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Emerson Armenian Home Proposes Expansion

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  • Emerson Armenian Home Proposes Expansion

    EMERSON ARMENIAN HOME PROPOSES EXPANSION
    By Kimberly Redmond

    NorthJersey.com
    http://www.northjersey.com/news/128683838_Emerson_Armenian_Home_proposes_expansion .html
    Aug 30 2011

    The Emerson Land Use Board is expected to continue hearing an
    application by the Emerson Armenian Home for the Aged which proposes
    to construct a new facility and knock down the existing building
    during its Thursday, Sept. 1 meeting.

    According to plans filed with the land use board, the new building,
    a 2.5 story, 117-bed health care facility, would be constructed on the
    left side of the lot on 70 Main St., bordering Clinton Street. The
    existing 86-bed home, located towards the right of the property
    bordering Glenwood Avenue, would be demolished upon construction
    of the new facility and the patients would be transferred. The
    application notes that the project does not require any waivers
    since it conforms to all regulations of zoning ordinances and all
    requirements of subdivision and site plan review ordinances.

    Matthew Russo, the facility's administrator, described the new
    building as "a state of the art long-term care center" and said the
    Armenian Home for the Aged has been planning the upgrade for at least
    16 years. The cost of the project is estimated to be in between $13 to
    15 million, a portion of which was the result of fund raising, he said.

    "The intent behind the expansion is to alleviate a number of problems
    in the area," Russo explained during a Friday morning telephone
    interview. Several "associated improvements" such as increased parking
    and drainage work are proposed in the application filed with the land
    use board.

    Russo said the plan helps to reduce traffic on Broad Street by
    offering additional parking for staff, doctors and visitors. The
    plan proposes the creation of almost 100 spots, which would allow for
    vehicles to be parked at the facility, as opposed to on Broad Street,
    Russo said. It also calls for the construction of a rear driveway on
    Broad Street and a main entrance on Main Street.

    The proposed drainage work aims to rectify a flooding problem in the
    area of Broad and Samuel streets, Russo said, adding that "it is a
    borough problem that we are going to pay to fix." The administrator
    said the home plans to upgrade an existing storm drain easement pipe,
    which is at least 50 years old and decaying, to a larger size "so it
    can move more water quickly."

    And while "a lot of the town is behind the project," Russo said,
    "some residents are against it."

    Residents who live in close proximity to the nursing home have recently
    raised concerns that a larger facility could bring about increased
    traffic on a street that is already congested during mornings and
    afternoons, as two schools are located nearby. According to Russo,
    residents expressed concern that additional traffic could be generated
    by morning and afternoon shift changes at the home.

    In response to the concerns raised, Russo pointed out that the staff
    shift changes generally occur well before the flurry of traffic that
    accompanies drop-off and pick-up times at Emerson Jr./Sr. High School
    and Villano School.

    Another resident expressed concern over the proposed placement of
    a garbage dumpster at the home. Russo said the plan was modified in
    response to that concern and the dumpster has been moved "to a much
    better area for placement, so people on Clinton and Broad Street
    won't see."

    The administrator also went on to point out that while the Armenian
    Home, a not-for-profit organization, is exempt from taxes, in 2006
    it came to an agreement with the borough to compensate for the use
    of borough services. At the time, the Armenian Home intended to move
    forward with the project, but the planning board voiced concerns that
    an increase in the number of patients at the facility would impose
    a greater burden on emergency medical services. The home wound up
    proposing a formula to compensate the borough based upon the number
    of beds occupied for a calendar year. For example, if 100 to 120 beds
    were occupied, the home would pay $1,000 per bed for a grand total
    of $20,000 a year.

    Ultimately, the Armenian Home opted to hold off on the project since
    "the banks said for the size and type of the building" it wished to
    construct that it would be best to "save more money" as well as do
    additional fund raising.

    "We all know this home is unsightly on the outside," Russo said of the
    building, which is over 50 years old. "I don't think anyone could argue
    with that. So, why would residents want to fight something that would
    blend into the residential neighborhood, upgrade the infrastructure
    to the town on our own dime and alleviate traffic problems on side
    streets while providing a state of the art nursing facility that they
    one day might reside in?"

    The Emerson Land Use Board will resume hearing the application for
    approval of the preliminary site plan and final site plan on Thursday,
    Sept. 1 at 8 p.m.

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