Epworth Villa announces $60 million expansion and renovation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Erika Huffman
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OKLAHOMA CITY (April 17, 2012) – Epworth Villa Retirement Community announced plans this week to embark on a campus repositioning which includes both expansion and renovation to its 40-acre property in Oklahoma City.

One notable improvement to the property is a complete transformation of the Susanna Wesley Nursing Care Center. Epworth Villa will convert the center into a “main street” for the campus – including dining options, a spa and day salon, wellness and aquatic center, retail services and a ballroom.

Epworth Villa, a 21-year not-for-profit organization affiliated with the Oklahoma United Methodist Association, provides continuing care to residents on an independent living, assisted livng and a nursing level. The campus includes 186 independent living apartments, 36 independent living cottages, 26 assisted living apartments, 24 memory care apartments and an 87 bed, Medicare-certified nursing care center.

“In order to further Epworth Villa’s mission to develop and provide a premier, wellness-based campus to our residents, we need to improve a few of our current facilities and expand others,” said John C. Harned, president and CEO of Epworth Villa. “We want to continue providing the services and level of care the seniors of both today and tomorrow expect and deserve.”

New construction proposed within this two-year expansion includes construction of a new three-story independent living building with 36 apartments, a four-story assisted living building with 40 memory care support units and 78 traditional assisted living apartments, and underground parking garages which will also serve as storm shelters to the residents of the community. In addition to the “main street” conversion, other improvements to the current campus include renovation of the existing education and outreach center to include a medical clinic, an update to the existing front entrance and lobby space and renovation of the existing Flora Deen Martin Assisted Living Center.
Epworth Villa anticipates breaking ground on the first phase of construction in July. Harned estimates that construction will create around 140 local jobs with 50 new permanent positions once construction is complete.

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