Sterling Exceptional Care and Training Center Expands to Become a More Pastoral Place – Shaw Local

By Alexander B. Nelson Last updated Jul 7, 2022

STERLING – Exceptional Care & Training Center, which provides residential and training services to area adults with profound intellectual disabilities, is planning an expansion.

It will move from its site at 2601 Woodlawn Road, next to McDonald’s, to a vacant 25-acre location at 1324 S. Main St., just northwest of Sacred Heart Catholic Church off St. Mary’s and West 23rd.

The center has outgrown its space, where it has been since 1979, and plans to build a one-story, 85-bed facility on the acreage, part of which was used for crops but lay unused for decades.

The time has come.

“It’s just an old building,” said Melissa Francque, chief executive of Exceptional Care. “Our residents need more space. We want to do a lot of upgrades.

“There’s no driving force behind this other than it’s the right thing to do for our residents and staff.”

On Tuesday, the city council agreed to rezone the site from a single family to a multiple family, with a special use designation to allow for an assisted living facility. The area is already dotted with retirement homes.

However, it will still be some time before the new center is inaugurated, as the state must approve its plans, Francque said. “We still have a lot of hurdles to overcome.”

Exceptional Care & Training Center plans to expand to a new site in Sterling near St. Mary/West 23rd Street. (Tim Gaumond, Larson & Darby Group)

The current building, built in 1964, will be put up for sale.

The center will remain an 85-bed facility, but this means it can be built to the latest industry standards. There will be more and more pleasant outdoor spaces than at the current facility, with less traffic and much more space for its daytime programs, Francque said.

The association The center is also fundraising and collecting donations to build an inclusive playground on the site, she said.

Exceptional Care provides 24-hour nursing services and individualized therapy and daytime training for those working to live independently, as well as arts and recreation activities and other programs for its residents and community members. . (Tim Gaumond, Larson & Darby Group)

Exceptional Care, owned by Hoosier Care Properties of Nashville, Tennessee, offers 24-hour nursing services, individualized therapy and daytime training for those working to live independently, as well as arts and recreational activities and other programs for its residents and community members. .

It has a staff of 120 full-time and part-time employees and more vacancies, Francque said.

Volunteers, including adoptive grandparents, are also welcome to help with art and other programs.

Go to ectc1.org/ or call 815-626-5820 for more information.