility
“We’ve had to go for years through elements and climbing uphill and starting and stopping, and finally we’re here today.” - Alan Ross, Augusta Area Home Board President

by Bridget Cooke
On a chilly, snowy November afternoon, members of the Augusta Area Home board such as President Alan Ross, Administrator Jahn Bradley and visiting community members as well as home residents, braved the snowy, blustery weather to celebrate a landmark occasion years in the making.
“We could have possibly done this on a nicer day, warmer weather, but this kind of reminds me of the uphill battle we’ve had to get this done,” Ross said to the audience. “We’ve had to go for years through elements and climbing uphill and starting and stopping, and finally we’re here today.”
After nearly seven years of planning, organizing and teamwork, the well-known nursing home in the area has broken ground on a new location, donated to them by area business Bush Bros.
As the group of nearly 50 people huddled together in an old warehouse building left on the property, Ross began the speeches by stepping to the podium and reflecting on the past efforts by previous boards to bring the dream of a new facility to fruition.
“I am very pleased with the turnout we had today, it just shows the support we have from the community,” Bradley said. “A project like this is not possible without the support of the community.”
Visitors were also present to speak about the project. Speakers included representatives from AgStar, the main funding of the project, as well as the USDA, which approved a grant to make the project a reality.
Community Programs Director Brian Deaner spoke on behalf of the organization, addressing the audience by emphasizing the project as something the USDA is looking to fund because of the heavy involvement by the community and support of a number of qualified entities and individuals.
“Anything from projects that support job creation and job development,” Deaner said. “About $750 million a year come back into the state of Wisconsin from federal dollars appropriated for these types of projects. We’re really, very happy to be here today and congratulate Augusta Area Home on getting this project to where they are and we’re happy to be a partner with all of the important people here today.”
Without the backing of the city of Augusta and the atmosphere of support from the community, the USDA would not have granted the funds to continue the building process which has developed over the time span of more than half a decade.
Wayne Dau, a technician with River Valley Architects, who has worked on the project for six-and-a-half-years, spoke to the crowd, calling the progress a momentous occasion.
“There have been so many roadblocks put in the way,” Dau said, listing a number of problems over the years. “They just persevered, they have this can-do attitude, and they just kept going. Finally, today, they’re here at the groundbreaking where shovels are ready; I just have to congratulate the project and sticking to it.”
An announcement by Ross in regard to the donation of land by Bush Bros. led to large applause, the need for an area being the most crucial in making certain the building could actually be constructed. He added the need to recognize past board members, some of them present for the groundbreaking, as the visionaries who began the long journey to the closely approaching finale.
VIPs, or residents of the Augusta Area Home, took the first rows of the crowd as other interested parties sat in on the presentation, listening to Bradley explain his plans to build a new home during his job interview and joking about his wife saying the interviewers were not going to call him back after such a bold proposal.
Warm drinks held the chill of the day away as a crowd gathered just outside to witness Bradley, Ross and others take to the mound of dirt with golden shovels and officially break the ground of the future site of the home.
Bradley made note of the importance of the event and how long it took with a number of people planning over years of effort to make it possible.
“I’ve only been here for 20 months and it seems like forever,” he said. “For the people who have been here four or five years, it must seem like it’s never going to get done. I guess the hard work starts now.”

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